Onboarding a field tech is different from onboarding an office hire. The new person works alone, in other people's homes, driving a company vehicle, with a customer watching. Every gap in the first weeks shows up in front of a customer or on the road.
The checklist below runs from the offer letter to day 90. It is written for a service company with a few to a few dozen trucks, and it works for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, garage door, appliance and most other residential trades. The technician onboarding glossary entry covers the term itself; this page is the working list.
Note. Employment paperwork rules vary by state and change over time. The federal items below were checked against the linked agency pages as of October 2026. Check your state's requirements and have your accountant or employment attorney confirm your new-hire packet.
The checklist
Before day one (owner or office manager)
- Signed offer letter with start date, pay rate, pay schedule, on-call expectations and the trial period, if you use one.
- Background check and driving record, if you run them. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the FTC says you must tell the applicant in writing, in a stand-alone notice, and get written permission before you get a report from a screening company.
- Insurance: confirm with your auto insurer that the new driver is acceptable on the commercial policy before they drive a company vehicle.
- Truck assigned, inspected and stocked to your standard stock list (see the truck stock checklist).
- Tools: company-issued tools listed and signed for. Personal tool requirements sent in writing in advance.
- Uniform, ID badge and any PPE sized and ready.
- Phone and logins: work phone or app access on their own phone, scheduling app account, email if used, fuel card.
- Ride-along partner picked: a senior tech who is good with customers, not only good with equipment. Tell them in advance and adjust their schedule for the extra time.
- First-week schedule written down, day by day.
Day one
- Federal paperwork. The new hire completes Section 1 of Form I-9 no later than the first day of work, and you complete Section 2 within 3 business days of the first day of work for pay (USCIS). Form W-4 for federal withholding. Your state's forms.
- Handbook and policies: hours, overtime approval, vehicle use, phones, drug and alcohol policy, what to do after an accident.
- Safety training. OSHA's hazard communication standard requires training on the hazardous chemicals in the work area at the time of initial assignment. Cover where safety data sheets are kept and what PPE each task needs.
- Licenses and certifications copied and logged with expiry dates. For HVAC, that includes EPA Section 608 certification, which the EPA requires for technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants.
- Truck walk-around with the shop lead: daily pre-trip inspection (see the daily vehicle inspection checklist), where stock lives, how restocking works.
- App walkthrough: how to see the day, mark on my way, arrived and done, add notes, photos and parts.
- Customer standards: how to introduce themselves, shoe covers, where to park, what to say when a job will run long, who to call when a customer is upset.
Week one: ride-alongs
For the job-by-job version of this week, use the new hire ride-along checklist.
- Days 1 to 3: rides with the senior tech. Watches, carries, asks.
- Days 4 and 5: the new tech leads the job while the senior tech watches. The senior tech steps in only for safety or a customer problem.
- Each evening: 10 minutes with the senior tech. What went well, one thing to fix tomorrow.
- End of week: the senior tech writes down which job types the new tech can do alone and which they cannot yet.
Weeks two to four: supervised solo
- Solo on the job types signed off in week one only. Everything else stays with a ride-along.
- Shorter days or lighter routes: fewer jobs per day than a full-speed tech, with longer planned durations.
- A named person to call during the day, with a phone that gets answered.
- Callback watch: any return visit on a new tech's job gets reviewed with them, not as discipline but as training.
- Add one new job type each week, after a ride-along on it.
Day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins
- Day 30: job types signed off, callbacks, customer feedback, time on site versus plan, any tool or truck gaps.
- Day 60: full route on standard job types, first on-call shift if you run a rotation, any certifications to start.
- Day 90: end of trial period, if you use one. Pay review if promised. Written goals for the next six months.
Why the checklist is shaped this way
Before day one is where most onboarding fails. A tech who spends day one waiting for a truck, a login or a set of keys learns that the company is disorganised. Everything in the first section can be done by the office before the person arrives.
Ride-alongs are split into watch and lead. Watching for a week teaches the equipment. Leading with a senior tech in the room teaches the customer conversation, which is what most new techs struggle with.
Lighter routes are planned, not accidental. A new tech's jobs run long. If you book them like a full-speed tech, every later customer on their day gets a late arrival. Planning lighter days avoids that, and the cost is easier to see when you run the arithmetic.
That number is the price of a careful ramp. The alternative is booking a new tech at full speed and paying for it in callbacks, late arrivals and a tech who quits in month two. The field technician retention guide covers why the first months matter so much.
How to adapt it
- Match the trade's hard stops. Write the licensed or certified tasks into the week-one sign-off list, so nobody does gas, refrigerant or high-voltage work alone before they are cleared for it.
- Use the same list every time. A printed copy in the new hire's file, with a date and initials on each line, also gives you the record you need when a question comes up later.
- Change the planned durations, not only the job count. In your scheduling system, give the new tech longer planned times for each job type during the ramp. In CrewLink, for example, time on site is recorded when a job is marked done, so you can watch a new tech's real durations come down week by week instead of guessing.
- Review the list after each hire. Ask the new tech at day 30 what they wish they had been told on day one, and add it. The guide to managing field technicians has more on feedback that sticks.
What to take away
- Do the truck, tools, logins and ride-along plan before day one, so the first day is spent learning, not waiting.
- Handle federal paperwork on time: I-9 Section 1 by day one, Section 2 within 3 business days, plus W-4 and your state forms.
- Split week one into watching and leading, then sign off job types one at a time.
- Book new techs lighter, with longer planned durations, and check at day 30, 60 and 90.
Common questions
How long does it take to onboard a new field technician?
Plan on about 90 days for an experienced tech to reach full speed on your job types and your customers, and longer for an apprentice. The first week is ride-alongs, weeks two to four are supervised solo work on approved job types, and the 30, 60 and 90 day check-ins confirm progress.
What paperwork does a new technician need to fill out?
At the federal level, Form I-9 and Form W-4. Your state will have its own withholding and new-hire forms, and your company will have its handbook acknowledgment, vehicle policy and tool sign-out. Requirements vary by state, so confirm your packet with your accountant or an employment attorney.
Should new technicians do ride-alongs?
Yes, even experienced ones. A ride-along teaches your equipment brands, your paperwork, your pricing and how your company talks to customers. A good split is a few days watching, then a few days leading the job with a senior tech present.
How many jobs should a new technician run per day?
Fewer than a full-speed tech, with longer planned durations, until their time on site settles. Start with a lighter route on job types they have been signed off on, and add volume as their real durations come down.