Pilot Vehicle Escort SWMS

Suits pilot vehicle and escort drivers and the transport companies that book them to accompany oversize loads. It follows the escort in order: planning from the approval conditions, vehicle checks, the briefing and radio check, lead and rear positions, bridges and overhead lines, stopping on the road, fatigue and the debrief. The oversize load transport itself needs its own SWMS.

Pilot vehicle escort is not high risk construction work, so no item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). The document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. Always follow the conditions of each safe movement approval or permit, which set the vehicles, distances and speeds.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Pilot Vehicle Escort SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Head-on and rear-end collisions
• Pilot vehicle struck while stopped
• Radio failure and unclear calls
• Overhead power lines and low structures
• Narrow bridges and road narrowing
• Intersections and level crossings
• Walking at the road edge
• Driver fatigue on long trips
• Distraction from phones and devices
• Heat and dehydration
• Vehicle defects and breakdowns
• Unclear roles in the convoy

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Accreditation as a pilot vehicle driver or escort vehicle driver, because only an accredited pilot or escort vehicle driver may drive the accompanying vehicle where a condition of a mass or dimension exemption or a safe movement approval requires a pilot vehicle (Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015 s 44)
• Current driver licence for the class of vehicle driven
• Training in the two-way radio, the communication plan and the stop code word
• Training in the approval or permit conditions for each movement
• Awareness of the exclusion zones for overhead power lines
• First aid training for at least one person in the convoy, with first aid provided as s 42 of the WHS Regulation requires
• Site induction at any depot, yard or loading site
• No Schedule 3 high risk work licence class covers pilot vehicle escort

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 34 to 36: identifying hazards, managing risk and the hierarchy of control measures
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 42 and 44: first aid and personal protective equipment
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 213: maintenance and inspection of plant
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015 (Qld) s 44: only a pilot vehicle driver or an escort vehicle driver may drive the accompanying vehicle
• Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland), applied by the Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012 (Qld): s 228 (duty of driver to avoid driving while fatigued or unfit to drive), which applies to the driver of the oversize heavy vehicle
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2
• Managing the risk of fatigue at work, Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice, September 2025 (model code, not approved in Queensland; guidance only)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.