Half a day lost to a second trip
The gang arrives at site, starts the erect, and by lunchtime realises they are short of boards for the top lift and have no ladder beams for the bridge over the conservatory. The wagon goes back to the yard. The afternoon goes.
On the next job, the wagon goes out with far more than needed, because the gang lead overloaded to be safe. It all comes back, and the yard is short for another job the same morning.
Why loading goes wrong
Working out what a scaffold needs is skilled, and experienced gang leads are good at it. But it is done in their heads on the morning, from a quick look at the job sheet, with nothing written down. When a newer gang lead does it, or the job is unusual, the load is wrong.
- Loading lists are not written, or written roughly on the morning.
- The quote's details are not passed to the yard.
- Extras like sheeting, fans and ladder beams are forgotten.
- What went out is not recorded, so strike checks have nothing to compare to.
- The yard cannot plan several loads against available stock.
What wrong loads cost
Second trips cost wagon time, fuel and gang hours. Over-loading takes kit out of the yard that another job needed. Without a record of what went out, you cannot check what comes back, so losses go unnoticed. And the morning in the yard takes longer than it should.
There is also the driver's time. A wagon that is loaded, unloaded and reloaded because the first load was wrong holds up every other run that driver had planned, so one bad list can disrupt several jobs.
The loading list generator we build
- The quote's scaffold description, elevations, lengths, lifts, returns and extras, is carried into the job when accepted.
- Your own rules for quantities are set up: tubes, boards, fittings and components per bay and lift, extras per item. We build them from your experienced gang leads' knowledge.
- A draft loading list is produced for each job the day before the erect.
- The yard foreman or gang lead reviews it on a tablet, adjusts quantities and confirms it.
- The confirmed list is checked against available stock, and shortages across the day's loads are shown in time to act.
- The confirmed list is recorded as what went to the job, feeding stock tracking and strike-day checks.
- After strike, returns are compared with the list, which helps refine the rules over time.
| From the quote | Loading list item |
|---|---|
| Elevation lengths and lifts | Tubes, boards, fittings |
| Returns and corners | Extra fittings and tubes |
| Loading bay | Bay components and boards |
| Sheeting or netting | Sheeting rolls, ties |
| Bridging | Beams and fittings |
The gang lead's judgement still decides what goes on the wagon. The list gives them a starting point and a record.
What changes in the yard
Wagons are loaded from a list, which is quicker and more consistent. Newer gang leads load like experienced ones. Shortages across the day's jobs are seen the evening before. And every job has a record of what went out, which makes strike checks and stock figures work.
Is your loading like this?
- Wagons go back to the yard mid-job for kit.
- Loading depends on who is loading.
- Kit comes back unused from overloading.
- There is no record of what went to each job.