A day in the boots of every role — what you need, what you do, and what to do when it goes sideways.
Document No.
NU-FLD-200 (legacy NU-OPS-002)
Revision
1.3
Effective Date
July 12, 2026
Owner
Adam Pelewski, Owner
Applies To
All W-2 field personnel
How To Use This Book
Each chapter is one role's full day, written like a recipe: what you need before you start (your kit), the day in order (keyed to moments, not clock times — start times change by market, and the nightly schedule post tells you when and where), and the if/then card for when things go wrong, so nobody freezes and nobody guesses. New hire: read your chapter the night before day one, carry it your first two weeks. It pairs with the Workforce Playbook (NU-OPS-001): the Playbook says what must happen; this book shows you how to do it with zero help.
Why the if/then cards matter: every rule on them is a decision already made. Follow the card and the right person hears the right problem at the right time — and the Owner's phone stays quiet unless it truly shouldn't.
The Ladder — Who You Call, In Order
CREW MEMBER
→
CREW LEAD
→
FIELD SUPERVISOR
→
OWNER
Gas in the air or anyone hurt beyond first aid: 911 first, always, then the ladder. On a utility strike, the Supervisor calls the utility's emergency line and the Owner — one caller, no double-calling.
The Owner Gets Called Only For
An injury needing more than first aid
A utility strike with damage
A job shut down by police or an inspector
A customer threatening legal action
Unplanned spend over $500
Everything else stops at the Crew Lead or the Supervisor. That is the system working.
The Paperwork That Runs The Day
know these names
Artifact
What it is
Who owns it
Nightly schedule post
Posted in the crew chat before the Supervisor goes home: start time, market/yard, crew assignments with work-order number per crew, and the Driver's truck, trailer, and run sequence.
Supervisor
JSA
The daily job safety brief. Every person stands in it, names a hazard, signs it — before any work, every day.
Crew Lead runs it; Supervisor files it
Crossing sheet
One line per utility crossing on a bore: the utility, its measured depth, the clearance the bore needs, and the pothole photo. Filled by the Locator on the path walk; signed by the Operator before the rig moves; rides with the bore log into the DFR.
Locator
Bore log
One log per shot — rod number, depth, pitch, written by the Locator as each rod goes, countersigned by the Operator at end of shot. What billing and strike defense both run on.
Locator writes; Operator countersigns
DFR (Daily Field Report)
Per crew, per day: units installed, hours, photos before backfill and after restoration. Compiled by the Crew Lead, approved by the Supervisor the same day, and entered by the Supervisor into the Nova app (Softr) — the app is the tracker of record. Work not on a DFR does not get billed.
Crew Lead compiles; Supervisor approves & enters in app
DVIR
Driver's vehicle inspection report — pre-trip and post-trip, truck AND trailer. Open defects go to the mechanic the same night.
Driver
Damage report
Internal one-pager, filled the SAME DAY for any damage — a utility, private property, a vehicle, a machine — whether we caused it or found it already broken. Facts and photos only, never fault language. Reporting it first is how a repair stays a repair instead of a claim.
Whoever found it; Supervisor reviews; Owner sees it
Timekeeping app
Your clock-in/out — the pay record. What you tell your crew lead is billing units. Both must happen, and they must match. [name the app here]
Daily proofs: clock-in · signed JSA · hours & tasks into the DFR · tool count · First week: near the drill you shadow only until your crew lead clears you — no rod handling, no solo potholes on day one.
Every task on the crew lead's plan done safe, every unit you touched reported for billing, and the site left so clean the homeowner never calls.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Tonight's schedule post from the crew chat: start time, yard, market, your crew. Screenshot it — it changes by day and market.
Uniform on your body: company shirt, long pants, safety-toe boots. No sneakers, no shorts, no exceptions.
PPE bag: hard hat, hi-vis vest, safety glasses, work gloves, ear plugs.
Charged phone with the crew chat and a working camera — photos are how work gets proven and billed. Timekeeping login working; text the Supervisor tonight if it isn't.
Water — a gallon minimum, more in summer — plus lunch. Job sites are often nowhere near a store.
Crew lead's and supervisor's numbers saved before your first morning.
Rain gear and a dry change of clothes stashed in the truck. Bore work is wet, muddy work.
The Day
The Night Before — When the Schedule Posts
Read the whole post: start time, yard, market, your crew. Screenshot it so a dead signal can't lose it.
Set out uniform and PPE tonight. Fill the water jug and stage it by the door with lunch.
Phone on the charger — it's a work tool.
Anything confusing in the post — wrong yard, your name missing — ask in the chat tonight, not at the gate.
Done when: you know exactly where to be and when, and everything you'll wear and carry is staged by the door.
When You Arrive at the Yard
Clock in by the posted start, already dressed, PPE in hand. Clocked in means ready to load, not walking in with coffee.
Find your crew lead and ask for the load plan before you grab anything.
Load and stage tools exactly per the plan — same spots on the truck every time, so tonight's tool count is easy.
Assist pre-trip: count cones on, shake every strap on the machine (if it moves, re-crank it), check fuel in truck and machines.
Help hook the trailer: coupler seated, latch pinned, chains crossed, then walk around while someone hits brakes and blinkers.
Tell your crew lead "loaded and strapped." Don't let the truck roll on your silence — a missing tool costs the crew an hour round trip.
Done when: the truck rolls out the gate with everything on the plan loaded, strapped, and fueled — and your crew lead heard you confirm it.
At the Job Site, Before Anyone Works
Stand in the JSA brief and actually listen — this is where you learn what can hurt you today.
Name one hazard out loud — traffic, heat, overhead power, a dog. Naming a hazard is your job, not extra credit.
Sign the JSA. No signature, no work. Every person, every day.
Walk the area and find the locate paint: red power, yellow gas, orange comms, blue water, green sewer. Know where every color is before a tool comes off the truck.
Set cones and signs where the crew lead says — traffic control goes up before work starts, not after a close call.
Done when: the JSA is signed by everyone including you, you can point to every mark color near the dig, and cones are up.
When You're Put on a Hole to Hand-Dig or Pothole
Confirm the spot before breaking ground: point at it and say it back — "potholing here for the gas crossing." Ten seconds prevents digging the wrong hole.
Inside the tolerance zone — the band each side of the paint; your crew lead gives you the exact distance [confirm per state] — hand tools only. No machine ever digs near marks.
Dig easy near depth: shave with the shovel, don't stab. When you see the utility, expose it by hand and stop.
Call the crew lead to look, then photo the exposed line with a tape measure showing depth. That photo lets the bore pass safely and proves we did it right.
Spoils piled one side — on plywood or a tarp on grass — clear of walkways and street.
Backfill or plate only when the crew lead says. Never walk away from an open hole without cones around it.
Done when: the utility is exposed and verified by the crew lead, the depth photo is taken, and the hole is protected or closed.
All Day, Between Tasks
Drink water at every natural pause — before you feel thirsty. Heat sickness starts quiet.
Keep the site tight: tools staged in one spot, spoils contained, walkways and driveways clear.
When the bore crew calls you: haul rods, manage water and mud, hand tools. Stay out of pinch points; never step over moving drill rods.
Any task NOT on the crew lead's plan — a neighbor's request, a "quick fix," a different spot — flag it to the crew lead before you touch it. Off-plan work is unpaid and uncovered by the locate.
Take breaks when called. Skipping breaks doesn't make you a hero; it makes you a heat casualty by mid-afternoon.
Done when: the crew lead never has to hunt for a tool or step over your spoils, and nothing got done today that wasn't on the plan.
Last Hour on Site
Restoration first: backfill and tamp in layers, rake the yard, seed and straw torn grass, sweep sidewalks, hose mud off pavement. The yard should look like we were never there.
Walk the whole footprint once, slow: trash, zip ties, flag stubs, glue caps.
Load every tool to its home spot, then count tools out loud with the crew lead against the morning load. A lost tamp found now is free; found Friday, it's gone.
Strap the machine, pin the trailer, walk around, check lights. Pull cones last and count them on.
Take the cleanup photos the crew lead wants for the DFR — before-and-after sells the restoration.
Done when: crew lead signs off the tool count, cleanup photos are taken, the yard is raked, and the truck is strapped and road-ready.
Back at the Yard, Before You Clock Out
Give the crew lead your hours and your work in plain units: "2 potholes, 60 feet of hand trench assist, restoration on 3 yards." This feeds the DFR — work not reported same-day does not get billed.
Remember which is which: the app clock-in/out is your pay record; what you tell the crew lead is billing units. Both must happen, and they must match.
Unload what stays at the yard. Crew truck below half a tank? It gets fueled on the way in — crew rule, not a maybe.
Clean the truck: cab trash out, tools racked, bed swept.
Tell the crew lead you're done and get the nod. Then clock out — not before. Check the chat tonight for tomorrow's post.
Done when: hours and tasks turned in, truck clean, crew lead nodded you off, and you know tomorrow's plan.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
Locate marks missing, faded, or don't match where you were told to dig
Stop. Not one shovel bite. Point out exactly what's wrong; stage other work until marks are refreshed and you're cleared.
Crew Lead now, before any tool touches dirt
You hit, nick, or scratch anything while hand digging
Stop digging; do NOT cover it — a hidden nick is tomorrow's blowout. Smell gas or hear hissing: everyone upwind and away, no smoking, no engines.
Gas blowing or anyone hurt past first aid: 911 first. Then Crew Lead — he runs the ladder; the Supervisor calls the utility
Crew lead not on site, you're unsure what's next
Keep working the last clear instruction — staging, cleanup, spoils. If the next task puts anything in the ground, wait.
Crew Lead; no answer in ~15 min, Supervisor
Heat sickness coming on — dizzy, headache, nausea, stopped sweating
Stop and say it out loud to the nearest crew member. Shade, sips of water, wet your neck. Do not push through.
Crew Lead now. Confused, stumbling, passed out: 911 first
Angry resident or driver
Stay calm, no arguing, no admitting fault, no promises. "Let me get my lead for you."
Crew Lead. Never the Owner, never the customer
Tool broken or missing
Report same day, before load-out, so it's noted at tool count. A reported broken tool is a line item; a hidden one looks like theft.
Crew Lead before the truck leaves
Resident asks for extra work — "while you're here…"
Friendly, but don't touch it: "I can't add work, but my lead can take a look." Off-plan work is unpaid, unbilled, uncovered by the locate.
Crew Lead — nothing off-plan until he approves
You uncover an unmarked line that isn't what you were digging for
Stop. Don't touch, move, or cut it. Cone off the hole and stand by.
Crew Lead now
Minor cut, scrape, or tweak
First-aid kit, then report it the same day so it's logged. Needs more than first aid: the injury call goes up the ladder immediately.
Crew Lead now, even for a band-aid — late-reported injuries look fake
You damaged private property — sprinkler, fence, mailbox, lawn rut
Don't hide it, don't "fix it quiet." Photo it and report before the homeowner finds it — us first keeps it a repair; them first makes it a fight.
Crew Lead before you leave the site
Inspector or police officer shows up
Be polite, stop if told, answer nothing about scope, permits, or the company.
Crew Lead now; he escalates
Lightning or bad storm
Out of open holes, away from the rig and metal, into the truck. Nobody plays through lightning.
Crew Lead makes the call; your job is to be in the truck
Never — These End Careers
Never put a tool in the ground without valid locate marks visible and your crew lead's go-ahead.
Never do work that isn't on the work order because a resident asked. It's free work — and uninsured.
Never sign a JSA you didn't stand in and hear. Your signature says you knew the hazards.
Never hide a hit, a nick, a broken tool, or damage. Bad news fast is a fix; bad news late is a firing.
Never leave an open hole or exposed line without cones — a kid finds it in minutes.
Never argue with or promise anything to an angry resident, inspector, or customer. Get your lead.
Your Proofs — What Someone Checks Tonight
Signature on today's JSA, with the hazard you named.
Pothole photos with the tape showing depth, sent to the crew lead.
Hours and task list turned in and rolled into the DFR.
Tool count matched to the morning load, confirmed out loud.
Cleanup photos in the crew thread; a clean truck, tools racked.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Employee: ______________________ Date: ________ Trainer: ______________________ Date: ________
Chapter 2 · Reports to: Field Supervisor
DRIVER
LOGISTICS CLASS
Daily proofs: pre-trip & post-trip DVIRs (truck AND trailer) · delivery confirmations · fuel receipts with odometer · current log
Every machine and every stick of material lands where the crew needs it, on time, strapped down, with proof — and the truck is fueled and ready to do it again tomorrow.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Valid license for your truck class plus DOT medical card — on your person, not at home.
Tonight's schedule post: your yard, posted start, truck and trailer numbers, and today's run sequence.
DVIR book (or app login) covering BOTH truck and trailer. Timekeeping login working — text the Supervisor tonight if not.
Rated straps, chains, binders — no cuts, frays, bent hooks — plus edge protectors. Rope and bungees don't count.
Wheel chocks, cones, triangles, charged fire extinguisher, spare 7-pin pigtail and fuses in the side box.
Fuel card; phone with the Supervisor and every site Crew Lead saved.
PPE: hard hat, vest, glasses, boots — you walk live job sites, not just drive past them.
The Day
When You Arrive at the Yard
Clock in. Pull up last night's post: your truck, trailer, run sequence.
Find the Supervisor, repeat the dispatch list back out loud — what moves, where, in what order — and pick up the material tickets for every drop. Saying it back catches a mix-up before it burns a trip.
Check yesterday's post-trip DVIR for open defects before touching the keys. Mechanic signed off — fine. Still open — stop and ask.
Done when: you can say today's run order from memory, tickets in hand, and your rig has no open defects hanging on it.
Before the Truck Moves
Full pre-trip: fluids, tires, brakes, steering, mirrors, horn, wipers, a look underneath for fresh leaks. Fill the DVIR as you go, not from memory later.
Hook the trailer per standard: coupler locked, tug test in low gear, chains crossed under the tongue, breakaway cable to the truck frame — never to the chains.
Plug the 7-pin and test ALL lights on a full walk-around. No brake lights is a rear-end collision and a DOT fine in the same afternoon.
Check the load: heavy low and forward over the axles, rated straps only, edge protectors where straps cross steel, tug every strap.
Check the route against low bridges and weight limits before trusting GPS — GPS routes cars, and a bridge strike ends careers.
Anything changed from last night's post — confirm the new plan with the Supervisor before rolling.
Done when: DVIR signed, every light works, every strap tight, Supervisor confirmed your run order.
On the Road, Every Leg
Drive like a cop is behind you: posted speed, full stops, phone in the cradle. Texts wait until parked.
Log and delivery notes current at each stop — not rebuilt at day's end.
A few miles out, pull over safe and re-tug every strap. Loads settle in the first stretch; those five minutes keep an excavator off the highway.
Feel the rig. Sway, steering change, a new sound — fully off the road and look. Never drive it out.
Done when: you arrive with the load exactly as it left, log current, zero tickets or phone-in-hand moments.
At Every Delivery or Job Site
Park where the Crew Lead directs: out of the travel lane, off the locate marks, not blocking the bore path or a trench.
Chock the wheels and set cones BEFORE unhooking or unloading anything.
Load or unload exactly what's dispatched — no side favors, no "while you're here" without the Supervisor's OK.
Get proof at every drop: signature on the ticket, or a timestamped photo of the material with something recognizable in frame. No proof, no billing.
Full walk-around before pulling out: straps, lights, doors, chocks and cones back on, nothing and nobody behind you.
Done when: material is where the Crew Lead wants it, proof captured on every drop, walk-around done before every departure.
Last Hour, Before You Head In
Call or text the Supervisor before the final leg — sometimes there's one more move; better now than after you park.
Fuel FULL on the way in. A morning fuel stop makes a whole crew late tomorrow.
Write the odometer on the fuel receipt; keep it with the day's paperwork.
Done when: Supervisor released you, tank full, odometer on the receipt.
Back at the Yard, Before You Leave
Post-trip DVIR on truck AND trailer. Every defect written up same day — reported tonight it's fixed by morning; reported tomorrow it shuts a crew down.
Tell the Supervisor directly about any defect (text is fine). Paper alone sits unread overnight.
Clean the cab; park per the posted yard map; secure the trailer; lock everything; keys in the key box.
Turn in the day's package to the Supervisor: fuel receipts, mileage, delivery confirmations, both signed DVIRs.
Done when: a fueled, clean, locked truck sits in the yard, the full package is with the Supervisor, and no surprise waits for whoever starts it tomorrow.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
Trailer lights dead at hookup
Unplug the 7-pin, check for bent/corroded pins, clean, reseat. Check trailer ground and truck fuses. Try the spare pigtail. Still dead after 15 minutes — stop wrenching; the rig does not move without brake and turn lights.
Nobody if you fix it. Supervisor after 15 min so he can re-plan the moves
Pre-trip finds a real defect — brakes, steering, tire, spring
Write it on the DVIR; do not drive it. Don't talk yourself into "one trip." A known defect driven is your CDL and the company's DOT rating.
Supervisor before the truck moves an inch
Flat or blowout on the road
Grip the wheel, ease OFF the gas — no brake slam. Slow, get fully off the roadway. Hazards, triangles out. Wait away from traffic.
Supervisor now with location and tire — he arranges road service
Pulled over by DOT
Polite. License, med card, registration, today's DVIR. Answer only what's asked. Placed out of service = the truck does not move, period.
Supervisor when the stop ends. Job shut down: Supervisor escalates to Owner, not you
Load shifted — sway, loose straps, cargo moved
First safe flat spot: re-set heavy-low-forward, swap any cut strap from spares, tug-test all. Don't drive on and hope — shifted loads only get worse.
Nobody if you fix it solo; Crew Lead or Supervisor if you can't
Site refuses the load / nobody to receive
Never dump unsigned — it doesn't bill and it walks off. Stay put or stage secure; photo whatever you do with time and location.
Supervisor before you leave that site
You hit something backing up / truck damaged — even a mirror
Stop. Don't move the truck. Photograph everything before anything moves. No "my bad," no signing anything beyond what an officer requires.
Supervisor immediately from the scene; utility struck or injury — he calls the Owner
Fuel card declines
Try another pump or station once. Declines again — don't pay out of pocket on your own; wait for instructions, keep receipts if told to pay.
Supervisor before spending your own money; over $500 goes to the Owner through him
Two people dispatch you at once
Don't pick a winner, don't split the difference — a half delivery strands two crews. Note who asked what; run the order the Supervisor sets.
Supervisor now — dispatch order is his call
GPS wants a low bridge or posted weight limit
Never chance it — "probably fits" is how trucks get peeled open. Find the legal truck route, even +20 minutes.
Nobody — just text the receiving Crew Lead your new ETA
Too sick, too tired, out of hours
Say so before you turn the key. Park it if you're already out.
Supervisor before you drive. Never a firing conversation — hiding it is
Waved onto fresh marks, soft ground, or next to an open trench
Don't, no matter who waves. A loaded truck crushes utilities and caves trench walls. Park only where the Crew Lead directs; chock it.
Crew Lead on site; Supervisor if the spot still feels unsafe
Never — These End Careers
Never drive with a known safety defect — brakes, steering, tires, lights. It's your license and our operating authority.
Never falsify a DVIR, log entry, or delivery confirmation. Pencil-whipping is instant termination.
Never leave ANY contact unreported — pole, mailbox, mirror, parked car. The dent is a repair; hiding it is a firing and maybe a charge.
Never roll with an unsecured load, even "just across town." Most drops happen in the first mile.
Never admit fault or sign anything at an accident or DOT stop beyond required documents.
Never hand the wheel to anyone not on the company's insurance — not even "just around the yard."
Your Proofs — What Someone Checks Tonight
Signed pre-trip AND post-trip DVIRs, truck and trailer, defects written up same day.
A delivery confirmation for every drop — one per leg, no gaps.
Fuel receipts with odometer readings, plus mileage, turned in.
Log current through end of day — no reconstructed entries.
Full, clean, locked truck parked per the yard map, ready for tomorrow's posted start.
Supervisor personally told about any defect or incident before you go home.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Employee: ______________________ Date: ________ Trainer: ______________________ Date: ________
Chapter 3 · Reports to: Crew Lead / Supervisor
OPERATOR — HDD DRILL & MINI EXCAVATOR
HEAVY CLASS
Daily proofs: inspection sheet with opening & closing hours · countersigned bore log · production numbers & photos · maintenance list in writing
A good day puts the planned footage in the ground at plan depth with zero utility contact, every rod logged as it happens, and a machine that is greased, locked, and ready to run again tomorrow.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Last night's post: start time, yard/market, your crew — screenshot it.
Full PPE on your body, not in your truck: hard hat, glasses, hi-vis, gloves, boots, hearing protection.
The work order and prints — know the scope and bore path before you leave the yard.
HDD days: charged locator support — the Locator runs the wand, you confirm the beacon and carry a spare beacon battery.
Grease gun with spare tubes, spare hydraulic fluid, and a spill kit riding on the machine.
Mud products matched to the soil on the plan, and a plan for where water comes from.
Charged phone with the crew chat and camera — your photos are the proof of done.
The Day
When You Arrive at the Yard
Clock in by the posted start.
Walk your machine cold: engine oil, hydraulic fluid, coolant, tracks, hoses, pins, guards. Look under it for fresh drips.
Write the engine hours on the inspection sheet BEFORE you start it.
Start it, warm it up, work every function slow — rotation and thrust, or boom, stick, bucket, swing — and listen for anything wrong.
Fault found? Tag it DO NOT OPERATE, photo it, tell the Crew Lead. A $50 hose you ran anyway becomes a $15,000 pump.
Done when: inspection sheet has opening hours, and the machine is warmed and ready — or tagged out with the Crew Lead told.
Before the Machine Moves at the Job
Sign the JSA at the crew brief. No signature, no work.
Get the crossing brief from the Locator: where every crossing sits, its measured depth, and the clearance the bore needs. Repeat the list back to him, then sign the crossing sheet — the rig does not move before your signature is on it.
Ticket status comes from the Locator's morning check, through the Crew Lead: valid ticket, positive response from every utility. No valid locate — the machine stays parked. No exceptions.
Put eyes on every crossing: each one potholed — visually exposed — before your head or bucket gets near it. Paint is an estimate; the open hole is the truth.
Walk the full bore path or dig area yourself and match marks to prints. Anything off — stop and ask before iron moves.
Done when: JSA signed, crossing sheet signed, locates confirmed through the Locator, every crossing exposed, and you can say the plan back without looking at it.
When You Set Up the Machine
Park on stable, level ground — block or grade it if it isn't. A tilted drill walks off the shot.
HDD: stake and anchor the machine so it can't rock under thrust.
HDD: mix mud for TODAY'S soil and test it with the Marsh funnel against the mix chart laminated on the mud system — sand wants thicker (≈50–70 sec), clay thinner with additives (≈35–45 sec) [confirm Nova's chart]. Wrong mud is how you lose returns and frac out into someone's yard.
HDD: beacon test — the Locator confirms depth and pitch read from the housing before the head goes in the ground.
Mini-X: spoil pile at least two feet back from the trench edge; swing path clear of people.
Done when: machine level and anchored, mud tested for the soil, locator talking to the beacon, swing clear.
While You're Boring or Digging
Drill to the plan: the Locator shoots every rod — depth and pitch — before you push the next. No signal, no pushing. Ever.
One log: confirm the Locator has written the rod into the bore log before the next rod goes. His hand writes it; you countersign at end of shot. A rebuilt log defends nobody.
Hold the planned separation from every marked utility. Can't hold it — stop and get the Crew Lead before the next rod.
Watch mud returns at the entry pit every rod. Flow slows or stops — stop pushing, go straight to the frac-out play.
Mini-X: dig in lifts, everyone out of your swing, nobody in a trench past waist deep without sloping, benching, or a box.
Touch, nick, or snag ANYTHING that isn't yours — stop right there, don't cover it, go to the strike play.
Done when: footage going in per plan, the log has every rod the moment it's pushed, zero unreported contact.
At Lunch
Shut down and grease every zerk on the lube chart in the machine's door pocket — spindle and breakout wrenches, or boom, stick, and bucket pins.
Check hydraulic level; look for fresh drips that weren't there this morning.
Top off mud and water for the afternoon so you're not caught short mid-bore.
Read the bore log back with the Locator — current through the last rod? Fix it now while you both remember.
Done when: machine greased, no new leaks, mud and water squared away, log current to the last rod.
Last Hour on Site
Stop at a clean point: HDD — park the head at a known spot, write the rod count. Mini-X — never leave an open trench unprotected: plate, backfill, or fence it.
Shut down proper: idle cool-down, controls neutral, attachments flat on the ground.
End-of-day walkaround; closing engine hours on the sheet.
Count production with the Crew Lead: footage, pits, units — with photos. Work not reported today does not get billed, period.
Tell the Crew Lead anything the machine needs, even small — a slow leak reported today is a down machine avoided next week.
Done when: Crew Lead has your footage, pit count, units, and photos for the DFR before anyone rolls.
Before You Leave
Stage or load the machine per the Crew Lead's plan for tomorrow.
Lock it down: cab locked, fuel cap locked, keys OUT and handed to the Crew Lead — machines with keys in them disappear overnight.
Send your maintenance list in the crew chat so it's in writing — even if it's "none."
Check the chat for tomorrow's post before you're off the clock.
Done when: machine secured with keys handed off, maintenance list sent in writing, and you know where to be tomorrow.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
Machine won't start at the yard
Check the basics once: battery connections, fuel, master disconnect, neutral switches. Not running in 15 minutes — tag it, grab another task. Don't crank until you cook the starter.
Tag DO NOT OPERATE, photo it, write it on the sheet. Not "just for today" — that's how small repairs become blown pumps.
Crew Lead now
Hydraulic leak mid-bore or mid-dig
Stop, shut down, spill kit under and around the drip — oil in a creek or storm drain is a fine plus a shutdown. Photo everything.
Crew Lead now; he decides fix-in-place or swap
Mud returns slow or stop — possible frac-out
Stop pushing immediately. Walk the whole path looking for mud surfacing — yards, driveways, pavement cracks, creeks, storm drains. Found — berm and contain with whatever you have. Never "push through it."
Crew Lead now. Supervisor before restarting if mud reached water, pavement, or private property
You hit, nick, snag, or scuff ANY utility — even tracer wire or duct wall
Stop. Shut down. Everyone back. Gas: kill engines, evacuate upwind, no smoking. Don't touch, don't backfill, don't cover. Photos. A covered nick becomes an explosion or a six-figure claim.
Gas or injury past first aid: 911 first. Then Crew Lead → Supervisor — the Supervisor calls the utility and the Owner, not you
Locator says head depth doesn't match plan
Stop pushing. He re-shoots twice from clean ground away from interference; check the beacon battery. Still off — no rod goes on hope.
Crew Lead before the next rod
Rod stuck — won't push, won't pull
Don't max torque yanking until something snaps — a twisted-off rod turns a slow day into a lost bore and a dig-up. Gentle: rotation, more mud, small moves. Note rod count and depth.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor makes the recovery call
Soil changes — rock or cobble mid-bore
Stop, note the rod where it changed. Don't grind a dirt bit on rock — you'll burn tooling and go nowhere. Different tooling, mud, or route is not your day-one call.
Crew Lead now
Inspector or utility rep shows up
Polite, keep working safe, don't argue, don't guess, don't sign. Show the JSA and ticket if asked.
Crew Lead immediately; Supervisor if work is stopped; Owner only via the Supervisor if shut down
Mini-X trench wall caving or sloughing
Everybody OUT now — collapsed soil weighs like concrete; you cannot dig a buried man out fast enough. Nobody back in until sloped, benched, or shored.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor signs off before re-entry
Marks missing, faded, or don't match prints
No digging "close enough." Park the machine on that segment; work where marks are good.
Crew Lead now — the site's Locator calls the re-mark in; no Locator on the job, Crew Lead gets the Supervisor to call it
Angry homeowner or bystander while the machine runs
Shut down or swing away first so nobody gets hurt. Calm, no arguing, no fault, no promises — your promise becomes a claim.
Crew Lead handles them; Supervisor if they threaten legal
Never — These End Careers
Never put a bit or bucket in the ground without a valid 811 locate with positive responses. Not "staying shallow," not "marks are probably good."
Never cover, backfill, or hide a utility contact — even a scuffed tracer wire.
Never operate a tagged-out machine or bypass a guard, interlock, or safety switch.
Never push a rod without a locator shot on the one before it. Drilling blind is how gas mains get hit.
Never make up log or production numbers after the fact. A faked log destroys the company's defense — and unreported work never bills.
Never let anyone into an unprotected trench past waist deep; never leave keys in an unattended machine.
Your Proofs — What Someone Checks Tonight
Signed JSA with today's date.
Inspection sheet with opening AND closing engine hours, faults noted or "none."
Your countersignature on the Locator's bore log — one log, matching the footage you reported.
Production numbers and photos handed to the Crew Lead for the DFR before leaving site.
Machine staged or loaded, locked, keys physically with the Crew Lead.
Maintenance list sent in the crew chat, in writing, same day.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Employee: ______________________ Date: ________ Trainer: ______________________ Date: ________
Chapter 4 · Reports to: Field Supervisor
LOCATOR
STOP-WORK AUTHORITY
Daily proofs: ticket screenshots · crossing sheet · signed bore log into the DFR · tomorrow's ticket-status text · Stop-work authority: an unmarked or unclear utility stops the job, and nobody overrules the Locator on safety. You own all 811 requests and re-marks on your sites.
Every foot the drill travels today crosses only utilities you have found, measured, photographed, and briefed — zero contacts, and a bore log the office can bill from.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Locator set (receiver wand + transmitter) you've been trained on, with a working self-test.
Charged batteries for wand, transmitter, and bore-head sonde — plus a full charged spare set. A dead battery stops the whole crew.
Phone with the 811 portal login, camera, Crew Lead + Supervisor saved.
Today's work order and prints, downloaded or on paper — some sites have no signal.
Paint and flags in APWA colors, plus the color card until you know it cold: red electric, yellow gas, orange comms, blue water, green sewer/storm.
Tape measure or grade rod for pothole depths; blank bore log and crossing sheets.
The work-order folder — one subfolder per WO number: tickets, potholes, crossings, marks [confirm where it lives: shared drive or crew chat].
Tonight's post: yard, market, crew, work order. PPE: hard hat, vest, glasses, boots.
The Day
When You Arrive at the Yard
Pull up every 811 ticket for today. Each must be valid (not expired) and show a positive response from EVERY utility listed. One missing response = that path is not cleared. No exceptions.
Screenshot every ticket into the work-order folder. That screenshot is your legal proof later.
Self-test the wand and transmitter, then shoot a known buried line at the yard to confirm the locator reads true. A locator that lies is worse than none.
Load your gear: wand, transmitter, sonde and spares, paint, flags, tape, log and crossing sheets.
Read the work order and prints — know every crossing before the trucks roll.
Tell the Crew Lead the ticket status before anyone leaves the gate. You are the single source of truth on tickets — a problem found in the yard is cheap; on site it's expensive.
Done when: every ticket screenshotted with full positive responses, the locator proved on a known line, and the Crew Lead has heard "tickets are good" — or exactly what isn't.
On Site, Before the Rig Moves
Sign the JSA with everyone else.
Walk the whole bore path, entry to exit, prints in hand. Match every paint mark to the plan.
Look for what paint misses: meters, pedestals, valve lids, manholes, drop wires, fresh trench scars. A gas meter with no yellow paint nearby is a red flag, not a detail.
Confirm every crossing is potholed: see the utility with your own eyes, measure depth from grade, photograph the tape in the hole. No pothole gets backfilled before that photo exists.
Shoot each crossing with your own wand. Paint can be feet off; your reading counts.
Fill the crossing sheet as you walk — one line per crossing: utility, measured depth, clearance needed, pothole photo reference.
Brief the operator on every crossing and make him repeat the list back. Then he signs the crossing sheet — the rig does not move without his signature on it.
Anything unmarked, unclear, or off-plan — the rig does not move. Your call. Nobody overrules it.
Done when: walked entry to exit, every crossing measured and photographed on the sheet, operator recited the list and signed, and you've told the Crew Lead "path is clear to bore."
While the Rig Is Boring
Track the head rod by rod. Call depth and pitch to the operator out loud, every rod.
Write each rod into the bore log as it happens — your hand, one log; the operator confirms before pushing the next and countersigns at end of shot.
At every crossing, log bore depth and utility depth side by side and photograph the locator screen. That photo proves the bore cleared it.
Watch sonde battery and signal. Swap early at a safe spot — not when it dies under a road.
Lose the head — no signal, jumpy numbers — say "stop" and the rig stays stopped until you re-acquire steady readings.
Done when: the head is out the exit pit with a rod-by-rod log, a depth entry and photo at every crossing, and zero contact.
At Lunch
Check remaining life on every active ticket — today's job and anything the crew touches tomorrow. Expiring tickets get refreshed NOW; utilities need lead time.
Request re-marks for any ticket that expires before that work finishes.
Re-walk the remaining path. Traffic and rain kill paint — refresh only marks you personally verified this morning; anything else gets a re-mark request.
Swap or top off wand and transmitter batteries.
Done when: no ticket on today's or tomorrow's work can expire without a refresh already called in, and the remaining path is freshly marked.
Last Hour on Site
Finish the bore log: totals, every crossing with both depths, ticket numbers, your name — and the operator's countersignature.
Hand log + crossing sheet to the Crew Lead and watch them go into the DFR — footage not in the DFR does not get billed, ever.
Upload photos to the work-order folder: potholes with tape, locator screens, final marks, ticket screenshots.
Tell the Crew Lead what tomorrow's crew needs to know: a caved pothole, a disputed mark, a homeowner with a private line.
Done when: the Crew Lead has the signed log and crossing sheet attached to the DFR and every photo is uploaded before anyone leaves.
Back at the Yard, Before You Leave
Check with the Supervisor or the chat for where the crew works next; submit 811 requests for any new dig site NOW — tickets take days, and a crew without one stands still.
Every battery on charge: wand, transmitter, sondes, spares.
Locator cased and locked — it's a multi-thousand-dollar instrument, not a shovel.
Text the Supervisor tomorrow's ticket status: numbers, which have full positive responses, which are pending.
Done when: the Supervisor has your ticket-status text, batteries are charging, and the locator is cased and locked.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
One utility has no positive response — everyone else answered
Do not clear the path — that utility could be anywhere in it. Chase the response through the portal; tell the Crew Lead exactly which segments are dead until it posts.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor if it kills the day's plan
Marks conflict with what you can see — gas meter, no yellow paint anywhere
Believe the meter, not the paint. Stop that segment, request an emergency re-mark, and if the crew must cross, hand-expose the line first.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor if the utility won't come out
A ticket expires while the job is running
Digging stops the second it expires — zero legal cover after. Refresh immediately; crew stays on above-ground work until it posts. (Your lunch check exists to prevent exactly this.)
Crew Lead now
Homeowner says there's an unmarked private line — dog fence, grill gas, septic, well
Treat it as real — 811 never marks private lines. Have them show you the run; hand-dig across its path or route around it.
Crew Lead now
The operator pressures you to keep boring past something uncertain
Say "we're stopped" and step out of the argument. You have stop-work authority; safety is not a negotiation. Rig stays down until proven clear.
Supervisor before continuing — so the pressure lands on him, not you
Signal interference — readings jump, depth won't settle
Stop the bore. Change sonde frequency, re-calibrate, kill nearby noise. Still no stable read at a crossing — you do not bore through it on a guess.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor if the shot must be re-planned
Sonde battery dies mid-bore — blind head
Rig stops pushing immediately. Pull back to swap the battery, re-acquire, confirm position against your log before one rod goes forward.
Nobody — handle it; tell the Crew Lead why the rig is paused
Marks washed out on part of the path
Refresh only marks you personally shot and photographed this morning. Anything unverified gets a re-mark request — nobody digs there until it posts. You own the request.
Nobody — handle it; Crew Lead if it delays the bore
You contact a utility — any contact, even scratched gas plastic or a nicked tracer
Stop everything. Gas: kill engines, everyone upwind, 911 first. Photograph the scene untouched, never backfill damage. Tell the Crew Lead on site; hold the scene — you don't work the phones.
Crew Lead on site; the Supervisor calls the utility's emergency line and the Owner — one caller
A pothole shows a crossing shallower than planned clearance
Stop the rig short of the crossing. Give the operator the real numbers; re-plan depth with the Crew Lead before the head goes near it.
Crew Lead now; Supervisor if the bore can't make clearance at all
Inspector, utility rep, or police question the locate or shut the job down
Polite, no arguing. Show ticket screenshots and pothole photos — this is exactly why you saved them. Work stays stopped while it sorts.
Supervisor before continuing; a shutdown is an Owner-level call the Supervisor makes
Never — These End Careers
Never clear a path without a valid ticket showing a positive response from every single utility. "Probably fine" is how people die and companies end.
Never guess. Can't prove where a line is and how deep — the answer is stop, every time.
Never let anyone talk you out of a stop-work call — not the operator, not the Crew Lead, not a deadline.
Never let a pothole get backfilled before depth is measured, photographed, and logged.
Never walk away from a contact, even a scratch. An unreported nick on gas plastic is a future explosion with your name on it.
Never leave at night without tomorrow's locates requested and batteries charging — either one idles a whole crew.
Your Proofs — What Someone Checks Tonight
Signed, countersigned rod-by-rod bore log attached to the DFR.
The crossing sheet — every crossing measured, photographed, operator-signed before the rig moved.
Screenshot of every 811 ticket with full positive responses, in the work-order folder.
Photo of every pothole with the tape showing depth; locator-screen photos at each crossing.
Tomorrow's locate requests submitted; ticket-status text sent to the Supervisor.
Your signature on today's JSA.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Employee: ______________________ Date: ________ Trainer: ______________________ Date: ________
Chapter 5 · Reports to: Owner
FIELD SUPERVISOR
COMMAND CLASS
The order of every day: SAFETY → QUALITY → QUANTITY. Production never jumps the line. · Daily proofs: morning status · midday update · every DFR approved · production entered in the Nova app · hours approved · Driver's package collected · tomorrow's schedule posted · This chapter is the one that gets the Owner out of daily operations. The Owner hears summaries, not surprises.
Every crew works safe, hits its numbers, and every foot they put in the ground is reported the same day — the Owner hears summaries, not surprises.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Today's work orders with prints and unit budgets for every active job — one per crew.
Crew roster with a number for every man; every crew lead's cell saved.
Locate ticket status (valid dates, positive responses) for every site working today AND tomorrow — from the Locator's nightly ticket text.
Access that works: yard keys/gate code, fuel cards, crew chat posting rights, the Nova app (Softr) login for production entry, hours-approval rights in the timekeeping app.
A truck fueled and able to reach every site today.
The escalation card: the five Owner calls, plus 811 and utility emergency numbers.
Blank JSA forms and spare PPE in your truck — a missing vest should never stop a crew.
Client rep and inspector names and numbers for every active job.
The Day
At the Yard, Before Any Crew Arrives
Pull up every work order running today. For each: the site, the units the crew must hit, what the print shows.
Check locate status for every site — ticket valid, positive response from every utility. A site without clean locates does not get a crew today; re-plan that crew now, not at the gate.
Check assignments against who actually confirmed. Flag anyone shaky — new hires, this week's no-shows — and have a fallback in your head.
Walk the yard: every machine rolling today is fueled, on its trailer, with the right tooling — heads, reamers, rod, reels. A crew that leaves without the right reamer loses half a day.
Check material against each WO: right conduit size and footage, vaults, handholes, tracer wire — loaded or staged.
Done when: for every crew you can say from memory their site, their unit target, that their locates are clean, and that their iron and material is loaded.
At Start Time, When Crews Show Up
Confirm every man clocked in. Match faces to the roster, not just the app — the app lies, the parking lot doesn't.
Someone missing? One call, one message, move on — reshuffle so every machine still runs. A parked drill earns nothing. Note it for payroll.
Watch each crew hold its JSA. Every signature before anyone touches a tool. No signed JSA, that crew doesn't leave the yard.
Take the Driver's read-back — truck, trailer, run sequence, out loud — and hand him the material tickets for every drop.
Before each crew rolls, the crew lead repeats back: site, today's units, ticket number, and that marks are fresh on the ground — a "clear" ticket with faded paint is how strikes happen.
Send the Owner the morning status: crews out, headcount, unit targets, any holes and what you did about them. Three lines. He should never need to ask.
Done when: every crew is rolling with valid locates, a signed JSA, and materials aboard; the Driver has tickets and a confirmed run order; the Owner has the morning summary in his phone.
When the Last Crew Leaves the Yard
Hit every site, worst first — and any site breaking new ground today comes before everything. Nothing touches the ground there until: the area is secured — traffic control set per plan, safety signs and cones counted OUT (counted back IN at close) — and you or the crew lead has walked the full project path and photographed it BEFORE work: driveways, curbs, sidewalks, mailboxes, sprinklers, landscaping, and any damage that already exists. Timestamped, into the work-order folder. Those before-photos are what kill a bogus damage claim.
At each site check three things IN ORDER: safety (pits barricaded, PPE, traffic control standing), quality against the print (depth, alignment, conduit), then pace (footage by mid-morning vs today's units — do the math, don't ask "how's it going"). Take DURING photos as you go: work in progress, product in the ground before backfill, traffic control up.
Confirm the crew potholed every marked crossing before boring through it — one strike costs more than the whole job pays.
A crew waiting on material, an inspection, a conflict — clearing it is YOUR job. On the phone before you leave the site.
Client rep asks for anything off the WO — stop it before it happens. Ask in writing, office for a change order. Work done free stays free.
Crew looks slow — count footage yourself against the print stationing. Numbers, not vibes; you'll need them for the wrap-up talk.
Done when: you've laid eyes on every site, every blocker has an owner and a next step, no out-of-scope work is happening anywhere — and before/during photos are landing in the WO folders.
At Lunch
Check tomorrow FIRST: locates live for tomorrow's sites, permits in hand, materials on hand or ordered. Tomorrow's problem found at lunch is fixable; found at the gate it's a lost day.
Locate expiring soon? The site's Locator calls the refresh now — 811 takes days, not hours. No Locator assigned, you call it.
Order or stage anything a crew runs out of before end of day.
Midday update to the Owner and office: units so far vs plan per crew, problems plus what you already did. Never send a problem without your fix attached.
Done when: tomorrow has no known blocker, and the Owner and office have the midday numbers without asking.
Last Hour, When Crews Wrap Up
Collect a DFR from every crew before anyone heads home: units, hours, photos — before backfill and after restoration. Work not reported does not get billed, period.
Enter every crew's production into the Nova app the same day — footage, units, hours, costs, issues, per crew and work order. The app is the tracker of record: if it is not in the app, it did not happen and it does not bill.
Check DFR units against your own eyes. DFR says 800 feet, you counted 500 at lunch — ask today. Today it's a correction; tomorrow it's a fight.
Approve hours same day. Anything odd — early clock-ins, missing lunches, hours that don't match the DFR — gets a call now, not at payroll.
Collect the Driver's package — both DVIRs, fuel receipts, delivery confirmations. Route any open defect to the mechanic TONIGHT; delivery proofs go to the office with the DFRs.
Confirm every site is closed out: pits backfilled or plated and barricaded, no open holes, tools loaded, marks legible. Take AFTER photos of every restored area, and count signs and cones back IN against the morning count. An open hole overnight is a lawsuit with your name on it.
Log redo work (failed inspections, callbacks) against its WO so the margin hit shows where it happened.
Done when: every DFR in and approved, production posted in the Nova app, every hour approved or flagged, the Driver's package collected and routed, every site safe for the public overnight.
Before You Leave
Build tomorrow's schedule: start time, market/yard, crew assignments with the WO number per crew, and the Driver's truck, trailer, and run sequence.
Sanity-check it against your lunch check — never schedule a crew to a site whose locates or materials you haven't confirmed.
Post it in the crew chat before you go home. Crews plan their lives around that post; a late schedule makes tomorrow's no-shows.
Anything today the Owner will hear from someone else — he hears it from you first. A short text tonight beats a surprise call tomorrow.
Done when: tomorrow's schedule is posted, and there is nothing about today the Owner will learn from anyone but you.
The Daily Capture List — What Must Exist in Every WO Folder, Every Day
BEFORE: project-path photos at every new-ground site — surfaces, structures, landscaping, and pre-existing damage — plus the locate marks visible on the ground.
DURING: potholes with the tape showing depth · product in the trench or bore before backfill · traffic control standing · work in progress.
AFTER: restoration at every site — the yard looking like we were never there.
PAPER: signed JSA per crew · crossing sheet and countersigned bore log · DFR with units, hours, photos · production entered in the app · a damage report filed the same day if ANYTHING got hit, dinged, or found already broken.
THE TEST: if a client, a homeowner, or a lawyer asks about this job in two years, the WO folder answers without anyone's memory. That is the standard — we capture it for ourselves AND for the client.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
Crew member no-shows at start
One call, one message, move on. Reshuffle so every machine runs, even a man short. Tell affected leads the new lineup before rolling. Note it for payroll and the pattern.
Nobody — handle it. Owner sees it in the morning status only if it killed a crew's day
Two crews need the same machine
Higher-dollar units or hard client deadline wins. The other crew gets real WO work — potholing, restoration, staging — so nobody stands around. Rent only if the math works and it's under $500.
Nobody — handle it. Owner before spend over $500
Client rep asks for work not on the WO
Stop it before a shovel moves. Friendly: "Happy to — soon as it's on a change order." Ask in writing (text/email), scope and units to the office same hour.
Office same hour. Owner ONLY if the rep threatens to pull work or go legal
You suspect sandbagging
Verify with your own eyes first — footage against stationing, against that crew's normal. Talk to the lead alone, set a concrete number for the rest of the day, check at wrap-up. Write both down.
Nobody — handle it. Owner hears the pattern in the weekly note, not the one-off
Inspector fails restoration
Get exactly what failed and the standard he wants — photos and his words before he leaves. Lock the re-inspect date on the spot. Schedule the fix crew; log redo hours to the WO.
Handle it; midday/end-of-day update. Owner immediately ONLY if he shuts the job down
A crew hits a utility
Crew stops and secures. Gas: evacuate, public back, 911 and the utility emergency line first. Photograph everything untouched — marks, pothole evidence, damage, ticket number. Those photos decide who pays.
Owner immediately — any strike with damage, no exceptions. YOU call the utility; he hears it from you within minutes
A DFR is missing at end of day
Call the lead before he's home — memory dies overnight. Can't produce it tonight: he sits with you at the yard before his crew rolls tomorrow. No hour approval until the DFR matches.
Nobody — handle it. Repeat offender goes in the weekly note
Bad weather coming
Clear-cut forecast: call it the night before, post it with the schedule. Morning-of: decide and post before crews leave home — a scrub at the yard costs show-up pay. Options in order: run it, delayed start, shop day, full scrub.
Nobody — your call. It goes in the morning status
New hire starts tomorrow
Put him with your steadiest lead, name that lead in the schedule post. Text the hire tonight: yard, what to bring, boots and PPE. Tell the lead: JSA walkthrough first, shadow-only near machines day one.
Nobody — handle it
Marks missing or faded at a site
No digging there — "dig careful" is not a plan. The site's Locator calls the re-mark now (no Locator = you call it). Move the crew to workable footage or another WO. Log lost production.
Nobody — handle it. Shows up as lost production in the midday update
Someone gets hurt
More than first aid: medical care first, secure the scene, witness names, photos of the setup. First-aid-only: treat, write up, note in the DFR anyway — undocumented small injuries become big claims.
Owner immediately if more than first aid; first-aid-only goes in the end-of-day summary
Machine down, fix or rental costs real money
Crew tries the obvious 15 minutes max. You get the mechanic or dealer on the phone. Under $500: authorize, keep the crew on hand work. Over $500: get the number AND your recommendation before you call.
Owner before unplanned spend over $500 — call with the number and your recommendation, not just the problem
Never — These End Careers
Never let a crew dig without a valid ticket with positive responses. One strike can erase a month of profit.
Never let out-of-scope work happen on a handshake. No written change order, no work.
Never approve hours you can't tie to a DFR you checked — that gap is exactly where payroll and billing leak.
Never sit on a strike or injury to "handle it quietly." Late notice turns a bad day into a lawsuit.
Never end the day without tomorrow's schedule posted — a late schedule manufactures tomorrow's no-shows.
Never bounce a problem to the Owner that isn't on the card. Everything else is yours — that is the job.
Your Proofs — What the Owner Checks
Tomorrow's schedule posted — start time, market/yard, crews + WO numbers, Driver's truck/trailer/run — timestamped before end of day.
One signed JSA per crew per day, filed where the office can find it.
A DFR from every crew, reviewed and approved same day; production entered in the Nova app; hours approved to match.
Before / during / after photos landing in every WO folder, every day; damage reports filed same-day when anything gets hit or found broken.
The Driver's package collected — DVIRs, receipts, delivery confirmations — defects routed to the mechanic the same night.
Morning status and midday update in the Owner's thread — he can read the whole day without calling.
Every out-of-scope ask captured in writing for a change order BEFORE the work — zero free work.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Supervisor: ______________________ Date: ________ Owner: ______________________ Date: ________
Chapter 6 · Reports to: Field Supervisor
CREW LEAD — THE HUB ROLE
HUB CLASS
Daily proofs: signed JSA filed · DFR compiled & handed off same day · tool count out AND in · machine keys collected · every off-plan ask in writing · You are the hub of this book: you run the JSA, own the DFR, hold the tool count and the keys, and you are the first call on almost every if/then card in every other chapter. When someone on your crew doesn't know what to do, the answer is you.
Your crew worked safe, hit its units, and every foot they built is proven — signed, photographed, counted, and on a DFR in the Supervisor's hands before anyone rolls home.
Before You Start — Your Kit
Tonight's schedule post: your site, your work order number, your crew by name, your unit target. You should be able to say all four from memory before you sleep.
The work order and prints for your job — downloaded or on paper. You cannot lead a crew to a target you haven't read.
Blank JSA forms and a DFR pad (or the app equivalents), plus a pen that works. The paperwork IS the job.
Every crew member's number saved, and the Supervisor's. A no-show at 6am is a phone problem before it's a crew problem.
Charged phone with a working camera — your photos and your crew's photos are how the work gets billed and how a bogus claim dies.
Spare PPE in the truck: glasses, ear plugs, gloves. Somebody forgets; the day doesn't stop for it.
First-aid kit stocked and where you can grab it blind; fire extinguisher charged on the truck.
The load plan for tomorrow's work — tools, tooling, materials — thought through tonight, not invented at the gate.
The Day
The Night Before — When the Schedule Posts
Read the post and confirm your crew saw it — a thumbs-up from every name. Chase anyone silent tonight, not at start time.
Open the WO folder: prints, yesterday's stopping point, today's target units. Know where the first rod or first bucket goes.
Build the load plan: tools, tooling (bits, reamers, rod), materials (conduit size and footage, vaults, tracer wire), water and mud for the soil.
Anything missing for tomorrow — material short, machine question, a man doubtful — text the Supervisor tonight. Tomorrow's problem solved tonight is free.
Done when: every crew member confirmed the post, you know the first task cold, and the Supervisor already knows about anything that could stall your morning.
When You Arrive at the Yard
Confirm every man clocked in — faces, not just the app. Someone missing: one call, one message, then reshuffle your plan and tell the Supervisor in your read-back. The machine still runs.
Hand out the load plan and put names on it — who loads tools, who checks straps, who fuels. Same spots on the truck every time so tonight's count is easy.
Verify the load yourself before you accept "loaded and strapped." Their word plus your eyes — a missing reamer costs the crew half a day.
Get the ticket status from the Locator (or through the Supervisor): valid ticket, positive response from every utility. No clean locates, your crew doesn't leave the gate — ask for re-plan, don't roll and hope.
Give the Supervisor your read-back before rolling: site, today's units, ticket number, and that marks are fresh on the ground. Say it out loud — that sentence is the contract for the day.
Done when: full crew accounted for, load verified by your eyes, locates confirmed, and the Supervisor heard your read-back.
On Site, Before Any Work
Park where you planned it: out of the travel lane, off the locate marks, clear of the bore path. You direct the trucks in — nobody freelances a parking spot onto fresh paint.
Walk the site once before the crew spreads out. New ground today: photograph the whole project path BEFORE work — driveways, curbs, sprinklers, mailboxes, existing damage, and the locate marks on the ground. Timestamped, into the WO folder. Those photos kill bogus claims.
Set traffic control per the card (NU-OPS-007 Card 3) and count signs and cones OUT loud — you count them back IN at close.
Run the JSA: every person stands in it, names a hazard out loud, signs. You run it as a real brief, not a signature drill — today's specific hazards, not last week's. No signature, no work, including yours.
Confirm with the Locator: path walked, every crossing potholed and measured, crossing sheet filled, Operator briefed and signed. The rig does not move until that chain is complete.
Assign the day: who potholes, who runs support, who handles restoration behind the bore. Every man rolls into a task, not a huddle.
Done when: before-photos and traffic control are up and photographed, the JSA is signed by every name, the crossing chain is complete, and every crew member is working a named task.
While the Crew Works
Keep the order straight: safety → quality → quantity. You check them in that order at every walk-through, and production never jumps the line.
Do the footage math at mid-morning against today's target — numbers, not vibes. Behind: find the blocker and fix the sequence now, not at 3pm.
Confirm every pothole yourself before you authorize backfill: utility exposed, depth measured, tape in the photo. Your word closes a hole — make it worth something.
Take DURING photos as the work goes: product in the ground before backfill, potholes with tape, traffic control standing.
Any ask that isn't on the work order — a resident, a client rep, an inspector — you stop it before a shovel moves. Friendly: "happy to, once it's papered." Get the ask in writing (text is fine) and send it to the Supervisor the same hour.
Watch your people, not just the work: water breaks called in heat, rotations on the hard holes, the new guy shadow-only near the drill until you clear him — that clearance is yours to give, not his to assume.
Handle residents and inspectors yourself — calm, no fault, no promises. Your crew's only line is "let me get my lead."
Done when: pace is known against target, every closed hole had your eyes first, during-photos are landing in the WO folder, and zero off-plan work has happened anywhere on your site.
At Lunch
Count production so far — footage, pits, units — and send it to the Supervisor for his midday update. He should never have to ask.
Materials check for the afternoon AND tomorrow: anything running short gets flagged to the Supervisor now, while there's still time to stage it.
Spot-check the paper: bore log current to the last rod (Locator and Operator both on it), your morning photos actually uploaded — not sitting in someone's camera roll.
Eyes on the crew: everyone eating, drinking, out of the sun for a few minutes. An afternoon heat casualty starts at a skipped lunch.
Done when: the Supervisor has your midday numbers, afternoon materials are confirmed, and the morning's paper and photos are current.
Last Hour on Site
Call the stopping point while there's light left for restoration — a rushed cleanup is tomorrow's callback.
Restoration to standard: backfill in lifts (NU-OPS-007 Card 7), yards raked, pavement hosed, the homeowner-never-calls standard from Ch. 1.
Inspection coming? Run the pre-inspection QC walk (NU-OPS-007 Card 4) yourself, checklist in hand, AS IF you were the inspector — and sign it. We never call an inspection we haven't already passed.
AFTER photos of every restored area; cones and signs counted back IN against the morning count.
Tool count out loud with the crew against the morning load. Missing or broken gets reported now — a reported loss is a line item, a hidden one looks like theft.
Machine keys collected — physically in your hand. Open holes that stay open overnight: plated or fenced and coned, with your sign-off.
Collect production from every man in plain units — "2 potholes, 300 feet, 3 yards restored" — while it's fresh.
Done when: the site is safe for the public overnight, after-photos are taken, cones and tools are counted back, keys are in your pocket, and you have every man's numbers.
Back at the Yard — The DFR Is the Day
Compile the DFR: units by pay item, hours per man, photos referenced, bore log and crossing sheet attached, delays and extra work flagged for change orders.
Check the numbers against your own eyes before you sign. The DFR says 800 feet and you counted 500 at lunch — resolve it now. You sign what you send.
Hand it to the Supervisor before anyone's day ends — the crew's day closes when the DFR is in, not when the truck parks. Work not on a DFR does not get billed, period.
Confirm hours: what each man tells you must match his clock-in/out. A mismatch gets a conversation today, not at payroll.
Report machine needs in writing in the crew chat — even "none." Trucks below half a tank got fueled on the way in.
Check tomorrow's post and confirm your crew saw it. Then release them — your nod ends the day.
Done when: the Supervisor has a DFR you personally verified, hours match tasks, machine needs are in writing, and every man knows tomorrow's plan before he drives off.
When Things Go Wrong — The If/Then Card
If this happens
Do this
Who you call
A man no-shows at the yard
One call, one message, move on. Re-cut the assignments so the machine still runs a man short. Note it for payroll and the pattern.
Supervisor in your morning read-back — with your new plan, not just the hole
Client rep or resident asks for work not on the WO
Stop it before a shovel moves. Friendly hold: "happy to, soon as it's papered." Get the ask in writing — a text counts.
Supervisor the same hour with the written ask; he routes it for a change order
Your Operator wants to push past something the Locator called uncertain
The Locator wins. Stop-work stands, every time — back him out loud in front of the crew so the pressure dies right there.
Supervisor before the rig restarts, so the pressure lands on him, not your Locator
The crew's numbers don't match what you saw
Count it yourself against the print stationing before the DFR goes in. Fix it with the man today — today it's a correction, tomorrow it's a fight.
Nobody if it resolves; Supervisor if the same man's numbers drift twice
Anyone hurt on your crew
More than first aid: 911 first, secure the scene, witness names, photos of the setup. Band-aid level: treat it, write it in the DFR anyway — undocumented small injuries become big claims.
Supervisor immediately if more than first aid; he runs the ladder to the Owner
Your crew hits a utility
Stop and secure. Gas: engines off, everyone upwind, 911 first. Nothing touched, nothing covered — photograph the scene, marks, and pothole evidence exactly as they sit. Have the ticket number ready.
Supervisor immediately — HE calls the utility's emergency line and the Owner. One caller, no double-calling
Inspector fails the work or stops the job
No arguing. Get exactly what failed and the standard he wants — his words, plus photos — before he leaves. Lock the re-inspect date on the spot.
Supervisor now; a shutdown is an Owner-level call the Supervisor makes
Behind pace at mid-morning
Find the blocker — material, sequence, a struggling man — and fix the plan, not the standard. Corners never buy back footage; they buy callbacks and strikes.
Supervisor at midday with the number AND your fix attached
Tool missing at the evening count
The truck doesn't roll until it's found or reported. Ten minutes of looking now beats a $400 tamp gone forever.
Supervisor same day — it goes on the DFR either way
Two of your guys running hot at each other
Separate them now — opposite ends of the site, different tasks. Cool-down first, one-on-one talks after. Nobody swings a shovel angry near a gas line.
Nobody for a one-off you settled; Supervisor if it's a pattern or anyone threatened anyone
Storm or lightning rolling in
Crew out of open holes and into the trucks — you call the pause, nobody plays through lightning. Protect open excavations first if it's safe to.
Supervisor if the day looks lost — he makes the scrub call
Property damage found — by us or before us
Photo it and file the damage report the SAME DAY, facts only, no fault language — whether we did it or found it broken. Us reporting first keeps a repair a repair.
Supervisor same day; he reviews and the Owner sees it
Never — These End Careers
Never let the rig bore a crossing you haven't personally seen potholed, measured, and photographed.
Never sign or send a DFR you didn't check against your own eyes. You sign what you send.
Never let anyone's day end before the tool count and the DFR are done — both, every day.
Never allow off-plan work on a handshake, no matter who's asking. Paper first, always.
Never run the JSA as a signature drill. Hazards named out loud, every voice, every day.
Never sit on bad news to "handle it quietly." Bad news fast is a fix; bad news late is a firing — including yours.
Your Proofs — What the Supervisor Checks Tonight
Today's JSA with every crew member's signature and real hazards named, filed with the Supervisor.
The DFR — units, hours, photos, bore log and crossing sheet attached — handed off and approved same day.
Tool count matched to the morning load, confirmed out loud; losses and breaks reported, not hidden.
Machine keys physically collected; every open excavation plated or fenced and coned with your sign-off.
Before / during / after photos in the WO folder for your site, today.
Every off-plan ask forwarded in writing to the Supervisor the same hour it happened.
I have read this chapter, been trained on it, and can run this day. Crew Lead: ______________________ Date: ________ Supervisor: ______________________ Date: ________
Open Items
#
Item
Owner
Status
1
Crew Lead chapter. The Crew Lead is the hub of this whole book — runs the JSA, compiles the DFR, holds tool counts and machine keys, and is the first call on ~30 if/then rules — but has no chapter yet. Highest-priority addition.
Adam + next session
CLOSED — Ch. 6 added in Rev 1.3
2
Name the timekeeping app (referenced in every chapter) and confirm every crew member has a working login.
Adam
OPEN
3
Confirm the tolerance-zone distance for each state Nova works (GA and any others) and write it into Ch. 1 and Ch. 4.
Adam
OPEN
4
Confirm the mud mix chart numbers (Marsh funnel seconds by soil) against Nova's actual practice; laminate the chart on each mud system.
Adam / lead operator
OPEN
5
Physical yard standards referenced in Ch. 2: posted yard map, key box location, where the work-order folder lives.
Adam
OPEN
6
Print the crossing sheet and bore log as standard pads (or app forms) so the artifacts in this book physically exist on every rig.
Adam / office
BUILT 7/12/26 — print & laminate the pads file
Revision History
Rev
Date
Change
1.0
July 4, 2026
Initial issue. Five role chapters drafted role-by-role, cross-checked for handoffs and contradictions (strike ladder unified on 911-first; single bore log with operator countersignature; crossing sheet created as a named artifact; nightly schedule contents expanded; re-mark ownership assigned to the Locator).
1.1
July 4, 2026
Supervisor daily production reporting moved into the Nova app (Softr) as the tracker of record: production entered same day, per crew and work order, before end of day.
1.2
July 7, 2026
Supervisor chapter: safety → quality → quantity ordering made explicit; site-securing before ground break (traffic control set, signs/cones counted out and back); before/during/after photo protocol; daily capture list added; internal damage report added as a named artifact.
1.3
July 12, 2026
Crew Lead chapter added (Ch. 6) — closes open item #1. The hub role now has its full day: load plan and read-back, JSA ownership, pothole verification before backfill, off-plan capture in writing, tool count and keys, DFR compiled and verified before handoff. Bore log and crossing sheet issued as printable pads (open item #6).