Free RTMS checklist
RTMS self-assessment checklist
60 checks across every SANS 1395 requirement area. Tick what is already in place, see your progress per area, then print the result for your gap analysis or management review.
RTMS self-assessment checklist
Company: ______________________ Site: ______________________ Date: ____________
How to use it
- Only tick an item if you could show the record to an auditor today.
- Work through it with the people who run each area: workshop, controllers, HR and the depot manager.
- Every unticked item is a gap: give it an owner and a date in your corrective action register.
- Repeat the check before your internal audit and again before the external audit.
0%0 of 60 items in place
Sites and scope
Certification is per site. You decide which depots are in scope and show that each one, with its own fleet, meets the standard.
0/3(0%)
Fleet inventory and loading control
A 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.
0/6(0%)
Road safety
Assess the risks your operation poses to other road users, then manage speed, driving hours, shifts, crashes, traffic offences and public complaints.
0/7(0%)
Maintenance of roadworthy vehicles
Vehicles and trailers serviced to manufacturer intervals, proof that the schedule is followed, tyre management, and breakdowns recorded, analysed and responded to quickly.
0/7(0%)
Vehicle and load safety
A 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.
0/6(0%)
Driver health and wellness
Medically fit drivers, active management of chronic conditions, a substance abuse process and a fatigue management plan built on shift schedules and monitored hours.
0/6(0%)
Competency, training and awareness
Drivers hold the right licence and PrDP, are recruited for competence and receive planned training, with refreshers after incidents and records for all of it.
0/5(0%)
Support, documents and records
Leadership provides resources and assigns responsibility, and the RTMS is written down with records that are identifiable, legible and traceable, on paper or electronically.
0/5(0%)
Performance evaluation
Define performance indicators, monitor them at least quarterly and act on negative trends. Certified operators also report quarterly figures.
0/5(0%)
Internal audit, management review and continual improvement
Check 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.
0/4(0%)
Consignor and consignee requirements
For organisations that send or receive goods: manage the transporters you use, control what leaves and enters your site, and keep cycle times short.
0/6(0%)
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
- 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
FAQ
RTMS checklist questions
What is an RTMS self-assessment?
A structured check of your operation against the RTMS requirements before you apply for an audit. It is the gap analysis step of the certification process: it shows which processes and records are missing so you can fix them first.
Does a completed checklist mean I will pass the audit?
No. The checklist is a planning aid based on public summaries of SANS 1395-1. Auditors test real records by sampling vehicles, drivers and trips, so every ticked item needs evidence behind it. Buy the standard from SABS for the full requirements.
Are my answers stored anywhere?
Your ticks are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to T-ERP unless you choose to enter your email address to receive a link to the checklist.
Do consignors and consignees need to complete every section?
Consignors and consignees complete the consignor and consignee section, and the operator sections too if they run their own heavy vehicle fleet on public roads. Operators who only transport goods can skip the consignor and consignee section.
Sources
Checklist items are T-ERP's practical wording of the requirement areas summarised in the sources below. They are not the text of the standard.
- 1.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.
- 2.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.
- 3.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.
- 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.
This toolkit is general guidance from T-ERP Technologies, not legal advice or an official RTMS publication. T-ERP is not a certification body.
Turn your unticked items into a plan
Bring your checklist to a 30-minute consultation. We will show you how T-ERP records the evidence for each area so the gaps close and stay closed. No obligation.