RTMS toolkit
The RTMS toolkit for South African transport operators
RTMS (Road Transport Management System) is the voluntary, industry-led self-regulation scheme for heavy vehicle operators, consignors and consignees, measured against SANS 1395-1. This toolkit explains every requirement, walks through certification and gives you the checklist, KPIs and register outlines to get there.
The basics
What RTMS is and who it is for
RTMS encourages everyone in the road freight chain to run a management system that preserves the road network (by preventing overloading), improves road safety and makes the sector more productive. The requirements are set out in SANS 1395-1, published by SABS.
It is voluntary: no law says you must be certified. Some clients, such as mines, loading facilities and large shippers, make RTMS certification a condition of their contracts, so for many operators it is the price of entry to the work they want.
The standard does not prescribe software or paperwork formats. What auditors want to see is a defined process for each requirement and a history of records that proves you follow it consistently.
Who can be certified
Transport operators
Goods and passenger operators, including those who run vehicles they do not own, for the depots they choose to put in scope.
Consignors
Organisations that send goods by road: they manage the transporters they use and check every vehicle before dispatch.
Consignees
Organisations that receive goods: they check vehicles before granting site access and keep cycle times short.
Transport brokers cannot be certified.
SANS 1395 requirements
The RTMS requirement areas
The operator requirements cover vehicles and loads, drivers and the management system that ties them together. Consignors and consignees add their own section. Each card opens the detail: what auditors ask, the evidence to keep and the common gaps.
Vehicles, loads and road safety
- Fleet inventory and loading controlA complete fleet inventory with technical data, valid licences and permits, a defined loading method and proof that every trip stayed within mass and dimension limits.Requirements and evidence
- Road safetyAssess the risks your operation poses to other road users, then manage speed, driving hours, shifts, crashes, traffic offences and public complaints.Requirements and evidence
- Maintenance of roadworthy vehiclesVehicles and trailers serviced to manufacturer intervals, proof that the schedule is followed, tyre management, and breakdowns recorded, analysed and responded to quickly.Requirements and evidence
- Vehicle and load safetyA daily roadworthiness check before every vehicle is used, loads secured for the goods carried, route risks communicated to drivers and the legal and insurance basics in place.Requirements and evidence
Drivers
- Driver health and wellnessMedically fit drivers, active management of chronic conditions, a substance abuse process and a fatigue management plan built on shift schedules and monitored hours.Requirements and evidence
- Competency, training and awarenessDrivers hold the right licence and PrDP, are recruited for competence and receive planned training, with refreshers after incidents and records for all of it.Requirements and evidence
Management system
- Sites and scopeCertification is per site. You decide which depots are in scope and show that each one, with its own fleet, meets the standard.Requirements and evidence
- Support, documents and recordsLeadership provides resources and assigns responsibility, and the RTMS is written down with records that are identifiable, legible and traceable, on paper or electronically.Requirements and evidence
- Performance evaluationDefine performance indicators, monitor them at least quarterly and act on negative trends. Certified operators also report quarterly figures.Requirements and evidence
- Internal audit, management review and continual improvementCheck your own system before the auditor does, have management review the results and show that you improve efficiency and road safety where the numbers say you should.Requirements and evidence
RTMS certification
How RTMS certification works
Five stages from first look to staying registered. The certification process page covers each one, the two certificates and who does what.
Get the standard and assess your gaps
Buy SANS 1395-1 from SABS, compare it with how you operate today and list every gap.Write and implement your processes
Put the policies, procedures and registers in place and keep records for every vehicle, trip and driver.Run it, then check it yourself
After about three months of records, run an internal assessment to see whether you are ready.Apply for the audit
A SANAS-accredited RTMS certification body runs a stage 1 and a stage 2 audit and checks your corrective actions.Register and keep it up
Submit your quarterly performance reports and pass the annual surveillance audit to stay registered.
Your RTMS manual
What goes into an RTMS toolkit
A practical RTMS manual opens with a signed road safety commitment and responsibilities, then describes how each transport safety process works, backed by a policy or a register. Here is how those fifteen processes map to the requirement areas.
- 1.SitesSites and scope
- 2.Vehicles (fleet list)Fleet inventory and loading control
- 3.Vehicle licensing and permitsFleet inventory and loading control
- 4.Load assessment and verificationFleet inventory and loading control
- 5.Risk assessmentsRoad safety
- 6.Speed managementRoad safety
- 7.Driver fatigueDriver health and wellness
- 8.Accident and incident analysisRoad safety
- 9.Traffic offences and infringementsRoad safety
- 10.Maintenance of roadworthy vehiclesMaintenance of roadworthy vehicles
- 11.Vehicle and load safetyVehicle and load safety
- 12.InsuranceVehicle and load safety
- 13.Driver health and wellnessDriver health and wellness
- 14.Driver trainingCompetency, training and awareness
- 15.Safety performance monitoringPerformance evaluation
Policies and registers
7 policies and 26 registers
A road safety commitment, then speed, fatigue, accident investigation, safe loading, pre-trip inspection and substance abuse, plus the registers from the fleet list to the safety performance report. Each one comes with its purpose, contents and update frequency.
See the policies and registersPerformance indicators
The standard lists the indicators every operator tracks, from trips and kilometres to preventable crashes and overloaded trips.
RTMS KPIs and formulasFree RTMS checklist
How ready are you? Tick off 60 items across every requirement area
Progress is shown per area and saved in your browser. Print it for your management review or email yourself a copy.
RTMS toolkit
Inside the RTMS toolkit
- SANS 1395 requirementsEvery requirement area explained: what auditors look for, the evidence to keep and the gaps that fail audits.Open
- Certification processFrom gap analysis to the stage 1 and stage 2 audits, registration, quarterly reports and the annual surveillance audit.Open
- Self-assessment checklistTick off each requirement area, see your progress per area and print the result for your management review.Open
- RTMS KPIsThe performance indicators the standard asks for, how to define each one and the ratios worth trending.Open
- Policies and registersThe policies and registers an RTMS manual needs, with the contents and fields of each one.Open
RTMS guides
FAQ
RTMS questions
What is RTMS?
RTMS stands for Road Transport Management System. It is an industry-led, government-supported, voluntary self-regulation scheme for the heavy vehicle industry in South Africa. Operators, consignors and consignees implement a management system that meets SANS 1395-1 and are audited by a SANAS-accredited RTMS certification body.
Is RTMS a legal requirement?
No. RTMS is a voluntary standard. Some clients, such as mines and large shippers, make RTMS certification a condition of their contracts, which is why many operators pursue it.
What is an RTMS toolkit?
An RTMS toolkit (or RTMS manual) is the set of policies, procedures and registers an operator uses to run and prove its RTMS: a road safety commitment, a speed policy, a fatigue policy, a loading procedure, a pre-trip inspection procedure, and registers such as the fleet list, trip mass record, accident register and maintenance schedule.
Which standard does RTMS use?
SANS 1395-1:2019, Road transport management systems - Part 1: Requirements for operators, consignors and consignees - Goods and passengers. It is published by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and can be bought from SABS.
Can a transport broker get RTMS certified?
No. According to the certification body FAQ, RTMS certification is only possible for transport operators, consignors and consignees. You do not have to own the vehicles, provided they are managed according to the standard.
How long does RTMS certification take?
It depends on how close your current processes are to the standard. The RTMS website describes an internal assessment after three months of implementation, and the certification body FAQ gives a range from a few weeks for very compliant operators to several months for others.
Sources
Requirements are paraphrased from the sources below; they are a summary, not the text of the standard. Buy SANS 1395-1 from SABS for the full requirements, and confirm details with your certification body.
- 1.RTMS - South Africa (home page) - RTMS South Africa
Definition of RTMS as an industry-led, government-supported, voluntary self-regulation scheme; getting-started steps. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- 2.RTMS certification process - RTMS South Africa
Steps from obtaining SANS 1395 to certification, including the internal assessment after three months of implementation. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- 3.RTMS standard (SANS 1395) - RTMS South Africa
The standard is published by SABS; summary of the requirement areas including consignor and consignee requirements. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- 4.RTMS brochure and FAQ (2021) - JC Auditors (SANAS-accredited RTMS certification body)
Registration process, stage 1 and stage 2 audits, two certificates, annual surveillance audits, quarterly performance reports, depot selection, certification time frames. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- 5.SANS 1395-1:2019 Road transport management systems - Part 1: Requirements for operators, consignors and consignees - Goods and passengers - South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
The standard itself. Buy a copy from the SABS webstore or a regional SABS office; this toolkit summarises and does not reproduce it.
This toolkit is general guidance from T-ERP Technologies, not legal advice or an official RTMS publication. T-ERP is not a certification body.
Keep your RTMS evidence in one place
A 30-minute consultation: we look at how you keep RTMS records today and show you how T-ERP builds the evidence for every requirement area from your daily operations. No obligation.