The Safe Load Program (SLP) card is the credential that allows a NSW driver to enter fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities in Australia. The SLP course behind it covers safety when entering fuel terminals — introductory training for drivers entering oil industry terminals and depots, intended to ensure the safety of personnel and the protection of facilities.
The SLP course at Kells Safety Centre (RTO 91528) runs for four hours, face-to-face at Wetherill Park in Western Sydney, and costs $385 plus a $200 card fee payable directly to SLP Administration. One rule sits above everything else: you must first hold a current Dangerous Goods driver licence before you can sit for SLP.
- The SLP card allows the holder to enter fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities in Australia
- The Safe Load Program covers safety when entering fuel terminals and depots
- Prerequisite: hold a current Dangerous Goods driver licence before sitting SLP
- $385 course fee plus $200 card fee (payable to SLP Administration) — four hours, face-to-face
- Delivered at Wetherill Park; Wollongong when bundled with the DG licence course
What Is a Safe Load Program Card?
The Safe Load Program card is the credential you receive when you complete the SLP — a program covering safety when entering fuel terminals. Fuel terminals and depots require it as a prerequisite for anyone needing to enter a petroleum facility to load bulk petroleum product. The card itself is what allows you through the gate: it is the holder’s credential to enter fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities in Australia.
The training behind the card covers five modules:
- Health and safety at terminals and depots
- Product properties — the petroleum products handled
- Vehicles loading — safe loading and unloading of petroleum tankers, load restraint principles, Chain of Responsibility obligations, weight distribution and axle loads
- Tanker and gantry knowledge — the equipment at the terminal
- Training and assessment — completing the program and receiving your card
Who Needs an SLP Card?
The SLP card is a working requirement for:
- Fuel tanker drivers — loading bulk petroleum product requires a current SLP card for terminal entry
- Petroleum transport operators — terminals require SLP as a site entry condition for every driver
- Drivers entering the fuel industry — new hires moving into bulk fuel transport
- Contractors visiting fuel storage facilities — check with the facility whether SLP is required for your access
If your work takes you into an oil industry terminal or depot, ask the facility about its entry requirements — for bulk product loading, the SLP card is the standard.
Step One: Get Your DG Licence First
The SLP has one hard prerequisite: you must hold a current Dangerous Goods driver licence before you can sit the SLP training session. The DG licence — based on TLILIC0001 and issued by the NSW EPA — is required for drivers carrying dangerous goods in bulk (receptacles over 500 litres or 500 kilograms) and is valid for five years.
The two-day DG licence course at Kells Safety Centre runs at Wetherill Park and Wollongong for $618 all-inclusive, including EPA licence processing. Once you hold the licence, you are eligible for SLP — or you can book both through the DG and SLP bundle course.
How to Get Your SLP Card: The Full Process
- Complete the DG licence course and obtain your licence — the mandatory prerequisite for SLP
- Enrol in the SLP course at Kells Safety Centre — four hours, face-to-face at Wetherill Park
- Complete the training — health and safety, product properties, vehicles loading, tanker and gantry knowledge
- Complete the program’s assessment
- Pay the $200 card fee payable directly to SLP Administration and receive your SLP card
Once issued, the card is what you present for terminal entry. Check the expiry details on the card and confirm renewal requirements with SLP Administration.
What It Costs
- SLP course: $385 per person at Kells Safety Centre
- SLP card fee: $200, payable directly to SLP Administration
- DG licence course (prerequisite): $618 all-inclusive, including EPA licence processing
- Duration: four hours for SLP, face-to-face
SLP Card vs Other Transport Credentials
- DG driver licence — EPA licence to carry bulk dangerous goods; the prerequisite for SLP
- SLP card — fuel industry credential for entering fuel terminals and fuel storage facilities
- Blue Card (TLIF0025) — transport industry work health and safety passport regulated with Safe Work NSW
- BFM (TLIF0005) — fatigue management training
Each credential does a different job. For bulk fuel work, the DG licence and SLP card together are the standard combination.
What Happens After You Get Your SLP Card
Once your SLP card is issued, it becomes part of your everyday working documentation as a fuel tanker driver. Terminals and depots check SLP currency as part of their site entry requirements, so the card travels with you along with your DG licence.
Check the expiry details printed on your card as soon as you receive it, and set a reminder well before it lapses. Renewal requirements are confirmed with SLP Administration when your card is issued — because facilities require a current card, letting it expire means losing terminal access until it is renewed.
Employers in fuel transport also keep records of driver credentials as part of their Chain of Responsibility duties, so let your employer know when your card is issued or renewed. If you change employers, the card stays with you — it is your credential, valid at fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities throughout Australia.
A Quick Word on Timing
Planning the two courses in the right order saves repeat trips. The DG licence course runs across two days; once you hold the EPA-issued licence you are eligible to book the four-hour SLP course. Drivers coming from Wollongong or the South Coast can bundle both qualifications and complete them in a single visit to one training facility, with the four-hour SLP session run immediately after day one of the DG licence course.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Safe Load Program card?
The SLP card is the credential issued on completion of the Safe Load Program. The program covers safety when entering fuel terminals, and the card allows the holder to enter fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities in Australia.
How do you get an SLP card?
First obtain your Dangerous Goods driver licence (TLILIC0001) — you must hold it before you can sit SLP. Then complete the four-hour SLP course, pass the assessment, pay the $200 card fee to SLP Administration, and receive your card.
Do you need a DG licence before SLP?
Yes. A current Dangerous Goods driver licence is a mandatory prerequisite for the SLP training session. The DG licence course is two days, face-to-face, and the licence is issued by the NSW EPA.
How long does the SLP course take?
The SLP course runs for four hours, delivered face-to-face at Kells Safety Centre in Wetherill Park. Wollongong delivery is available when bundled with the DG licence course.
How much does an SLP card cost?
The SLP course costs $385 per person, plus a $200 card fee payable directly to SLP Administration. The prerequisite DG licence course costs $618 all-inclusive including EPA licence processing.
What does an SLP card allow you to do?
Holding a current SLP card allows you to enter fuel terminals and other fuel storage facilities in Australia and to load bulk petroleum product. Terminals treat it as a prerequisite for site entry.
Does the SLP card expire?
Check the expiry details on your card when it is issued and confirm renewal requirements with SLP Administration. Fuel terminals require a current card for entry.
