Petrol Station Manager Duties Checklist

The role of a petrol station manager covers more ground than most job descriptions let on. On a given day you might be resolving a fuel discrepancy, interviewing a new casual, chasing a supplier about a short delivery, and covering a shift yourself because someone called in sick. The operators who stay on top of it all tend to have one thing in common: they work from a consistent set of daily, weekly, and monthly habits rather than reacting to whatever lands in front of them first. Here is the full checklist.

Daily duties

• Opening site check. Forecourt clear, pumps functional, console operational, till float counted and reconciled against previous close. Any overnight issues noted and actioned before the morning rush.
• Staff attendance confirmed. Check who is clocked in, flag any no-shows immediately, and arrange cover before the site falls short-staffed.
• Wet stock dip or ATG reading. Tank levels checked against previous reading. Any unexpected variance investigated, not ignored.
• Cash and till reconciliation. End-of-shift reports reviewed. Variances over your threshold documented and followed up before the next shift starts.
• Forecourt and store walkthrough. Bins emptied, pumps clean, window washer fluid topped up, shelves faced, fridges at temperature, any maintenance issues logged.
• Handover notes reviewed. Read the shift log before leaving or starting. Outstanding items carried forward and assigned.

Weekly duties

• Roster published for the coming week. Shifts confirmed, wage cost reviewed before publishing, any gaps filled before they become a problem at 6am on a Monday.
• Stock order placed. Review sales data, check back of house, place convenience and grocery order. Note any lines that are consistently running out or consistently not moving.
• Timesheet review. Actual hours worked versus rostered hours. Any overtime investigated. Any timesheet anomalies resolved before payroll run.
• Staff communication. Brief team meeting or a message to the group. Upcoming public holidays, any operational changes, any performance or conduct issues that need to be addressed.
• Fuel price monitoring. Check competitor pricing on your key road. Flag anything to your network or fuel rep that requires a pricing decision.
• Maintenance log reviewed. Any outstanding repair items followed up with suppliers or your network maintenance contact.

Monthly duties

• Labour cost report. Total labour cost as a percentage of gross profit. Compare to prior month and prior year. Investigate any upward movement before it becomes a trend.
• Wet stock reconciliation. Full tank reconciliation against deliveries, dips, and sales. Unaccounted shrinkage above your threshold is a compliance and financial issue, not just an accounting one.
• Staff performance reviews (informally). Touch base with each team member. What is working, what is not, any changes to availability or circumstances that affect rostering.
• Training and compliance check. Any certifications expiring, any new staff who have not completed their safety induction, any mandatory training due for renewal.
• Supplier and network relationship management. Review invoices for accuracy, flag any supply issues, handle any promotional or ranging changes coming from your network.
• Cash handling audit. Spot-check your till procedures, safe balance records, and banking records. Do not wait for a discrepancy to prompt this.

The duties that get dropped first under pressure

Every experienced servo manager knows which items on this list slip when things get busy. The wet stock reconciliation gets deferred. The staff performance conversations get put off. The timesheet review happens at payroll instead of weekly.

Those are exactly the duties that matter most. The sites that run into serious problems, whether compliance issues, staff turnover, or unexplained shrinkage, almost always have a history of deferring the routine work that would have caught the problem early.

A checklist does not replace judgement. But it does protect against the natural human tendency to focus on what is urgent and ignore what is important until it becomes urgent too.