A driver calls in sick at 6am: a checklist for small tour operators

By the DayRunner team · 19 October 2026

When a driver calls in sick at 6am, list the runs they held and the guests affected, then find cover in this order: a free driver with the right licence and hours, an on-call casual, then someone who can start early or finish late. Only then change vehicles or times, and message just the guests whose pickup changes. A few lists set up the night before make it a lot quicker.

Every operator has had this morning. Print this and stick it by the phone.

First, see what's affected

1. Get the facts. Are they off today only, or longer? Can they do anything, like the afternoon run or admin from home?
2. List their runs: every departure they were on today, with start time, vehicle and number of guests.
3. Find the first deadline. The first pickup on their earliest run is your clock.

Find cover

Work down this list and stop when the run is covered.

1. A free driver on today. Someone rostered but not on a run at that time. Check they hold the licence class for that vehicle, and a P endorsement.
2. Check their hours. Under the NZ work time rules a driver can work no more than 13 hours in a work day, and needs at least 10 hours' continuous rest before the next one. Guiding, cleaning and admin count as work time too. If they finished late last night, they might not be legal for a 6:45 start.
3. Your on-call casual, if you have one.
4. Shift someone. Can a driver on a later run start earlier, or one on an earlier run finish later? Ring them first. Don't just put them on the board.
5. Swap vehicles. If your only free driver has a class 1 licence, can the run go in a smaller van, or in two vans?

If none of that works, look at combining two runs, pushing a departure later or, as a last resort, cancelling and refunding. Tell the guests before they're standing outside their hotel.

Fix the knock-ons

• Pickup times. If the run, vehicle or start time changed, the pickup times probably did too.
• Guest messages. Message only the guests whose pickup changed. Keep it short: new time, the vehicle to look for, and a number to call.
• Suppliers. If arrival times move, let the lunch stop or the cruise know.
• The driver brief. The cover driver needs the run sheet, guest notes (child seats, dietary needs, mobility) and supplier contacts.
• Tomorrow. If the driver is out tomorrow too, plan that now while you're in it.

Set up the night before

The 6am scramble is mostly a missing-information problem. It's quicker if you already have:

• A driver list with licence class, P endorsement, phone number and the days each person works
• Who's on call, and their number
• Each driver's finish time today, so you can check tomorrow's rest gap
• A vehicle list with seats and the licence class each needs
• A run sheet per departure with guest phone numbers
• Two message templates: "your pickup time has changed" and "your trip is cancelled"

How DayRunner handles it

In DayRunner you tap Report a problem, then Driver off sick, and pick the driver. Within a couple of seconds it shows every run they held, the guests affected, who could cover and why it's hard (someone only has a class 1, or isn't free until 11:00), and the two best fixes. It checks licence class, P endorsement, seats, hours and work time with the same planner that builds your day. Nothing changes until you apply a fix, and guest messages that change come back as drafts for you to approve. The Driver off sick page shows it on demo data.

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