Packing for the Job: Building a Sign and Equipment List From a TGS

A good TGS equipment list comes straight from the approved traffic guidance scheme: go through each approach, count every sign and device it shows, then add stands, ballast, covers, lighting, pedestrian devices, communications and spares. Load the vehicle in reverse set-up order and tick the list off at the depot and again on site.

This article shows the method and walks through an example list for a typical job. The TGS itself must be prepared by a suitably qualified person, and nothing here replaces it or your state's requirements. This is general information, not legal or engineering advice. If reading the drawing is still new to you, start with how to read a traffic guidance scheme.

Why packing from the TGS matters

Most "wrong kit" problems are not about forgetting cones. They are about packing for the job in your head rather than the job on the drawing:

• The TGS is a revised version, and the extra sign added after the council's comments is not on the ute.
• The road is faster than the crew assumed, and the TGS calls for larger signs than the ones packed.
• The job is a night shift, and nobody packed lights for the signs or the controller stations.
• There is a footpath closure on the TGS that the crew did not see because they only looked at the traffic lanes.
• The permanent speed sign inside the works needs a cover, and there are no covers on the ute.

Each of these is found either at the depot, when it costs ten minutes, or on site, when it costs a delay, a site that does not match the plan, or a crew member driving back to the yard.

The method: approach by approach

Work through the TGS in a fixed order so nothing is missed. In this example method, the person packing:

1. Checks the title block: project, location, TGS number, revision, date and approval. Confirm the revision matches the one in the job pack.
2. Notes the speed, the shift type (day or night) and the duration, because these drive sign size, lighting and ballast.
3. Takes the first approach and lists every sign from the furthest upstream to the end of the works, writing the sign code or description and the quantity.
4. Repeats for each approach, including side streets and driveways shown on the drawing.
5. Lists delineation: cones, bollards, barrier boards, and the number of each from the drawing's notes or the arithmetic below.
6. Lists other devices: stop/slow bats, portable traffic signals, arrow boards, VMS, TMA, barriers.
7. Lists pedestrian and cyclist devices: pedestrian barriers, ramps, detour signs.
8. Lists covers for any permanent signs the TGS says to cover.
9. Adds support items: stands, ballast, lights, radios, spare batteries.
10. Adds spares to the company's standard.
11. Adds documents: the TGS, the approval, the SWMS and any permit conditions.

Worked example: a stop/slow lane closure

Example scenario: the TGS is for a single-lane closure with stop/slow on a two-lane, two-way road, day shift. Below is how the list comes together. The quantities are what this example TGS shows, not standard requirements; your TGS will be different.

How the cone count works in this example: the example TGS shows the taper delineated with 8 cones and the work area with a further 15 at the spacing noted on the drawing, so 8 + 15 = 23. The company adds 5 spares for damaged or knocked devices. Spacings and taper lengths come from the TGS, which is based on AS 1742.3, the AGTTM and the state supplement for that speed and road. Our free cone calculator helps with the arithmetic once you know what the TGS specifies, and our guide to cone spacing and sizes explains the background.

What goes wrong in this example, and the fix: the allocator packed the ute from the original drawing. At the pre-start, the supervisor compares the revision on the job pack with the copy on the ute and finds the approved revision added a "lane closed" sign on approach B after a council comment. The supervisor gets one from the depot before set-up starts, and the job record notes the revision check. This is exactly why step 1 is the title block.

Second example: the same road at night with a footpath closure

Here is how the list changes on a typical job when the same stop/slow closure is booked as a night shift and the TGS adds a footpath closure on one side. The method is identical; the list is not.

• Lighting. The night procedure and TGS call for lighting at the controller stations and the work area, and illumination for the stop/slow arrangement. Lights, stands, fuel or charged batteries and spares go on the list.
• Retroreflective condition. Every sign and cone is checked for reflectivity, because at night it is the only thing drivers see. Faded signs that pass in daylight are swapped.
• Pedestrian devices. The footpath closure needs pedestrian barriers, signs at each end and at the nearest crossing point, and a ramp if the detour uses the road. These are counted from the drawing like any other device.
• Controller visibility. Night-rated PPE is checked at the pre-start, not assumed.
• Extra radio batteries. Cold nights and long shifts flatten them.

In this example the allocator uses the day-shift list as a starting point, then the supervisor checks it against the night TGS line by line. The second check finds that the pedestrian detour signs were not packed, because the day list had no footpath closure. Ten minutes at the depot fixes it.

Support items people forget

Sign stability matters on exposed sites and in wind. Ballast should be the type and quantity the stand manufacturer and the company procedure specify, and never rocks or loose items that could become projectiles. For signs themselves, our guide to common road work signs explains what each one is for.

Loading the ute in set-up order

Set-up starts with the furthest upstream advance sign and works towards the work area. So the ute should be loaded so the first signs you need are the easiest to reach, and the work-area devices come off last. A simple rule many crews use: "last needed, first loaded."

• Rear or most accessible position: advance signs for the first approach, with stands and ballast together.
• Next: signs for the second approach.
• Then: cones and delineation for the taper and work area.
• Separate, secure location: bats, radios, lights, documents.
• Restrained: everything. Loose signs and cones in a ute tray are a load restraint problem and a hazard on the road. Our guide to traffic control ute setup covers racking and restraint.

Pack-down is the reverse, and the list is useful again: tick each item as it comes back on board, so nothing is left on site.

Checking condition before it leaves the yard

Count is half the job. The other half is condition:

• Signs: faces clean, legible and retroreflective, with no fading, peeling or bent frames. A dull sign at night is not doing its job, however clean it looks in daylight.
• Stands: legs and locks working, the right stand for the sign size.
• Cones and bollards: reflective sleeves intact, bases not split.
• Lights and batteries: charged and tested.
• Bats: both faces clean, handle sound.
• TMA, arrow boards and VMS: inspection status current and the unit tested.

Damaged items are tagged out and not loaded. Recording defects in the equipment inspection log closes the loop; see equipment inspection logs.

The printable list: depot and site check

For the standards behind sign types and sizes, see Standards Australia for AS 1742.3 and Austroads for the AGTTM. NSW projects generally use Transport for NSW's TS 05492, which replaced the TCAWS manual on 25 June 2026; check the current version with Transport for NSW.

Next steps

Turn the method above into your company's standard packing sheet and use it on every job. If you run a traffic control company, TrafWise's equipment register tracks inspections, registration and insurance with renewal reminders, and printable QR labels let crew and office scan an item to see its record.