Semi-truck and trailer SWMS, drafted for your job
An articulated delivery can lose its trailer through a coupling fault or overturn on soft site access, while unloading places workers beside loads held by tensioned restraints. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it with the crew before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Semi-truck and trailer
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Plan journey and inspect the combination | Fatigue and vehicle defects | High | Check route, rest arrangements, tyres, brakes and trailer condition |
| 2 | Couple and verify trailer connection | Incomplete fifth-wheel lock | Extreme | Check locking engagement and complete the planned coupling verification |
| 3 | Load and secure the freight | Load shift and tensioned restraints | High | Match restraints to the load and check stability before departure |
| 4 | Enter site and position for unloading | Soft access and blind-side swing | Extreme | Confirm ground and use protected routes with agreed spotting signals |
| 5 | Unload and prepare for departure | Falling freight and nearby plant | Extreme | Inspect the load, use the driver waiting area and account for people |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your semi-truck and trailer SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
Categories this task often involves
You tick the ones your job involves. Each ticked category gets its own steps and controls, in your state's wording.
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a semi-truck and trailer job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Semi-trailer separating from the prime mover after incomplete fifth-wheel coupling
Extreme- Inspect the coupling and confirm the locking jaws and secondary lock are engaged
- Complete the coupling verification sequence and tug test before travel
- 2
Workers struck by the semi-trailer’s blind-side swing during site reversing
Extreme- Use a drive-through delivery area where practicable and separate pedestrians
- Agree signals with a spotter and stop if contact or visibility is lost
- 3
Freight falling when semi-trailer restraints are released after transit
Extreme- Inspect load stability from a clear position before releasing restraints
- Arrange support for shifted freight and keep workers outside the fall area
- 4
Articulated vehicle rolling on soft shoulders and unfinished delivery access
Extreme- Confirm ground support, turning space and unloading position before entering the site
- Stop outside the site if the loaded combination cannot use the route safely
- 5
Driver crushed between the semi-trailer and unloading plant
Extreme- Set a separate driver waiting area outside forklift and crane movements
- Keep the vehicle immobilised and confirm all people are clear before plant approaches
- 6
Fatigued semi-truck driver missing hazards after delayed site deliveries
High- Plan rest and delivery windows together and revise the journey when delays accumulate
- Stop in a suitable place if tiredness affects attention
How the job usually runs
- 1Plan journey and inspect the combinationFatigue and vehicle defects → Check route, rest arrangements, tyres, brakes and trailer condition
- 2Couple and verify trailer connectionIncomplete fifth-wheel lock → Check locking engagement and complete the planned coupling verification
- 3Load and secure the freightLoad shift and tensioned restraints → Match restraints to the load and check stability before departure
- 4Enter site and position for unloadingSoft access and blind-side swing → Confirm ground and use protected routes with agreed spotting signals
- 5Unload and prepare for departureFalling freight and nearby plant → Inspect the load, use the driver waiting area and account for people
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- High visibility clothing
- Handling gloves
- Safety glasses
- Head protection in unloading zones
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Semi-truck and trailer SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does it cover checking the trailer after coupling?
Yes. The draft includes inspecting the fifth-wheel engagement, confirming the locking arrangement and completing a tug test and connection checks before the combination moves into normal travel.
What if the load has shifted before the driver releases the straps?
Keep people out of the fall area and arrange support before releasing restraints. The draft includes checking freight stability on arrival and coordinating the unloading method with the site crew.
How much does a semi-truck and trailer SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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