ISO 39001 Certification for Road Traffic Safety Management Systems
Independent ISO 39001 certification of road traffic safety management systems: two-stage audit, three-year certificate, annual surveillance audits.
ISO 39001 is the international standard for road traffic safety (RTS) management systems, and itmad audits road traffic safety management systems for organisations whose work puts vehicles on the road. itmad operates across the Middle East, Asia and Europe, using local auditors and a travelling team. Certification follows a two-stage audit and results in a certificate valid for three years, kept current by annual surveillance audits.
ISO 39001 in brief
The standard specifies how an organisation that operates vehicles, or that generates road traffic, reduces death and serious injury arising from that traffic. A certificate is independent confirmation that road risk is managed as a system, with targets, controls and review, and is not left to individual drivers.
Who the standard is for
Customers and supplier programmes sometimes ask for independent proof of road traffic safety management. ISO 39001 applies to any organisation whose activities put vehicles on the road at scale, including:
- Transport and logistics operators
- Fleet-based service companies
- Construction and energy contractors
- Public bodies responsible for road users
It applies whether the organisation owns the vehicles, employs the drivers or simply generates the traffic, and it is designed to work alongside occupational health and safety management.
Why organisations certify
Organisations with large fleets, such as logistics, oil and gas, construction, public transport and delivery, carry real exposure to road incidents in human, operational and reputational terms. The standard gives them a recognised framework for showing that occupational road risk is managed deliberately.
What auditors examine
- Road safety risk assessmentThe road traffic risks that the organisation creates or is exposed to, treated in proportion.
- RTS policy and targetsA stated position on road safety with measurable objectives aimed at reducing death and serious injury.
- Performance factorsManagement of the factors that the standard identifies: speed, vehicle condition, driver fitness, journey planning and route.
- Fleet and vehicle managementVehicles that are suitable, maintained and equipped for the risk.
- Driver competence and fitnessSelection, training and management of the people who drive on the organisation's behalf.
- Journey and route managementPlanning that reduces exposure through distance, timing, fatigue and route choice.
- Incident investigationRoad incidents investigated to cause, with action taken to prevent recurrence.
- Performance monitoringRoad safety performance measured against the targets and reviewed.
How an itmad audit runs
Stage 1 reviews the road traffic safety documentation, confirms the scope of operations covered and establishes readiness, raising gaps early enough to close them. Stage 2 tests the system in operation: whether the risk assessment reflects the driving the organisation actually does, whether the performance factors are managed as documented, whether driver and vehicle controls operate, and whether incidents are investigated and acted on.
The certificate cycle
An ISO 39001 certificate from itmad is valid for three years, with surveillance audits in each of the two intervening years and full recertification before it expires. The certificate states its scope, including the operations covered.
With other management system standards
ISO 39001 shares its high-level structure with ISO 45001 and ISO 9001, and for any organisation whose people drive for work, road traffic safety is in practice part of occupational health and safety. An integrated audit covers the common clauses once, and the road risk assessment can sit within the safety management that the organisation already runs under ISO 45001.
Independence
A certification body has to stay separate from the systems it certifies. Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, itmad does not design, implement or consult on an organisation's ISO 39001 system. What itmad offers is the audit, the certification decision, and an optional pre-assessment that shows where the gaps against ISO 39001 lie, leaving the organisation to decide how to close them.
What itmad delivers
- A Stage 1 report on readiness gaps, issued before the main audit
- A Stage 2 audit report whose findings rest on objective evidence
- Nonconformities graded by severity, each with a defined response time
- A certificate of registration naming the certified scope and locations
- The certification mark, for use under itmad's mark and seal policy
- Annual surveillance audits and reports across the three-year cycle
Frequently asked questions
What is ISO 39001?
ISO 39001 specifies a road traffic safety management system: how an organisation that operates vehicles or generates road traffic reduces death and serious injury arising from that traffic. A certificate confirms that road risk is managed as a system and not left to individual drivers.
Who needs ISO 39001?
Any organisation whose activities put vehicles on the road at scale: transport and logistics operators, fleet-based service companies, construction and energy contractors, and public bodies responsible for road users. It applies whether the organisation owns the vehicles, employs the drivers or simply generates the traffic.
What does ISO 39001 require?
It requires road safety risk assessment, a policy and targets, management of performance factors, fleet and vehicle management, driver competence and fitness, journey and route management, incident investigation and performance monitoring. The performance factors are speed, vehicle condition, driver fitness, journey planning and route.
How does ISO 39001 relate to ISO 45001?
The two share a high-level structure, and road traffic safety is in practice part of occupational health and safety for any organisation whose people drive for work. An integrated audit covers the common clauses once.
How does an ISO 39001 audit work?
itmad audits in two stages. Stage 1 reviews the road traffic safety documentation and confirms the scope of operations. Stage 2 tests whether the risk assessment reflects the actual driving and whether driver and vehicle controls operate.
How long does an ISO 39001 certificate last?
An ISO 39001 certificate from itmad is valid for three years, with surveillance audits in each of the two intervening years. Recertification is completed before expiry.