Frontline Series - “Someone Just Drove Off with my Tracked Skid Steer”

Someone Just Drove Off with the Tracked Skid Steer I Was Supposed to Take

From the Frontline Series — written by a crew member who’s just trying to do it right

I showed up early today.

I was ready.

Coffee in hand, boots laced, gloves packed. I had my lunch, my cooler, my sunglasses. Even tossed in an extra layer in case the wind kicked up.

We were heading to Merrimack. Retaining wall install.

We scoped it out earlier in the week and agreed: tracked skid steer was the move.

Sloped backyard, tight access, wet ground, wheels were gonna spin out, tracked was the way.

So that’s what I planned for.

Until it wasn’t.

6:42 AM: I See It Pulling Away

I walk across the yard and see it:

Tail lights heading out. Machine rattling on a trailer.

At first, I think: “No way that’s ours.”

But deep down, I know. It is.

Tracked skid steer. Same trailer. Headed out with a crew from another division.

I stand there for a second, blinking.

Is this happening?

We had this scheduled. I talked to my lead.

He said we were taking it.

“Yo… who’s got the tracked today?”

No one has an answer.

Lead’s in the shop grabbing paperwork.

Someone shrugs.

Another guy says he thought it was just “first come, first serve.”

One of the maintenance guys mumbles something about a manager swap from last night.

Everyone’s got part of the story.

Nobody has the full one.

And just like that, we’re behind.

7:10 AM: Still in the Yard

The calls start flying.

Texts, questions, half-baked backup plans.

“Can we switch sites?”

I feel the frustration boiling.

I planned. I showed up.

And now I’m watching the job slip out from under us because someone else grabbed what we needed.

No heads-up.

No clear assignments.

Just a free-for-all.

This Happens More Than You’d Think

It’s not just the machine.

This happens with:

• Trucks

• Trailers

• Mowers

• Attachments

• Tools

• Crews

One morning, we spent 25 minutes looking for a pole saw.

Another day, someone accidentally left the dump truck gate unlocked — and mulch rained down the highway for three exits.

Not because people are lazy.

Not because they don’t care.

Because no one knew who had what.

Here’s What I’m Asking For

I’m not asking for luxury.

I’m asking for:

• Visibility

• Clarity

• Accountability

• A real plan, that real people can actually follow

Tell me what crew I’m on.

Tell me what truck we’re taking.

Tell me what’s broken, what’s out, and what’s available.

Because the moment you make everything my job — nothing gets done right.

What CrewHero Changed

Now?

Before I even leave my house, I open CrewHero on my phone.

30 seconds, that’s all it takes.

• I see I’m assigned to the Merrimack wall.

• I see my crew lead.

• I see the equipment we’re bringing and what’s not available.

• If something’s broken, it’s marked.

• If something’s reassigned, I know before I walk into the yard.

So today, if someone else was scheduled to take the tracked skid steer?

I would’ve seen that.

We would’ve pivoted.

We’d be moving blocks by now, instead of figuring out how to explain the delay to the client.

Final Thought

That machine pulling away this morning?

It wasn’t personal.

That guy didn’t steal it.

He just didn’t know we needed it, and no one told him otherwise.

The system failed. Not the people.

When everything’s chaos, the wrong people take the blame.

Crew leads get blamed for being unprepared.

Managers get blamed for being unclear.

Guys like me get blamed for showing up late, when the truth is, we were just trying to clean up a mess that didn’t need to happen.

CrewHero fixes that.

With one glance, the guesswork is gone.

The friction is gone.

And the good people you’ve already hired?

They stop wasting time solving mysteries and start actually moving the work forward.

— One of the guys who just wanted to move blocks — not play detective at 7 AM