Attendance, shift and leave process for Employee transport providers: fixed routes, standby cover and night duty
Every client route needs a named driver at the gate before the first pick-up. The attendance process decides who drives, who stands by and how absence is covered without ringing the same person each night.
Not sure what you need? Tell us about your business in six short steps and we will come to the first meeting prepared.
Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in employee transport providers
In an employee transport business, a missed duty is seen at once by a whole shift waiting at a pick-up point. Most providers keep rosters in a notebook or a phone chat, and leave is agreed by word. Nobody can say who is on standby, who has driven six nights in a row or which route has no cover next Tuesday.
A good process is simple. Each client route has a regular driver and a named standby. Duty hours, rest days and night turns are written down and rotate fairly. Leave is requested early, and the roster is rebuilt weekly. The control room then answers a sick call by looking at a list, not by guessing.
How to set it up
1. List routes by client and shift
Write each client, shift time, pick-up points and vehicle on one sheet. This is the base for every roster that follows.
2. Name a regular and a standby for each route
Match drivers to routes they know. Keep a short standby list per client and state how a standby is informed.
3. Set duty hour and rest rules
Decide the longest duty, the break between a night drop and the next pick-up and weekly rest. Write them in plain words and share with drivers.
4. Open a leave window each week
Drivers request leave by a fixed day, the control room rebuilds the roster, and clashes are settled before the week starts. Link it to compensation rules for night and standby pay.
5. Review attendance every month
Look at late starts, no shows, standby calls and night turns per driver. Talk to those with the heaviest load before they resign.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Pick next week and see whether every route has a named regular and a standby.
- Count night turns per driver last month and check for any who carried far more than others.
- Ask the control room how it finds cover at 3 am, and who it calls first.
- Check whether drivers know the leave request day and use it.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach attendance, shift and leave process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
There is no fixed number. Look at how often routes lost a driver last month and add cover to match, then keep it fair through rotation. Review it every quarter as client shifts change.
Where possible, yes. Drivers on permanent nights tire and leave. Rotate nights or pay them clearly and give a move to days after a set period.
Speak to them first and find out why. It may be a long commute to the depot or a roster fault. Record the talks and follow your [disciplinary process](/grievance-disciplinary-process) if it continues.