Last-Minute Sick Calls: A Step-by-Step Playbook for Traffic Control Allocators

A traffic controller sick call at 5 am is handled best with a fixed sequence: log the call, work out what the job actually needs, find a qualified replacement with fatigue headroom, tell the client early with a clear option, then record what changed. Allocators who follow the same steps rarely send a crew short or start late without warning.

This playbook walks through a worked example, then gives you the scripts, decision table and record you can use on your own board. For prevention, see our guide on reducing no-shows and late cancellations. This article is about the hour after the phone rings.

Before the call: build tomorrow's standby list

Most sick calls are fixed or failed the afternoon before. When you close off tomorrow's board, spend ten minutes building a standby list:

• Everyone not rostered tomorrow who holds a current traffic control card for the state.
• Which of them hold team leader level tickets, site inductions for tomorrow's clients and a licence for the vehicles in use.
• Where they live relative to each job.
• Their fatigue headroom: hours already worked this week, last finish time and any night shifts.
• Whether they have said yes to an early call. Ask two or three people directly.

A ranked list turns a panicked hour of phone calls into one or two targeted calls.

The worked example: a 5:05 am sick call

Example scenario: a traffic control company has a crew of a team leader and two traffic controllers booked for a stop/slow job on a two-lane road, starting at 7:00 am. The crew meets at the depot at 6:00 am to collect the ute. At 5:05 am, TC 2 calls the allocator to say they have been vomiting overnight and cannot work.

Here is how the allocator handles it, minute by minute.

1. 5:05 am, take the call. Confirm the person is safe, tell them not to come in, and ask two quick operational questions: "Do you have a company ute, keys or radios with you?" and "Is anyone else on your crew unwell?" Log the time and reason.
2. 5:08 am, check the job. The TGS shows two stop/slow positions plus the team leader. Three positions, three people needed. Starting short is not an option.
3. 5:10 am, check the standby list. Controller 1 is ranked first: TC ticket, nearby, low weekly hours, said yes to an early call.
4. 5:12 am, run the checks. Card current, white card on file, last finish yesterday at 3 pm (14 hours' rest), 22 hours this week. With the 8-hour job, that is 30 hours, well inside the company's example limit of 50. Passes.
5. 5:13 am, call (do not text first). Give the offer clearly: site, start time, meeting point, who the team leader is, and the reply deadline: "Can you let me know in the next five minutes?"
6. 5:16 am, accepted. Controller 1 cannot make the depot by 6:00 am, so the allocator arranges to meet the crew on site at 6:45 am, and the team leader brings the extra PPE.
7. 5:20 am, tell the crew. Message the team leader and TC 1 with the change and the new name.
8. 5:25 am, tell the client. In this case there is no delay, but the allocator still sends a short note: "Crew change for today: [replacement] replaces [original]. No change to start time." Some clients require advance notice of crew changes for inductions.
9. 5:30 am, record it. Update the allocation board, add a note to the job and log the sick leave for payroll.

What could go wrong: if Controller 1 had not answered, the allocator would have called Controller 3 next, not texted the whole list. Group texts at 5 am tend to produce two acceptances and an awkward cancellation, or none at all.

The sick call decision table

Use this when the replacement is not straightforward.

Call scripts that save time

Short, specific calls work better than long explanations at 5 am.

To the standby controller: "Morning, it's [allocator] from the office. We've had a sick call. Are you able to work today, stop/slow job at [suburb], 7 am start, meet on site at 6:45, finishing around 3? I need a yes or no in five minutes."

To the team leader: "[TC 2] is sick. [Replacement] is meeting you on site at 6:45 am. Please bring a spare vest and radio. Brief them at the pre-start like a new face on the crew."

To the client: "Morning, [site contact]. Quick heads up: one of today's controllers is unwell. A replacement is confirmed and we expect no change to your 7 am start. I'll call you if that changes."

If there will be a delay, say how long and what the options are: "We can have the full crew set up by 7:40 am, or we can come tomorrow. Which works better for your pour?"

Fatigue and tickets: the checks you cannot skip

Under pressure, two checks get skipped. Do not skip them.

Fatigue. The person most willing to answer the phone at 5 am is often the one who worked a long shift yesterday. Check their last actual finish time, hours this week and any night work. Companies set their own fatigue limits from a risk assessment; for example, 12 hours per day, 50 hours per week and 10 hours' rest between shifts. In NSW, SafeWork NSW's Code of Practice on managing the risk of fatigue at work commenced on 20 February 2026. Our guide to fatigue management for traffic controllers covers how to set limits, and the free fatigue checker lets you test a shift pattern.

Tickets. Check the replacement holds the right card for the position and state, a white card for construction sites and any client induction. In NSW, an employer must not direct a worker to do traffic control work without the right card. Check current requirements with SafeWork NSW or your state regulator.

Looking after the worker who called in sick

Sick calls are a people issue first. A few practical points:

• Thank them for calling early. A 5 am call is far better than a no-show at 6:30 am, and the response you give shapes whether they call next time.
• Collect any company ute, keys, radios or equipment later in the day, not by asking a sick person to drive to the depot.
• Process leave correctly. Entitlements depend on employment type (permanent or casual), the applicable award or agreement and company policy. Employers can generally ask for reasonable evidence, but check current rules with the Fair Work Ombudsman. Our article on paying traffic controllers correctly covers awards in more detail.
• If a pattern appears, deal with it later and privately, with records, not at 5 am on the phone.

If someone reports a workplace injury or illness linked to work, follow your incident reporting process as well.

What to record after every sick call

A short record protects the company, the client relationship and the worker. Capture:

Over a few months, these records show patterns: which jobs struggle for cover, which days are worst and whether your standby list is deep enough.

Common mistakes in sick call handling

• Mass texts instead of ranked calls. You lose control of who accepts.
• Promoting someone on the spot. A traffic controller cannot cover a team leader position without the right ticket.
• Skipping the fatigue check. The keenest volunteer may be the most tired.
• Not telling the client because "it should be fine". When it is not fine, the client finds out at the gate.
• No record. Without one, the invoice, the payroll and any incident investigation have gaps.

Next steps

Build a ranked standby list each afternoon and keep this playbook next to the phone. If you want ticket and fatigue checks to run as you reassign a shift, TrafWise sends shift offers straight to the crew app and records every change on the allocation board, so the 5 am replacement is a few taps instead of a dozen calls.