NOVA CERTIFICATIONS — Cert & Badge Cards

How Every Certification Runs

RESTRICTED

The card is open. He observes and assists, and handles the equipment only with his trainer present — never alone.

Trainer opens the card and dates it

CHECKED OUT

Every demonstration performed while the trainer observes and initials. He runs the work on a live job, trainer on site.

Trainer initials each line

X (date)

NOVA CERTIFIED

Demonstrated independently, on live jobs, on three separate days. He runs it. The pay increase takes effect.

Trainer + Certifier — two signatures

The Record Step

what makes the raise happen

SIGNED CARDtrainer + certifier

→

TRACKER ENTRYthe column printed on the card

→

CARD FILEDtraining file

→

QUICKBOOKSrate change

→

NEXT PAYROLLincrease lands

If it is not in the tracker, it does not exist. Same week, every time.

The Gates

non-negotiable

Separate days are separate days. Three demonstrations means three dates on the card. No same-day triple sign-offs.

No certification, no machine. Ever. Nobody operates equipment alone without a signed card.

Experienced hires don't skip — they certify faster. Advanced Entry sets the starting rate; every card still gets run.

Two signatures make it real. One signature is training in progress, not a certification.

Nothing Built Gets Rebuilt

Certification / badge	Runs on the document that already exists
C1 GROUNDHAND	TRAINING BOOK — Day 1 and Day 2 (all 19 cards)
C3 TRAILER	NU-FLT-310 Trailer Hookup, Loading & Towing — the C3 card below certifies to it; the sequence and the numbers live in the book
C8 HDD OPERATOR	TRAINING BOOK — HDD Operator (through Card 19)
B-CONES badge	NU-SAF-105 Work Zone Traffic Control & Cone Standard
Machine safety stages	NU-OPS-011-B Equipment Qualification Card — kill points, red-tag list, per-unit rules

Certification Cards

print one per person

Tier 2 · Vehicles

TRUCK

C2 TRUCK

Name Trainer Card opened

Prerequisites — all required before this card opens

☐ C1 Groundhand certified ☐ B-SPOTTER badge ☐ Valid license on file ☐ Acceptable MVR

CDL requirement pending the DOT determination — open decision #5.

References

Nova Daily Truck Log (print pad) · NU-FLT-301 Truck Housekeeping Standard

Checked Out — trainer initials each demonstration

	Demonstration	Initials	Date
1	Walk-around inspection: fluids, tires, lights, leaks — finds a defect = red-tags and reports it
2	Daily Truck Log completed unprompted, correctly
3	Loaded drive to a live job — city and highway
4	Backs into a tight spot on spotter signals only
5	Fuel and receipt routine · truck passes the housekeeping standard

Nova Certified — three separate days · zero incidents · log completed without being told

Rep	Date	Route / job	Trainer initials
1
2
3

Trainer Certifier Date

Man's signature — "I understand I may not drive a Nova truck outside the status granted above"

☐ Tracker entry made → enter X (date) in column C2 TRUCK

ADVANCES TO: C3 Trailer card

Tier 2 · Vehicles · Certifies to NU-FLT-310

TRAILER

C3 TRAILER

Name Trainer Card opened

Prerequisites

☐ C2 Truck certified

References

NU-FLT-310 Trailer Hookup, Loading & Towing — every step below is proven to that book. First loaded tow is never solo: qualified man in the passenger seat.

Checked Out — trainer initials each demonstration

	Demonstration	Initials	Date
1	States the weight math for the combination: GVWR, GCWR, hitch rating, tongue weight 10–15% (NU-FLT-310 §2)
2	Full hookup, no skipped steps, ever: chock → ball/eye match → latch and PIN (touch it) → jack test → chains CROSSED → breakaway to the FRAME, never the chains → lights → tug test → chocks last
3	Loads a machine: ramps pinned, solid ground, spotter clear of the crush path, 60% of the weight ahead of the axles, attachments down, key out
4	Four-point tie-down to the Nova standard — checks the WLL tag on every strap and chain; no tag = out of service
5	Tows to a job · backs into a work zone with a spotter
6	Unloads on a slope safely

Nova Certified — three hookups and tows · three separate days · trainer inspects BEFORE the wheels roll

Rep	Date	Combination / job	Trainer initials
1
2
3

Trainer Certifier Date

Man's signature — "I understand the man who hooks it owns it"

☐ Tracker entry made → enter X (date) in column C3 TRAILER

ADVANCES TO: Tier 3 Equipment · ADVANCE TO BAND 2

Tier 3 · Equipment

MINI EXCAVATOR

C4 MINI-EX

Name Trainer (Owner of Record) Unit # Card opened

Prerequisites

☐ C3 Trailer certified — you haul what you operate

References

NU-OPS-011-B unit card for this machine — complete its Stage 1–2 walk-around (kill points, daily checks, red-tag list) before any demonstration below.

Trench work deeper than 5 ft waits on NU-SAF-107 (not yet written). Do not certify around it.

Checked Out — trainer initials each demonstration

	Demonstration	Initials	Date
1	Pre-operation walk-around: grease points, fluids, red-tag rule stated
2	Yard time: controls, travel, slew, boom — smooth and deliberate
3	Trenches to grade and depth from the work order
4	Digs NEAR a located utility: states the tolerance zone, hand-exposes before steel gets close
5	Loads and unloads from the trailer independently · states trench safety basics

Nova Certified — three production digs · three separate days · on grade · zero utility strikes

Rep	Date	Job / task	Trainer initials
1
2
3

Trainer Certifier Date

Man's signature

☐ Tracker entry made → enter X (date) in column C4 MINI-EX

ADVANCES TO: C5 Missile · counts toward the Declaration

Tier 3 · Equipment

MISSILE

C5 MISSILE

Name Trainer Card opened

Prerequisites

☐ C4 Mini-Ex certified — you dig the pits before you launch

Checked Out — trainer initials each demonstration

	Demonstration	Initials	Date
1	Compressor setup · whip checks on EVERY connection · oiler checked
2	Entry and exit pits at correct depth and line
3	Launches on line and grade · reads the drift and says what he's seeing
4	States the stuck-missile procedure cold — BEFORE it happens
5	Recovers, reverses, and re-launches

Nova Certified — three launches · three separate days · on target · zero shortcuts

Rep	Date	Job / shot	Trainer initials
1
2
3

Trainer Certifier Date

Man's signature

☐ Tracker entry made → enter X (date) in column C5 MISSILE

ADVANCES TO: counts toward Crew Lead

Tier 3 · Knowledge · Required for both specializations

PRINTS

C6 PRINTS

Name Trainer Card opened

Prerequisites

☐ C1 Groundhand certified · can be earned in parallel with any other card

References

Nova Bore Log + Crossing Sheet (print pads) · Nova Work Order

Checked Out — trainer initials each demonstration

	Demonstration	Initials	Date
1	Reads a job print: scale, stationing, symbols, existing utilities
2	Matches the print to the ground, standing on the job
3	Reads a work order and repeats it back: footage, product, depth, start point
4	Completes a bore log / crossing sheet from a real bore
5	Spots a print-versus-ground conflict and STOPS the work

Nova Certified — the cold test

Test	Date	Trainer initials
Handed tomorrow's print unseen — briefs the crew on it accurately

Trainer Certifier Date

Man's signature

☐ Tracker entry made → enter X (date) in column C6 PRINTS

ADVANCES TO: THE DECLARATION (Talent Review)

Badge Cards

Tier 1 · earned = every line initialed on live work

WATCHtrainer demonstrates it on live work and talks through it

→

DOhe performs it alongside the trainer until it's smooth — as many days as it takes

→

PROVEevery line initialed on live work · trainer signs · tracker entry made

Badges are earned during production, not in a classroom. Any day the work presents itself is a test day.

Skill badge · requires C1 Groundhand

COUPLERS & FITTINGS

B-COUPLERS

+$0.25 (placeholder) · Feeds: general crew value

Name Trainer

1	Names the duct Nova pulls — sizes and types — and which coupler or end cap goes with each
2	Cuts the duct square and cleans the end before any fitting goes on
3	Selects the correct coupler or end cap for the duct on the print
4	Installs to torque: watertight, no cross-threading, no half-seated joints
5	Trainer inspects three joints on live work — a leak or a crooked thread restarts the count

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-COUPLERS = X (date)

Skill badge · requires C1 Groundhand

MUD MAN

B-MUD

+$0.50 (placeholder) · Prerequisite for C8 HDD OPERATOR

Name Trainer

1	States the safety basics: bentonite dust, eye protection, where the SDS lives
2	Reads the rig card and does the ratio math — bags per tank, by the numbers
3	Mixes a full tank in the correct sequence, to the ratio on the rig card
4	Adjusts the mix for soil conditions when the trainer calls them out — sand vs. clay
5	Keeps the rig supplied for a full production day — no dry runs, no rig waiting on mud

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-MUD = X (date)

Skill badge · requires C1 Groundhand

POTHOLE & HAND-DIG

B-POTHOLE

+$0.50 (placeholder) · Prerequisite for C7 LOCATOR

Name Trainer

1	Reads 811 marks: what every color means, and when marks are too old to trust
2	States the tolerance zone rule cold — the width, and what is allowed inside it
3	Hand-exposes a marked utility with hand tools only — steel never enters the zone
4	Vacuum-assisted exposure where the hydrovac is on site
5	Documents the depth found and leaves the hole safe — marked, coned, or backfilled

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-POTHOLE = X (date)

Skill badge · requires C1 · certifies to NU-SAF-105

CONE & TRAFFIC SETUP

B-CONES

+$0.25 (placeholder) · Feeds: every road job · counts & tapers live in NU-SAF-105, not here

Name Trainer

1	Reads the road first: speed limit, lane widths, sight distance — states which NU-SAF-105 setup applies
2	Pulls the correct counts and taper lengths from the NU-SAF-105 table — no guessing
3	Sets the zone in the correct order: signs first, then the taper, always with an escape path
4	Adjusts for road speed and lane closure type
5	Tears down in reverse order, working against traffic — vest on, never with his back to traffic

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-CONES = X (date)

Skill badge · requires C1 Groundhand

SPOTTER

B-SPOTTER

+$0.25 (placeholder) · Prerequisite for C2 TRUCK

Name Trainer

1	Standard hand signals from both sides of the machine — including STOP, which everything obeys instantly
2	Positions where the operator can always see him — never behind the machine, never in the swing radius
3	Backs a truck on signals only, driver's window down
4	Backs a truck and trailer into a work zone with zero guesswork
5	Trench watch: spoil placement, who is below, when to call stop

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-SPOTTER = X (date)

Skill badge · requires C1 Groundhand

REEL & PULL SETUP

B-REEL

+$0.25 (placeholder) · Feeds: pullback crews · Operator path

Name Trainer

1	Stages the reel trailer: aligned with the pull, brake set, payoff direction correct
2	Rigs swivels and breakaways correctly every time
3	States what the breakaway protects and why it lets go
4	Manages payoff during a live pull — no overrun, no backlash, no kinks
5	States when to stop the pull — and stops it

Trainer

☐ Tracker: B-REEL = X (date)

Open Decisions This Book Waits On

#1	Final pay numbers — every bump printed above is a placeholder.
#3	Who is the Certifier today — the second signature line on every cert card has no owner until this is named.
#4	Register number — NU-QAL-601-A is proposed.
#5	DOT/CDL determination — feeds the C2 TRUCK prerequisites, and NU-FLT-310 flags Class A territory over 26,001 lb combined.
#7	Badge list — updated 8/1/26: Rod Handler removed (covered inside the HDD Operator book), Pipe Fusion parked until Nova owns a fusion machine. The six shown are the working list.