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Missed service because the unit was locked. Who pays the trip charge?

Marcus B.asked 1 viewDelivery, Placement & ServicingMissed serviceDelivery and servicingService visitStandard unitAda unit

I'm the GC on a 12-week residential gut rehab in Chicago with a crew of 15. We have one standard portable toilet and one ADA-compliant portable toilet on the sidewalk, both locked with a padlock after hours. The rental company's driver showed up for the weekly service visit yesterday, but my superintendent had locked the units and left early. The driver couldn't get in, logged it as a missed service, and the company billed me a trip charge. The units are on level concrete, the vacuum truck has clear access from the street, and we've never missed service before. Who pays for a missed service when the unit is locked and the site contact isn't there? Does the rental company share any responsibility for not calling ahead?

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Deb K.Akron, OH

The customer pays the trip charge for a missed service when the units are locked and the driver cannot access them. The rental contract almost always states the customer is responsible for providing clear access to the units during the scheduled service visit.

Your responsibility is to ensure the driver can service the standard portable toilet and the ADA-compliant portable toilet every time. A locked padlock with no one on site to open it counts as blocked access. The driver's job is to show up and pump the units; waiting for a site contact or trying to reach someone eats into a tight schedule. A missed service is logged, and the vacuum truck trip is billed.

The rental company does not share responsibility for not calling ahead. Drivers have routes with dozens of stops and do not typically call before each one. It is the site superintendent's job to coordinate access, perhaps by leaving a key in a lockbox or ensuring someone is present. For a 15-person crew, your setup with two units meets the OSHA 1926.51 requirement for 16 to 35 workers. Just make sure they are unlocked on service day.

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