What a Good Traffic Control Booking Request Looks Like (Filled-In Example)

A good traffic control booking request tells the provider exactly where the work is, when it starts and should finish, what work and plant are involved, which plan and permit apply, what restrictions exist and who will meet the crew. Below is a filled-in example for a concrete pour, field by field, with the reasons each field matters.

When a booking goes wrong on the day, the cause is usually something the provider was never told: a concrete pump instead of a chute, a bus stop inside the closure, a site contact whose phone is off. A complete request is the cheapest risk control you have.

Why the booking request matters so much

The booking request is the document the allocator uses to decide:

• How many controllers and which qualifications are needed.
• Which vehicle and equipment go to site.
• Whether the plan the client has supplied actually fits the work.
• What time the crew has to leave the depot.
• How long the shift will run, which affects fatigue limits and overtime.

If any of that is wrong, the crew either arrives under-resourced, or the team leader has to stop and ring the office at 6:30 am. Both cost you time and money.

The filled-in example

Example scenario: a builder is pouring the ground-floor slab for a townhouse development on a two-lane suburban road. A concrete pump will stand in the parking lane outside the site and trucks will queue behind it. The builder has a traffic guidance scheme (TGS) prepared for pump works and a council permit for the parking lane. Every detail below is invented for illustration.

Notice what makes this request good: the exact work position, the plant, the sequence of arrivals, the realistic finish time, the restrictions and the attachments. Anyone in the provider's office could pick it up and roster the job without ringing back.

What the allocator does with the request

Here is how a good allocator typically processes that request:

1. Reads the TGS against the work. Does the plan show a boom pump with outriggers in the parking lane, or was it drawn for a small line pump? Does it account for trucks queuing behind the pump? If not, the allocator flags it before confirming. The TGS must be prepared by a suitably qualified person.
2. Checks the permit. Does the date, time and location on the permit match the request? Does it cover the parking lane?
3. Sets the crew. The TGS sets the number of controllers. The allocator picks people with the right card for the state and, where one is needed, a team leader with the right qualification.
4. Checks fatigue and clashes. Is anyone on the crew finishing a night shift a few hours before? Is anyone double-booked?
5. Allocates the vehicle and equipment. Signs for both approaches, cones, barriers or fencing for the footpath detour, and spares.
6. Sets the depot departure time based on travel time and the 6:30 am arrival.
7. Sends written confirmation repeating the key details back to the builder.

The confirmation you should expect back

A good confirmation repeats your details so you can spot errors. Check:

• ☐ Address and work position are correct.
• ☐ Date, crew arrival time and work window match.
• ☐ Crew size and vehicle match the plan.
• ☐ Plan and permit references are the ones you sent.
• ☐ On-site contact name and mobile are right.
• ☐ Rates, minimums and overtime terms are stated.
• ☐ Cancellation and weather terms are stated.

If anything is wrong, correct it in writing the same day. A booking that is fixed on Tuesday afternoon is far cheaper than one fixed at 6:30 am on Thursday. For what a quote should contain, use our traffic control quote checklist.

The gaps that cause problems on the day

These are the missing details that most often turn a smooth pour into a problem.

"Outside the site" is not an address

Large sites have more than one frontage. If the crew sets up on the wrong side, the whole closure moves. Give the exact gate and side of the road.

Plant left off the request

A pump, crane or tipper changes the work area and sometimes the plan. Our guide to concrete pour traffic control covers how pump position and truck queues affect the set-up.

No realistic finish time

"7:00 am to 3:00 pm" tells the provider the permitted window, not when you will be finished. If you expect to finish at 12:30 pm, say so; if a pour might run late, say that too.

The plan does not match the stage

A TGS prepared for demolition may not suit the slab pour. Check the plan is for the work you are doing on that day. If you need to understand a plan before sending it, read how to read a traffic guidance scheme.

Restrictions nobody mentioned

Bus stops, school zones, clearways, bin collection and events all affect timing and set-up. In NSW, if the work needs a road occupancy licence from Transport for NSW, the crew needs to see it.

The site contact is unreachable

The team leader needs someone to confirm the work area and approve variations. Give a mobile number for someone who will actually be on site at 6:30 am.

When the request changes after confirmation

Changes happen. When they do:

1. Tell the provider in writing as soon as you know, not on the morning.
2. Say what changed: time, plant, location, crew needs.
3. Ask whether the plan or permit is still valid for the changed work.
4. Ask for an updated confirmation.
5. Check cancellation terms if the date moves.

If the change affects the traffic arrangement, the plan may need to be revised by a suitably qualified person before work proceeds. Our article on changing a TGS on site explains who can approve changes and how they are recorded.

A phone booking script for urgent jobs

Sometimes there is no time for an email, such as when a burst main or a failed crane booking means you need a crew tomorrow. Use this order on the phone so nothing is missed, and ask the allocator to read the details back to you:

1. "This is the site manager from the builder, my mobile is …"
2. "The work is at … on the … side of the road, between … and …"
3. "We need the crew on site by … for work from … to about …"
4. "The work is … using … plant." Name every vehicle and machine.
5. "The road is … with … nearby." Mention bus stops, schools, clearways and intersections.
6. "We have, or do not have, a traffic plan and permit." Say which, and email them straight after the call.
7. "The person meeting the crew is … on …"
8. "Please send written confirmation with the rates and terms."

Then follow up by email with the same details and the attachments. A verbal booking with no written confirmation is how two parties end up remembering different start times, different crew sizes and different prices. Urgent jobs also leave less room for permits, so ask the provider whether the work can legally proceed on the timeframe you need.

A blank template to copy

Copy these headings into an email or form for every booking:

1. Booking contact and company.
2. Site address and exact work position.
3. Nearest cross streets.
4. Date and fallback date.
5. Permitted work window and expected finish.
6. Crew arrival time.
7. Type of work.
8. Plant and vehicles.
9. Road details and pedestrian route.
10. Known restrictions.
11. Plan reference (attach).
12. Permit reference (attach).
13. Crew requested.
14. On-site contact and mobile.
15. Docket sign-off person.
16. Purchase order.
17. Special notes and arrival sequence.

For general WHS duties on road work, check with SafeWork NSW or your state regulator. Nothing here is legal advice.

Next steps

Save the template above and fill it in for your next booking before you ring a provider. If you run a traffic control company and want clients to send complete requests every time, TrafWise gives clients a booking link with the fields your allocators need.