Thread: At your local Hardware???/

Originally Posted by Homestar

Chain of responsibility is law...

If that's the Law, then the Law truly is an Ass.
In Maritime law the Master of a Vessel is solely responsible and wholly accountable for the loading of his Vessel.
Should be the same for vehicles.
I think all this Chain of Responsibility malarkey was dreamed up by the "Law Lobby", to muddy the waters and give them more work.

I would venture to say that the Master also has a say, in fact the final word, on how his vessel is loaded.
In road transport, a linehaul driver picks up a loaded trailer and tows it to a destination. Usually it is sealed, with no opportunity for the driver to check restraints, if DG is loaded, or even the weight etc, etc..
Since the introduction of CoR, trailers are rarely loaded illegally.
Australian road transport, a decade or so past, was considered the most productive transport industry worldwide. Why, you ask; because many trucks were overloaded, speeding or both. Back then, over 90% of long distance freight (300+ km) was carried by owner drivers and small fleets, working for national and international freight forwarders. If the carrier did not comply with the majors' demands (including times and rates) he would not be loaded again. With trucks costing as much, or more more than a house and the family home as collateral, subbies had to do whatever it took to pay the bills and feed the kids. CoR has had a huge impact on road transport, mostly for the better from a driver's point of view.
It wasn't all bad back then, it is quite exhilarating punting a truck up the Landsbourgh at 158kph.