Operator rating system

A five-star rating of your safety compliance

Operator safety ratings will provide a fair and accurate indication of both the safety of an operator's fleet and the operator's compliance with land transport safety legislation. Safety ratings are based on data collected on an operator and the operator's vehicles and drivers. The data is generated from three types of safety related events that occur during a rating period. The safety related events are:

• Certificate of fitness (CoF) inspections
• Roadside inspections
• Offences - driver and operator convictions and infringements

Crashes involving an operator's vehicle are also recorded as an event in the operator's Operator Rating System (ORS) history but will not form part of the calculation of the safety rating. The first rating period will be six months, increasing to 24 months over time. The ORS calculation will take into consideration fleet size and number and the nature of events. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) will run the ORS, which will generate operator safety ratings.

What will the ORS do?

• Provide the first complete view of all licensed transport service operators and their regulatory compliance - which will in turn enable regulatory activities to be targeted to where they are most needed.
• Produce safety ratings for operators based on how well they are complying with the relevant transport-related legislation.

Who will be rated and how often?

• All transport service licence (ts l) operators will be safety rated.
• Safety ratings will be calculated and published at least every six months.

Who will use the ratings?

• The public star rating: anyone who purchases transport services, ie your customers.
• The detailed rating schedule (not for public information): individual operators, the NZTA and NZ Police.

How will the ratings work?

* The weighted average is calculated by adding the aged scores and dividing them by the aged denominator (number of inspections or road usage).

Ratings measure the level of your safety risk and compliance

The ORS will encourage customers to support and seek out operators with an excellent safety rating.

What are the benefits of the rating?

• Better-performing operators will benefit from reduced enforcement activities.
• Customers will be able to choose regulatory-compliant operators for the services they purchase.
• Insurance companies could use rating information in conjunction with their risk assessment of clients.
• The social costs associated with motor vehicle crashes will be reduced.

For more information:

• talk to a vehicle standards advisor or transport regulatory advisor at your nearest NZTA office
• refer to the checklist infocards: Certificate of fitness, Roadside inspections, Offences and Crashes
• www.nzta.govt.nz/commercial/assistance/ors/

Page updated: 10 March 2009