Mapping the NHVR Master Code to Hubfleet

The companion guide to How to Build Your SMS in Hubfleet. Use the Master Code (RICP) as your SMS blueprint — Activity by Activity, Hazard by Hazard.

The NHVR Master Code of Practice (also known as the RICP — Registered Industry Code of Practice) is registered under section 706 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and is admissible in court under section 632A as evidence of what reasonably practicable safety management looks like. The 2026 edition, released by NHVR in January 2026, has been updated to align with the upcoming HVNL reforms.It lists 45 Activities, 530 supporting Controls, and 75 specific Hazards across 12 categories — making it the most authoritative starting point for any heavy-vehicle SMS, whether you're complying with the current HVNL today or preparing for HVNL reforms.
This page is the companion to How to Build Your SMS in Hubfleet. Where that guide walks you through the SMS foundation, this one goes deeper on the source material and shows how every NHVR item lands inside Hubfleet.

Who this page is for

You've read Part 1 of How to Build Your SMS in Hubfleet and you're asking "where exactly does each NHVR Activity, Control and Hazard live in Hubfleet?" This page answers that — and shows how each Master Code requirement under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) lands in your Hubfleet workspace.

The benefits of using the Master Code as your starting point:

Audit-ready — trace every Hubfleet record back to a NHVR Activity and Hazard code
Faster setup — use the Master Code as a starting checklist instead of building from scratch
Defensible — demonstrate that your SMS is structured around the regulator's own framework

The three layers of the NHVR Master Code

The Master Code is structured in three connected layers. Each maps to a different concept in Hubfleet.

NHVR layer

What it is

Examples

Activity

A category of work a CoR party performs (45 in total, numbered 1–45)

13 — Managing driver fatigue
26 — Scheduling transport tasks
32 — Restraining loads

Control

A specific practice or measure within an Activity

13.21 — Install Fatigue and Distraction Detection Technologies
32.1 — Provide load restraint equipment with sufficient capacity

Hazard

A specific risk source, with a coded ID (H1a–H12k)

H4a — Driver impaired by fatigue
H7a — Load not adequately restrained
H9b — Over mass vehicle

How the NHVR model lands in Hubfleet

In the NHVR model: Activities contain Controls → Controls mitigate Hazards.

In Hubfleet, this lands differently:

NHVR Activity is a tag/category on a Risk Control — Hubfleet does not have a separate Activity entity, and you don't need one
A Risk Control is the systemic, ongoing safeguard (e.g. "EWD system", "Load restraint equipment program")
Each Risk Control has Preventive Links — policies, required training, and hazards addressed (the left side of the bow-tie)
Each Risk Control has Reactive Links — incidents, NCRs, and field-reported hazards that have tested the control in real life (the right side of the bow-tie)
Inside each Hazard, Incident, or NCR there are Actions — specific, time-bound corrective work (e.g. "Replace damaged straps by Friday"). Actions are not Risk Controls; they are the work that runs alongside the systemic Risk Control to address a particular event

How each NHVR item maps to Hubfleet

Not every NHVR "Control" should become a Hubfleet Risk Control. The Master Code mixes concrete safeguards with policies, training requirements, and governance items. Here's where each kind belongs:

NHVR item type

Map to Hubfleet entity

Examples from the Master Code

Activity (1–45)

Tag on a Risk Control — no separate entity in Hubfleet

Activity 13 — Managing driver fatigue
Activity 26 — Scheduling transport tasks
Activity 32 — Restraining loads

Hazard (H1a–H12k)

Hazard record — tag with the H-code

H4a → "Driver fatigue" hazard
H7a → "Load not restrained" hazard

Concrete physical or system safeguard

Risk Control — tag with NHVR Activity #

13.21 Install FDDT
19.1 Service & maintenance schedule
22.2 Traffic management plan
36.1 Calibrate weighbridges

Policy, contract term, or written rule

Policy or Procedure — linked under Preventive Links

1.1–1.16 Safety capability statements
3.1 CoR Policy
10.1–10.12 Agreement terms
11.7–11.10 Employment contract terms

Training or competency requirement

Required Training — linked under Preventive Links

5.1–5.17 Training employees
15.1–15.22 Training drivers
22.6–22.10 Premises staff training
41.4–41.5 Dangerous goods training

Vehicle, equipment & pre-operational checks

Fleet management • Pre-start checklists

18.1–18.7 Vehicle procurement
19.8–19.10 Pre-start checks
20.1–20.10 Equipping vehicles

Allocation & scheduling decisions

EWD / fatigue-hours visibility — Hubfleet shows allocators and schedulers each driver's remaining work hours and time to next major break, supporting (not replacing) the human decision

25.1–25.10 Driver allocation
26.1–26.22 Scheduling
28.1–28.10 Vehicle allocation

Route planning

Policies & Procedures (route policy) + Risk Controls for route-specific hazards. Hubfleet does not include a route planner

27.1–27.17 Route planning and selection

Governance / SMS practice

SMS Manual or CoR Policy document

1.1–1.16 Safety capability
2.1–2.4 Executive understanding
7.1–7.9 Working with other businesses
8.1–8.6 Monitoring & assurance
9.1–9.9 Sharing information

Building your SMS from the Master Code (RICP)

This is the condensed build path. For the full step-by-step playbook with timing and dependencies, read How to Build Your SMS in Hubfleet.

Set up your Hazard register

For each NHVR hazard relevant to your operation, create a Hazard record and tag it using the dedicated NHVR Hazard Code field (e.g. H4a — Driver fatigue impairment, H7a — Load not adequately restrained, H9b — Over-mass vehicle).

Build your Risk Control library

For each concrete safeguard you implement, create a Risk Control and tag it using the dedicated NHVR Activity field — a single Risk Control can cover multiple Activities (e.g. an EWD system covers Activity 13 and 17).

Link Preventive items

Under each Risk Control, link Policies & Procedures, Required Training, and the Hazards it addresses. This is the left side of the bow-tie — what's in place before anything goes wrong.

Let Reactive Links populate themselves

As you record Incidents, NCRs and field-reported Hazards, link them to the relevant Risk Control. Each linked event captures Effectiveness (Event) — how the control performed at the time — and Effectiveness (Post-Action) — how it performs after corrective work. This is your bow-tie audit trail; auditors look for exactly this structure under HVNL reforms.

Re-rate after action

When actions are completed against a hazard or incident, perform a re-rating in the review section. Hubfleet sends an automatic Risk Re-Assessment Notification email to the Category Owner showing the original vs new rating.

Foundation Activities — where governance items live

The Master Code groups its 45 Activities into 8 sections — Foundation (1–10), Managing Drivers (11–17), Vehicles & Equipment (18–20), Premises (21–22), Operations (23–24), Journey Planning (25–29), Loads, Loading & Unloading (30–36), and Sector Specific (37–45). The Section column in the table above shows where each Activity sits.

Most of the Foundation section (Activities 1–4 and 7–10) is governance and SMS practices, not protective controls. Activities 5 (Training employees) and 6 (Managing fitness to work) are operational and do map directly to Hubfleet (Required Training and Risk Controls respectively). Examples of governance items that should not become Risk Controls:

1.1 "Demonstrate a commitment to safety throughout the business"
2.1–2.4 "Ensure executives understand the business"
8.3 "Use audits or internal reviews as part of the assurance process"
9.1 "Determine the information you need to carry out your transport activities safely"

Capture these in your CoR Policy document or your SMS Manual and reference them when an auditor asks about Foundation Activities.

Mapping table — all 45 NHVR Activities

Copy this table into Excel or Google Sheets to use as a tracking checklist. Each row tells you the primary Hubfleet entity for that Activity, plus any secondary entities to also consider.

Section

NHVR Activity

Primary Hubfleet entity

Also see

Foundation

Developing organisational safety capability

SMS Manual / CoR Policy

Policies & Procedures

Foundation

Ensuring executives understand the business

SMS Manual / CoR Policy

Required Training

Foundation

Establishing policies and procedures

Policies & Procedures

Foundation

Recruiting and employing (all employees)

Policies & Procedures

Foundation

Training employees

Required Training

Risk Controls

Foundation

Managing fitness to work

Risk Controls — 🏋🏽Fit for Duty

Required Training, Policies

Foundation

Working with other businesses

Policies & Procedures

SMS Manual

Foundation

Monitoring and Assurance

SMS Manual

Risk Control review schedules

Foundation

Sharing information

Policies & Procedures

Risk Control review schedules

Foundation

Making agreements

Policies & Procedures

Managing Drivers

Recruiting and employing heavy vehicle drivers

Policies & Procedures

Required Training

Managing Drivers

Managing driver health

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Managing Drivers

Managing driver fatigue

Risk Controls

Required Training, 📱Electronic Work Diary (EWD), Fatigue Management

Managing Drivers

Managing distraction and inattention

Risk Controls

Required Training

Managing Drivers

Training drivers

Required Training

Managing Drivers

Equipping drivers

Risk Controls

Managing Drivers

Using monitoring devices and safety systems

Risk Controls

Vehicles & Equipment

Vehicle procurement and fleet management

Fleet management

Policies & Procedures

Vehicles & Equipment

Maintaining vehicles and equipment

Risk Controls

Services, Faults, Pre-starts, Maintenance Management

Vehicles & Equipment

Equipping and modifying vehicles

Risk Controls

Premises

Design and characteristics of loading/unloading premises

Risk Controls

Policies & Procedures

Premises

Managing loading and unloading premises

Risk Controls

Required Training

Operations

Arranging for the transport of goods

Policies & Procedures (CoR)

Risk Controls

Operations

Arranging for a vehicle to perform a task

Policies & Procedures (CoR)

Fleet management, Risk Controls

Journey Planning

Allocating a driver to a driving task

Risk Controls (Fatigue) + EWD fatigue-hours visibility

Policies & Procedures

Journey Planning

Scheduling transport tasks

Risk Controls (Fatigue) + EWD fatigue-hours visibility

Policies & Procedures

Journey Planning

Route planning and selection

Policies & Procedures

Risk Controls (route hazards). Hubfleet does not include a route planner

Journey Planning

Allocating or accepting a vehicle for a transport task

Fleet management + Risk Controls

Policies & Procedures

Journey Planning

Accepting transport tasks as an owner driver

Policies & Procedures

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Manufacturing and packaging goods

Policies & Procedures

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Restraining loads

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Unloading

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Measuring, communicating and monitoring mass

Risk Controls

Required Training, Mass Management

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Measuring, communicating and monitoring dimension

Risk Controls

Loads, Loading & Unloading

Operating a weighbridge

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Sector Specific

Arranging for the collection and transport of livestock

Policies & Procedures

Risk Controls

Sector Specific

Running an on-line freight platform

Policies & Procedures

Sector Specific

Operating on and around construction sites

Risk Controls

Required Training

Sector Specific

Recovery vehicles and operations

Risk Controls

Required Training

Sector Specific

Transporting dangerous goods or explosives

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Sector Specific

Packing and restraining goods in shipping containers

Risk Controls

Required Training, Policies

Sector Specific

Importing goods in shipping containers

Policies & Procedures

Risk Controls

Sector Specific

Transporting shipping containers

Risk Controls

Required Training

Sector Specific

Managing premises where shipping containers are loaded/unloaded

Risk Controls

Required Training

Tips

A single Risk Control can map to multiple NHVR Activities — tag all that apply.
Don't try to import every NHVR control as a Risk Control. Use the table above to route each one to the right entity.
For the governance Foundation Activities (1–4 and 7–10), keep your CoR Policy / SMS Manual aligned and reference NHVR Activity numbers directly in the document. Activities 5 (Training employees) and 6 (Managing fitness to work) are operational — they live in Required Training and Risk Controls, not in the SMS Manual.
When an auditor asks "how do you address Activity X?", filter Risk Controls by the NHVR Activity tag to produce a defensible list.

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