Scenario: one driver finishes and another takes the same truck, and the edge condition is passed on by a shouted sentence or not at all. Direct answer: use a small card with three boxes: what I found, what I did, and what the next driver must watch. It takes two minutes and prevents the next shift from starting blind. The card is a template, not a standard.
Template: the card
| Box | Prompt | Example entry (invented) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Condition | Edge height or wear state, bolts, shoes, hydraulics, any damage | Edge about half worn, left end wearing faster, bolts tight at 04:10 |
| 2. Done | Hours worked, route, anything changed or repaired | Six hours on route 4, no change made, one curb strike near the school |
| 3. Watch | What the next driver should check or avoid | Check left end after two hours; manhole cover raised on Elm Street |
Also add the truck number, the date, the time and the first name or initials of the driver on the top line.
Using the card
The card is a handover, so it has to be written by the person leaving.
- Print and laminate cards with a wipe-off area, or use a one-page pad kept on the visor.
- Fill it in before leaving the truck, not afterwards from memory.
- Read it aloud at the handover if both drivers are present, and initial it.
- Photograph the edge if anything looks unusual and attach it to the card or the log.
- Collect cards at the end of the shift and keep them with the storm log.
What makes it work
A handover card works when it is short and when the next shift expects it.
- Three boxes only; a long form gets skipped.
- Plain words and numbers, not codes that only one person understands.
- A supervisor who reads the cards and acts on “Watch” notes.
Limits
The card records what a driver saw, not a measurement. For a wear limit, use your gauge or calipers and write the reading in Box 1.
Trying it for two weeks
Start with one depot or one route group for two weeks. Ask drivers what to add or remove, and then fix the card. A card that drivers helped design is far more likely to be filled in during a storm.
Boundary: The example entries are invented; the card records observations and is not a wear-limit measurement.
Further reading on this site.
Friction Measurement and Surface Condition Reporting on Runways ↗Operator Reporting on Blade Condition: Turning Feedback into Maintenance Data ↗Carbide snow plow blades ↗FHWA Road Weather Resources Equipment Managers Can Reuse ↗Winter After-Action Reviews: A Depot Format That Includes Edge Findings ↗Aligning Call-Outs With NWS Warning Criteria: A Depot Reference ↗
