Frequently asked questions

To comply with the regulations you will need to:

• develop a fatigue management plan
• request or provide fatigue management training from all commercial vehicle drivers
• ensure that all your drivers are medically certified fit to operate commercial vehicles
• establish accurate and current records of work time, breaks from driving and non-work time
• have a checking system to ensure the commercial vehicle drivers have complied or been able to comply with the operating standards outlined in the regulations.

Work time is all work. It includes driving and all the activities that are associated with driving a commercial vehicle.

Examples of work time is time spent:

• loading and unloading
• completing any paperwork related to picking up and delivering the load
• checking the load
• refuelling
• checking tyres
• maintaining and cleaning the vehicle
• talking to supervisors and other drivers about the work arrangements

 Work time also includes breaks from driving of less than 30 minutes.

Non-work time means more than 30 minutes time off at home, away from the vehicle, or, if on a trip in the vehicle, it includes sleep in an appropriate sleeper berth. It does not include driving or work incidental to driving.

At least 7 consecutive hours of non work time in any 24-hour period. A commercial vehicle driver must have 27 hours of non work time in any 72-hour period and includes a minimum of 3 x 7 hour continuous period of non work time.

No more than 17 hours of elapsed time regardless of whether the driver worked for that whole period.

Example:

A commercial vehicle driver has worked for 10 hours. The vehicle then breaks down for 4 hours, and the driver climbs into the bunk to rest,  when the driver resumes work, they are only allowed to work for an additional 3 hours before the maximum of 17 hours has elapsed.

No. It is a rolling clock, which starts when the driver starts work.    

When he or she starts working, and this included incidental work and not just when the physical driving starts.

Example: 

A driver will carry out a pre-start check and fuel the vehicle before starting to drive the vehicle. Work time starts when the commercial vehicle driver does the pre-start check, not when the driving commences.

Yes. For every 5 hours of work time, a commercial vehicle driver must have a 20-minute break from driving. This means the driver can only drive for a maximum of 5 hours before the 20-minute break must commence.

A break from driving is a break from the physical task of driving. It is a break of less than 30 minutes, so the driver is still considered to be working. A break is still considered work time, as a driver can attend to non-driving tasks. These tasks may include: the driver loading, unloading, refuelling, completing paperwork, checking the load restraints etc.

Unfortunately, the system only allows one email address per user. Each person needs their own unique email address to use it. If your drivers don’t already have their own business or personal accounts, there are many free email service providers they can use.

There are several reasons why you might not have received a confirmation email

• Your email provider might be marking the confirmation email as spam. Check your junk or spam folder if you haven’t received it within 24 hours of registering.
• Sometimes when using a company email address, your IT administrator may need to add our IP address as an exception to the email server so you can receive confirmation emails. Our emails come from no-reply@fatigue.safetyline.wa.gov.au.

If your verification link is not functioning, it may have been broken by your email system. If the link is not clickable, or if part of it appears to be cut off, try copying and pasting the entire URL (starting with http://fatigue.safetyline…) into your browser’s address bar, then press ‘Enter’. Make sure to copy only the link without any additional spaces.

Due to a recent upgrade of our website, some user accounts from the previous system may not have been successfully transferred. If your account was created some time ago and you are experiencing issues logging in, we kindly ask you to re-register to continue using this website.

Please use the ‘Forgot Password’ link and follow the instructions. Please note that you will need access to your registered email address to complete this process.

Don’t worry, you can use your registered email address as your username instead.

These courses are aligned with the units of competency TLIF2010: Apply fatigue management strategies and TLIF3063: Apply the implementation of fatigue management strategies. However, as WorkSafe is not a registered training organization (RTO), completing the training on our website does not result in an official statement of attainment for these units of competency.

Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) may incorporate our website as part of their assessment process for students enrolled in these units. While our website is designed to be a comprehensive resource, the formal recognition of attainment ultimately rests with the RTO utilising this resource.

“I have been told that I must have the online fatigue management certificate of completion to start my job as a commercial vehicle driver or to supervise a commercial vehicle driver in Western Australia. What are my options?”

WorkSafe online fatigue management training is a free educational resource aimed at helping users understand the impact of fatigue and strategies for its prevention. While we recommended taking the online course, it is not mandatory.

Alternatively, you have the option to attend fatigue management training through a Registered Training Organization (RTO). Please note that while our online training is free, there may be fees associated with training through an RTO.

WorkSafe does not dictate the validity period of the certificate of completion. As a result, the certificate only displays the issue date without an expiry date. For confirmation of specific requirements, we recommend contacting your employer or your employer’s auditors.

This issue can arise if there were errors in the information you provided when creating your account, as this information is used to prefill your certificate.

Unfortunately, you cannot change your first or last name in the settings menu. Please contact us, so we can assist you to resolving this issue.

Once you have successfully completed all the quizzes in the relevant course, you can access your pre-filled certificate at the bottom of the course page. Just select it to open and print your certificate.

To update the date on your certificate, you will need to retake all the quizzes. First, locate and select the ‘Reset Completion’ section. Please ensure you save your existing pass certificate, as resetting it will erase all previous records. Make certain that you retake all parts of the course. Once you have successfully completed and retaken all the quizzes, the date on your Certificate of Completion will automatically be updated to reflect the current date.

We appreciate your feedback and understand that some of the content might seem complex. Our goal is to make the information on our website as accessible and clear as possible. However, it’s important to note that the content must adhere to specific legal requirements and government legislation, which often necessitate the use of certain language and concepts that we are required to include and cannot modify extensively. 

We strive to balance clarity with these mandatory requirements. For areas that seem particularly challenging, we recommend seeking additional resources or professional advice for further clarification. If you have specific questions or require more detailed explanations about any part of our content, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help and guide you through the material as best as we can.