A principal who engages an experienced independent contractor driver is not required to provide instruction or training in the operation of a delivery vehicle's controls, even where the vehicle has an unfamiliar transmission type, provided the driver has had sufficient time to familiarise himself with the vehicle. The scope of the duty of care owed by a principal to an independent contractor under Stevens v Brodribb depends on the complexity of the work and the degree of coordination required, and does not extend to instructing experienced drivers in the basic operation of vehicle controls.
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