Contents

• Why a tutorial was developed.
• What the Inspector means to the process.

Over the past decade, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in association with State Transportation Departments (DOTs), has increased the focus on “Quality” in construction and design of transportation related projects.

As part of this program, they have developed and instruct more than 100 courses dealing with the full range of transportation issues, from planning to construction.

One of the qualification courses developed is the Drilled Shaft Inspector’s Qualification Course. This three-day course focuses on the Inspector’s duties and responsibilities during the drilled shaft construction process. Beginning with background information related to construction methods, equipment and tools, the course then takes the Inspector through each step of the process, pointing out specific related responsibilities and methods to assist the Inspector in achieving their goal- a quality constructed drilled shaft foundation in accordance with the Plans and Specifications. The course concludes with a written examination on the material covered.

This tutorial was developed to prepare potential and experienced inspectors for attendance at the course. The goal being to provide basic drilled shaft construction and inspection information of such value that course attendees have an increased potential for successfully completing and passing the course.

The Inspector serves as the link between the Engineer and Contractor. The Engineer desires that the Contractor construct the project in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the Contractor desires to build the the project in accordance with the plans and specifications. So both the Engineer and Contractor have the same goal, getting a quality project constructed, and someone needs to be the link that ensures this is accomplished.