RTMS toolkit
RTMS KPIs: the performance indicators to track
SANS 1395 asks every operator to define performance indicators, review them at least quarterly and act on negative trends. Here is the standard list, how to count each figure, the extra quarterly report fields and the ratios that make trends visible.
The standard list
Performance indicators in SANS 1395-1
The 2019 edition lists these indicators as a minimum. The main change from the earlier edition was splitting crashes, fatalities and major injuries into preventable and non-preventable.
| # | Indicator | How to count it | Source record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorised vehicles | Vehicles with an engine in the fleet inventory in scope at the end of the period. | Fleet list |
| 2 | Trailers | Trailers and semi-trailers in the fleet inventory in scope. | Fleet list |
| 3 | Total trips | Trips completed in the period. Define a trip once (for example one loaded journey from loading point to delivery) and count it the same way every quarter. | Trip mass record, trip sheets |
| 4 | Total kilometres travelled | Kilometres travelled by the vehicles in scope, from odometer readings or telematics. | Odometer readings, telematics |
| 5 | Collisions, crashes and incidents on a public road | Every crash or incident on a public road involving a vehicle in scope. | Accident and incident register |
| 6 | Non-preventable crashes | Crashes caused by a third party, the environment, or where the cause is unclear. | Accident register (classification) |
| 7 | Preventable crashes | Crashes where the company driver failed to do everything they reasonably could have done to avoid them. | Accident register (classification) |
| 8 | Fatalities, non-preventable | Deaths arising from non-preventable crashes or incidents. | Accident register |
| 9 | Fatalities, preventable | Deaths arising from preventable crashes or incidents. | Accident register |
| 10 | Major injuries, non-preventable | Injuries requiring hospitalisation after the incident, arising from non-preventable crashes. | Accident register |
| 11 | Major injuries, preventable | Injuries requiring hospitalisation after the incident, arising from preventable crashes. | Accident register |
| 12 | Trips overloaded | Trips that exceeded the permissible mass, dimension or passenger limit. | Trip mass record, monthly overloading report |
| 13 | Service interval exceedances | Services done later than the scheduled interval plus the tolerance you allow. | Vehicle maintenance schedule |
| 14 | Drivers | Drivers employed or contracted to drive vehicles in scope at the end of the period. | Driver licence and PrDP schedule |
| 15 | Drivers with chronic illnesses | Drivers being managed for a chronic condition (keep the medical detail confidential; report the count). | Driver medical schedule |
| 16 | Corrective actions for traffic infringements | Actions taken with drivers after traffic infringement notices. | Traffic fine register |
| 17 | Corrective actions for speed violations | Actions taken with drivers after speed violations (counselling, warnings, hearings). | Speed violation register |
Indicator names and the preventable and major injury definitions follow the standard as summarised in the sources. The "how to count it" notes are T-ERP guidance for consistent counting.
Quarterly report
The RTMS quarterly performance report
Certified operators submit a purely quantitative quarterly performance report for the RTMS national committee, currently captured on an online form hosted by the certification body. Alongside the vehicle, trip, kilometre, crash, overload, service, driver and chronic illness figures, the current form also asks for:
- Average mass of overload
- Number of traffic violations (fines)
- Drivers with a medical fitness certificate
- Drivers trained this quarter
- Corrective or disciplinary actions for excessive driving or shift hours
- Corrective or disciplinary actions for other RTMS non-conformances
- Operating and registration provinces, and the main commodity carried
Quarters run January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December. Check the current form with your certification body before you set up your monthly tracking, as fields can change.
Formulas
Ratios that turn counts into trends
Raw counts rise and fall with fleet size and mileage. These ratios make one quarter comparable with the next. They are T-ERP suggestions for your own trend analysis, not figures the standard prescribes, and no benchmark is implied.
Overloading rate
Trips overloaded / Total trips x 100
The headline loading control trend. Track it monthly and per vehicle type or commodity.
Average overload
Total mass over the limit on overloaded trips / Trips overloaded
Separates a few kilograms over from a seriously overloaded vehicle.
Crash rate per million km
Crashes on public roads / Total km x 1,000,000
Makes quarters with different mileage comparable.
Preventable crash rate per million km
Preventable crashes / Total km x 1,000,000
The part of the crash rate your own processes and drivers can change.
Preventable share
Preventable crashes / All crashes x 100
Shows whether investigations point at controllable causes.
Service exceedance rate
Service interval exceedances / Services due in the period x 100
Maintenance discipline, independent of fleet size.
Speed actions per driver
Corrective actions for speed violations / Drivers
Read it with the number of violations: actions should keep pace with detections.
Fatigue exception rate
Duty sessions over the policy limits / Total duty sessions x 100
Shows whether the fatigue policy is followed in practice.
Medical currency
Drivers with a current medical / Drivers x 100
Should be at or near 100%; any gap is a list of names to act on.
Training coverage
Drivers trained in the period / Drivers x 100
Tracks the training plan against reality.
Worked example (illustrative figures only)
A fleet completes 1,200 trips and 450,000 km in a quarter, with 18 overloaded trips and 2 crashes on public roads, 1 of them preventable. Overloading rate = 18 / 1,200 x 100 = 1.5%. Crash rate = 2 / 450,000 x 1,000,000 = 4.4 per million km. Preventable crash rate = 1 / 450,000 x 1,000,000 = 2.2 per million km. The numbers are made up to show the arithmetic; they are not targets or industry averages.
Records
The records behind the numbers
Each KPI is only as good as the register it comes from. Keep these current and the quarter compiles itself.
Incidents
Every crash, incident and near miss with date, vehicle, driver, classification (preventable or not), severity, root cause and action.
Fatigue
Planned shifts, actual duty and driving hours, breaks, rest days and every exception with its reason and action.
Overloading
Mass or quantity for every trip, the permissible limit, the overload flag and the evidence reference.
Maintenance
Service schedule per vehicle and trailer, completed services with job cards and every interval overrun.
Training
Training plan, attendance, assessments and refreshers after incidents, per driver.
Drivers
Licence and PrDP validity, medical dates and chronic condition management, kept confidential.
How T-ERP does it
Trips, incidents, services, duty sessions and driver credentials are captured once in T-ERP, so the indicators are calculated from the same records the auditor will sample. The Monthly RTMS Performance Dashboard trends them month on month and the Quarterly RTMS KPI Report compiles the quarter, alongside the Monthly Safety Summary, Monthly Overload Analysis, Monthly Fatigue Compliance and Monthly Maintenance Compliance reports.
RTMS toolkit
Inside the RTMS toolkit
- Toolkit overviewWhat RTMS is, who it is for, how certification works and where to start.Open
- 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
- Policies and registersThe policies and registers an RTMS manual needs, with the contents and fields of each one.Open
FAQ
RTMS KPI questions
How often must RTMS KPIs be reviewed?
SANS 1395-1 requires the performance indicators to be monitored and analysed at least quarterly, with corrective actions where trends are negative. Certified operators also submit a quarterly performance report. Many operators compile the figures monthly so the quarter adds up with no surprises.
What is a preventable crash under RTMS?
A crash where the company driver failed to do everything they reasonably could have done to avoid it. Crashes caused by a third party, the environment, or with an unclear cause are counted as non-preventable.
What counts as a major injury?
In the RTMS performance indicators, a major injury is an injury that requires hospitalisation after the incident.
Is there a target overloading percentage?
The standard asks you to analyse overloading and underloading trends and act where they do not meet industry or stipulated requirements. It does not publish one number for every operator, so agree targets with your clients and certification body, and show the trend improving.
Can I calculate the KPIs from spreadsheets?
Yes, if the underlying registers are complete. The usual problem is that trips, incidents, services and driver records live in different files and do not reconcile. A system that captures them once and calculates the indicators from the same records avoids that.
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.Information update: SABS publish revised RTMS standard - SANS 1395:2019 - JC Auditors (2019, copy on file)
Summary of the 2019 revision: speed tolerances, driving hours, tyre surveys, breakdown register and response, stopping areas, dangerous goods standards, the performance indicator list, management review and the consignor and consignee clause.
- 2.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.
- 3.RTMS quarterly report submission form - JC Auditors
Fields of the quarterly performance report. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- 4.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.
KPIs calculated from your daily records
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