Guides
A day in a tire shop, written as procedures
A tire shop daily SOP checklist by time of day: opening, per-vehicle, per-job verification, handback, closing, and the staging that saves tomorrow.
What to take away
- Write the SOP by time of day, not by topic. People work through a day, not through a policy binder.
- The per-vehicle block is the one that prevents disputesdocument wheel condition before anything moves.
- Verification is a separate step with its own initials. Work that verifies itself does not get verified.
- End-of-day staging for tomorrow is the highest-return fifteen minutes in the shop.
- Keep every block short enough to be done. A checklist nobody finishes is worse than none, because it looks like control.
Opening
- Lift pre-use checkarms, locks, air supply, visible damage. Initial and date.
- Compressor and air lines checked, drains done as the manufacturer specifies.
- Machine guards in place; no out-of-service tag being worked around.
- Torque tooling present, accounted for, and within its calibration interval.
- Walkways clear, no standing water, no cords across a path.
- Protective equipment stocked at the point of use.
- Waste tire area within its permitted quantity and stacked as required.
- Today's staged sets checked against today's bookings.
- Any job carried over from yesterday assigned and communicated.
Per vehicle, at check-in
- Vehicle, size fitted and tire specification recorded from the vehicle, not from the customer's recollection.
- Wheel condition photographed on all four corners before the vehicle moves.
- Existing damage shown to the customer and noted on the paperwork.
- Locking fastener key located and recorded, or the customer told before the job starts.
- Work authorized in writing, with the variable items and the stop rule stated.
- Keys secured, and the vehicle's location noted.
That first photograph is the single highest-value habit in the shop. Wheel damage is the most common claim in this trade and most of the disputes turn on whether it was there beforehand.
Per job, in the bay
- Correct tire confirmed against the work order before the wheel comes off.
- Anything unexpected triggers the same sequence every timestop, show, quote, get approval, proceed.
- Casing condition assessed against the written refusal policy, which is drawn from the tire manufacturer's instructions and published industry repair guidance. Where the policy says no, the answer is no.
- Sensor handled per procedure and its function confirmed before the vehicle is lowered.
- Fasteners torqued to the vehicle manufacturer's specification with calibrated tooling.
- Old casings moved to the waste area, not left in the bay.
- Bay cleared and tools returned to their fixed homes.
Verification, as a separate step
- Torque confirmed and initialed by name, as its own action rather than as part of the fitting.
- Balance result within tolerance, rechecked where the reading looked unusual.
- Pressure set to the vehicle manufacturer's specification, including any spare that was touched.
- Sensor status confirmed and any warning cleared or explained.
- Wheel condition photographed again after the work.
- Findings recorded, including anything shown to the customer that they declined.
Verification signed by the person who did the work is weaker than verification signed as its own step, but it is far better than nothing. What matters is that it is an action with a name attached rather than an assumption.
Handback
- Explain what was done, what was found, and what was declined.
- Return anything removed, including the locking key and any parts the customer asked for.
- State any follow-upretorque advice per the vehicle manufacturer's guidance, or a check the shop recommends.
- Confirm the invoice matches the authorization, including any disclosed fee.
- Book the next visit where one is due, particularly for storage and seasonal customers.
Closing, and staging tomorrow
- Tomorrow's tires pulled, labeled by vehicle and staged.
- Tomorrow's bookings reviewed against confirmed stock; anything unconfirmed chased tonight.
- Any tire not on the rack for a booked job flagged and the customer contacted, not left for the morning.
- Miss log updated with any size you had to turn away today.
- Comeback minutes logged against the service that caused them.
- Machines shut down per the manufacturers' instructions; anything suspect tagged out.
- Waste area secured, and the next pickup date confirmed if the pile is near its limit.
- Bay swept and floor dry.
The staging block is the one to protect when the day has run long. It converts tomorrow's most common delay into a task done when nobody is waiting.
Weekly, appended to a Friday close
- Waste tire count against the limit, with pickup records filed.
- Incident, near miss and damage claim write-ups completed while still fresh.
- Machine maintenance due this week performed and recorded to the manufacturers' schedules.
- Comeback minutes reviewed by service, since a rise usually points at a machine or a step, not a person.
- Miss log reviewed for any size appearing repeatedly.
Why these items and not others
The safety blocks come from the hazards this trade actually has, which OSHA documents for automotive repair and refinishing work: lifting equipment, chemicals and solvents, dusts, noise, cutting tools and slippery walking surfaces. Building the checklist from that list rather than from a generic template is what keeps it short and relevant.
The fitment, refusal and recall items exist because they carry real liability. Sizing, load and speed markings, aging, registration and recall handling all sit with the vehicle and tire manufacturers and with the federal tire safety guidance. Check the current version when you review the SOP rather than assuming last year's practice is still right.
The record items exist because the job record and the miss log are what let you improve anything. They are ordinary business records, and the IRS guidance on what records to keep covers holding them in a form that survives.
Keeping it usable
Print it, post it where the work happens, and review it every quarter against what people actually do. If a block is consistently skipped, either it is unnecessary or it is too long. Both are worth fixing, and neither is fixed by asking people to try harder.
The full flow, inquiry through follow-up, is in the operations and workflow guide. Slot design, buffers, and how the day is built are in the piece on scheduling without delays.
Machine maintenance intervals and installation obligations come from the equipment and setup guide. Whether your seasonal blocks need to be heavier depends on local demand patterns in the market and expansion guide.
Common questions
Who signs these off?
Whoever performs the block, by name. The opening block belongs to whoever opens, the per-job blocks to the technician, verification to whoever verifies. An unsigned checklist is a document, not a control.
Is this too much paperwork for a small shop?
Each block takes a few minutes. The per-vehicle photographs take under a minute and prevent the most expensive routine dispute in the trade. If a block genuinely does not fit, shorten it rather than dropping the practice.
Should verification be done by a second person?
It is better when it is, and it is not always possible in a small shop. A separate, named, initialed step by the same technician still catches far more than an assumption that the work verified itself.
How often should the SOP be updated?
Quarterly, plus immediately after any incident, any new service, or any change of equipment. Update it from what people actually do rather than from what the previous version said.
What if a technician disagrees with a step?
Listen, because they are the one doing it. Steps get skipped for reasons, and the reason is usually that the step is impractical rather than that the person is careless.
