Four wagons, nine sites and a lot of phone calls
Tomorrow there are three erects, two strikes, a delivery of sheeting and a collection of stacked kit from a struck site. You have four wagons and three drivers, because one is off. The yard foreman works it out on a sheet: this wagon to the erect in the morning, then on to collect the kit, then back for the second load.
At seven the next morning, a gang lead rings to say the site is not ready. The whole sheet has to be reworked, by phone, while the wagons are already loading.
Why transport planning is hard
Scaffold transport combines loads, routes, drivers, wagons and gangs, all depending on each other. Doing it on paper works until something changes, and something always changes. The plan exists in one person's head, which makes them the bottleneck.
- The plan is on paper or a whiteboard.
- Changes are passed on by phone.
- Drivers do not see their whole day in advance.
- Collections from struck sites are fitted in as an afterthought.
- Nobody else can plan when the foreman is off.
What poor planning costs
Wagons doing extra miles or running half-empty. Gangs waiting on site for kit. Collections left for days, leaving kit exposed on sites. And a yard foreman who spends his evenings planning and his mornings re-planning.
Drivers feel it as well. A driver who only finds out his next drop when he rings in from the last one cannot plan his route, fuel or breaks, and a plan that changes by phone every hour makes the job harder than it needs to be.
The transport plan we build
- All movements for the day are listed: erects, strikes, alterations needing kit, deliveries and collections, taken from jobs as they are booked.
- Each movement shows its load size from the loading list, the site location and any access notes.
- The plan is a board by wagon and driver. Movements are dragged into order, with the route and time shown.
- Wagon capacities and driver availability, as your team sets them, are checked, and clashes are flagged.
- Gangs are linked to movements, so a gang and its kit arrive together.
- Drivers receive their run on their phone, with addresses, access notes and contacts. Changes are sent as they are made.
- Completed movements are confirmed by drivers, updating stock and job records.
| Movement | Linked to |
|---|---|
| Erect | Loading list and gang |
| Strike | Gang and expected returns |
| Delivery | Items and site contact |
| Collection | Kit stacked on struck site |
| Alteration | Extra kit and gang |
The foreman still plans the day. The board takes the plan out of his head and passes it on.
What the mornings look like
The plan is set the evening before and visible to everyone. Changes are made once and reach drivers immediately. Collections are planned alongside everything else. And someone else can plan when the foreman is on holiday.
The records build up too. Over time you can see how many runs each wagon makes, how often plans change and why, which helps when deciding whether you need another wagon or just a better plan.
Is your transport planned like this?
- The day's runs are worked out on paper.
- Changes mean a morning of phone calls.
- Kit waits on struck sites for days.
- Only one person can plan the wagons.