Extra board employees cover vacations, sick days, dog catches and traffic surges, so they get called in turn for whatever comes up, from yard jobs to road trains. New hires often spend years on the extra board before their seniority holds a regular job or pool turn. The pay can be good but the schedule is unpredictable, so everyone watches the board to see where they stand.
I'm fifth on the extra board, so I'll probably get the dog catch or the day goat, one or the other.
Also heard as
- the board
- extra list
- spare board
Related terms
Pool
A group of road crews who rotate between two terminals in first-in, first-out order.
Call
The notice telling a crew member when and where to report for duty.
Dog catch
To relieve a crew that has run out of legal hours; the relief crew are the dog catchers.
Bump
To use seniority to take a job held by someone junior, who is then displaced.