Meeting the Road Transport Security Standards
Find out about the road transport security standards for commercial vehicle operators, including how to comply, self-assess and improve your security practices.
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As a commercial vehicle operator, the Road Transport Security Standards have been designed to help you better protect personnel, assets and vehicles from:
- theft
- hijacking
- sabotage
- being targeted for terrorist purposes, including attacks on crowded places or the transport system
The RTSS toolkit provides advice on how you can meet the standards.
You should read the toolkit before you complete the RTSS self-assessment.
Using the standards to assess security practices
Adoption of the RTSS will help your organisation to safeguard personnel, vehicles and other assets against a range of threats. It will also contribute to wider efforts to improve security and resilience in the transport sector.
The standards cover the following security practice areas:
- governance and security management
- risk assessment
- delivery planning
- security at base location
- security on the road
The standards follow the principles outlined in PAS 29000:2021 – commercially operated vehicles: how to prevent commercial vehicles being used for terrorism and other forms of serious and organised crime. They are not exhaustive but provide a benchmark to ensure an organisation is well-prepared and demonstrates effective counter-terrorism and security practices.
Completing the RTSS self-assessment
Once you have read the toolkit, you can complete the RTSS self-assessment to find out if your organisation’s security practices meet the standards. Your responses will also allow the Department for Transport (DfT) to learn more about current security practices in the commercial vehicle sector.
After you submit the self-assessment, you will receive feedback on areas for improvement to match the security standards. Advice will be provided on changes you could make to improve your organisation’s performance.
To complete the RTSS self-assessment:
- you must be a security manager or equivalent
- your organisation must be a commercial operator of buses, coaches, vans, cars or freight vehicles.
Further information for commercial vehicle operators
If you are involved with hiring plant or vehicles you should also refer to DfT’s Rental Vehicle Security Scheme (RVSS) guidance and code of practice.
If you are a bus or coach operator you should also refer to DfT’s guidance on bus and coach security best practice.