Addressing human rights risks in the road transport sector requires a human rights due diligence approach that goes beyond document reviews and audits.
This approach should meaningfully involve road transport workers and their representative trade unions in identifying, preventing and mitigating harm, and supporting remedies.
These steps show how companies can work with the ITF in practice to identify risks, monitor standards, and remedy.
Evaluation of Company Policy and Processes
What companies should do
- Companies should evaluate their internal policies to ensure that respect for international trucking standards protecting trucking and long-distance road passenger transports are included in the policy and process outreach
- Companies should work to identify indicators of risks related to road transport
How can the ITF support?
- Evaluate your purchasing, tender and supplier policies and practices to incentivise road transport supplier respect for international road transport standards, relating to trucking road freight and long-distance road passenger transport
- The ITF provides training on indicators of potential risks in your road transport supply chain
Risk Assessment
What companies should do
- Companies should broaden the scope of the risk assessment and agree what criteria should dictate their application
- Companies should assess understanding of how to carry out a risk assessment and where needed engage with ITF to provide training where gaps in knowledge are identified
- Companies should commission third party risk assessment and use reported findings to inform decisions
How can the ITF support?
- The ITF supports with agreeing the qualitative and quantitative scope and the risk criteria of the assessment
- The ITF can support with a joint training of local ITF affiliate and/or agreed local partners to support assessment
- The ITF supports with an assessment jointly conducted with agreed stakeholders and the findings confidentially and bilaterally reported to you using an agreed framework and criteria
Joint Remedy Plan
What companies should do
- Companies should partake in meaningful stakeholder engagement to discuss risks root causes
- Companies should engage freight forwarders in a joint remedy plan where human rights infringements have been identified
- Companies should build meaningful stakeholder relationships with experts to mitigate potential risks
- Companies should engage with relevant stakeholders to provide remedy with the support of reputable and independent agencies
How can the ITF support?
- The ITF can moderate and facilitate a dialogue on the risks identified and their root causes
- The ITF can support in a joint development of a remedy plan for you to engage your transport suppliers on risks
- The ITF can facilitate and help build stakeholder relationships along the value chain to help mitigate potential risks
- The ITF assists with the remedy of actual and potential risks and impacts through its local affiliates and/or regional offices