When a journey plan is required
Not every trip needs a plan. Set a threshold and apply it consistently. A plan is required when any of the following apply.
- Driving alone for more than [hours] or [km]
- Any part of the route outside mobile coverage
- Travel outside daylight, or outside staffed office hours
- Remote or unsealed roads, or seasonal hazards (floodways, fire danger, ice)
- Carrying cash, medication or attractive equipment
- Visiting a flagged client or an unfamiliar site at the destination
- Towing, or loads requiring restraint checks en route
- Severe weather forecast on the route
Journey details
Driver and contact number
Vehicle, registration and fuel range
Route and planned stops Name the roads; 'heading out west' is not a route
Departure time and expected arrival
Check-in schedule e.g. on arrival, then every 2 hours on remote sections
Journey contact The person or monitoring service holding this plan and watching the clock
Known coverage dead zones on route
Pre-departure checks
- Vehicle inspected: tyres including the spare, fluids, lights, and any known faults cleared
- Fuel or charge sufficient for the route plus a margin, with refuel points identified
- Route and weather checked on the day, not the day before
- Rest breaks planned at least every 2 hours of driving
- Journey contact has the plan and has confirmed they are actually available
- Phone charged, with an in-vehicle charger and offline maps for dead zones
- Water, first aid kit and seasonal gear on board
- Fit to drive: adequate sleep, no impairing medication, the fatigue rule applied after call-outs
During the journey
- Check in at the scheduled times, and before entering a known dead zone with an expected time out the other side
- Report route deviations to the journey contact when they happen, not on return
- Take the planned rest breaks; log an extra stop if fatigue arrives early
- Do not push through deteriorating weather or road closures; divert or hold, and update the plan
- In a breakdown, stay with the vehicle; it is easier to find than a person
- No phone handling while driving; calls wait for stops or hands-free
- Secure the vehicle and valuables at every stop, including brief ones
- Cancel the plan on arrival; an unclosed journey triggers the escalation below
Missed check-in escalation
The plan is only as good as the response to silence. Times run from the missed check-in, not from when someone notices.
| Time overdue | Action | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | Call the driver, then text. Check for a late check-in on any platform in use. | Journey contact |
| 30 minutes | Call the destination and the last known stop. Review the last known location from vehicle tracking or a monitored duress alarm or safety app if carried. | Journey contact |
| 60 minutes | Escalate to [manager]. Begin calling hospitals and the police non-emergency line along the route if indicators warrant. | Manager |
| 90 minutes | Report the worker missing: 111 if there is any sign of distress, the non-emergency line otherwise. Provide the journey plan. | Manager |
Remote and out-of-coverage additions
- Satellite communicator or personal locator beacon carried where the route leaves coverage for more than [minutes]
- Water at [litres] per person per day for the worst-case wait, plus food
- Recovery basics matched to the route: traction boards, tow points, shovel, spare wheel actually checked
- Departure and arrival advised to a person at the destination as well as the journey contact
- A hard-copy route note left in the vehicle so a searcher knows the intended track
- Fire, flood and road condition services checked for the region on the day
- First aid capability matched to the response time out there, not the standard office kit
- Two-vehicle travel considered for the highest-risk routes and seasons
Sign-off
Plan approved by [role] on [date]. Completed journey plans are records: keep them for [period]. Review this template annually, after any missed check-in that reached the 30-minute step, and after any road incident.