Road Transport Award [MA000038]

This page is a summary of who the Road Transport Award covers and doesn’t cover. Find a copy of the award at Road Transport Award.

Learn how to calculate pay rates and check entitlements from Find pay rates and entitlements.

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Who the Road Transport Award covers

The Road Transport Award covers employers in the road transport and distribution industry and their employees who fit within the classifications of the award.

The road transport and distribution industry includes:

  • transporting by road livestock, goods, wares, merchandise, materials or other things in any form (defined below)
  • receiving, handling or storing goods, wares, merchandise, materials or other things in any form at a distribution facility
  • storing and distributing livestock, goods, wares, merchandise, materials or other things in any form, in connection with air freight forwarding and customs clearance
  • mobile food vending
  • distributing and relocating new or used vehicles requiring the driving of the vehicle itself (applies from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2018).

‘In any form’ means in a raw or natural state, wholly or partly manufactured, or as a solid, liquid or gas.

‘Goods, wares, merchandise and any other things’ includes:

  • crude oil
  • gas condensate
  • petrol and petroleum products
  • dairy products
  • wholesale meat
  • quarried materials.

The Road Transport Award also covers employees doing road transport or distribution work for an employer in a different industry, if the employer isn’t covered by another award that has a classification for the employee.

Examples of employees covered by the Road Transport Award include:

  • yardpersons, general hands, driver’s assistants and loaders
  • truck, forklift, concrete mixer and crane drivers
  • transport riggers
  • distribution facility employees
  • furniture remover’s assistants.

Drivers are also covered by the Road Transport Award for the time they are performing shorter distance work if they:

  • normally work as a long distance driver under the Road Transport (Long Distance) Award, and
  • sometimes do short distance work.

The Road Transport Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are placed with an organisation in the road transport and distribution industry.

Check the award for full information on who is covered and the classification descriptions.

Source reference: Road Transport Award [MA000038] clauses 2, 4 and schedule A and B

Who the Road Transport Award doesn’t cover

Employers and employees in the following industries or activities are not covered by the Road Transport Award:

  • chauffeuring
  • long distance driving (eg. interstate driving), if this is the principal or usual activity.

Drivers who normally do work covered by the Road Transport Award but sometimes do longer distance work will be covered by the Road Transport (Long Distance) Award while they do long distance work.

The Road Transport Award doesn’t cover employers and employees when they are covered by one of the following awards:

  • Mining Award
  • Road Transport (Long Distance) Award (while doing long distance work)
  • Transport (Cash) Award
  • Waste Award.

Check the award for full information on coverage and classifications.

Source reference: Road Transport Award [MA000038] clauses 2, 4 and schedule A and B

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