(650) 332-8623Construction Time Tracking with Equipment Hours: How It Works and Why It Matters
Track labor and equipment hours in one place. Learn how GPS-powered construction time tracking improves job costing, payroll, and maintenance—and why Workyard is the top choice.
TL;DR
Construction time tracking with equipment hours tracks labor and machine usage in one workflow so job costs reflect what actually happened. Crews clock in to a job, then log equipment runtime by hour or start/stop time, tied to the same phase or cost code.It matters because equipment hours affect profitability, billing backup, depreciation, and maintenance schedules. Without them, contractors underprice work, misallocate costs, or waste time reconciling separate logs.
Construction crews often track labor hours and equipment usage in separate logs, which makes job costs harder to trust.
Construction time tracking with equipment hours keeps both in one workflow, so labor and machine runtime stay tied to the right job, phase, and cost code. Pairing that with construction time and location tracking makes it easier to confirm when work happened and where crews and equipment were actually used.
In this article, I’ll explain how integrated tracking works on real jobsites and why it improves job costing, payroll accuracy, and equipment planning.
Key takeaways:
- Combined labor and equipment hours give a clearer view of true project costs.
- GPS-backed entries reduce admin cleanup and prevent mismatched logs.
- Integrated data exposes idle equipment, underuse, and delays faster.
What is construction time tracking with equipment hours?
Construction time tracking with equipment hours means tracking two things in one workflow:
- Labor hours (who worked, when they worked)
- Equipment hours (what ran, how long it ran)
Instead of keeping a separate equipment log, equipment time gets recorded alongside the crew’s time entries. That makes it easier to assign both to the right job, phase, or cost code.
In practice, this matters because equipment time is a real cost driver. If it isn’t captured, job costing usually looks cleaner than it should.
What “equipment hours” usually includes
When contractors talk about equipment hours, they typically mean:
- Runtime for owned equipment (like skid steers, excavators, lifts)
- Usage time for rented machines
- Equipment time tied to a specific task or phase
Not every crew needs the same level of detail. The goal is consistency, not complexity.
This approach is most valuable for equipment-heavy contractors like sitework, utilities, concrete, and heavy civil teams. If equipment use is rare or equipment costs don’t affect pricing, tracking equipment hours can add more admin than value.
How time tracking with equipment hours works on modern jobsites
Most systems follow the same basic flow:
- A worker clocks in to a job
- The time entry is tied to a jobsite, phase, or cost code
- Equipment usage is recorded for the same job window
- The office reviews and approves everything before payroll closes
Workyard supports this workflow with GPS-verified time tracking, so labor hours and equipment logs stay tied to the right job and cost code without manual cleanup.
This is especially helpful when crews move between jobs using mobile GPS time clocks, where accurate location context prevents mismatched entries and end-of-week fixes.
Manual entry vs. automated equipment hour capture
There are two common ways equipment hours get recorded.
Manual entry (more common):
- Foreman or operator selects the equipment
- Enters total hours (or start/stop time)
- Submits it with the daily timecard
This is simple, but easy to forget. It also creates rounding issues.
Automated capture (more consistent):
- Equipment time is captured inside the same workflow as labor time.
- Job switching and timestamps reduce “guesswork.”
- Entries stay aligned with the right job and crew.
This matters even more when teams rely on geofencing time tracking to reduce missed job switches.
Can equipment usage be tied to jobs, phases, or cost codes?
Yes—and it should be.
The cleanest setup ties equipment hours to:
- the same job
- the same phase
- and the same cost code
That’s what makes the report usable later. Otherwise, equipment time ends up dumped into a general bucket.
How accurate are field-reported equipment hours vs actual usage?
Field-reported equipment hours can be accurate. But accuracy depends on timing.
It’s most reliable when:
- equipment hours are logged same-day
- entries are tied to a job while the work is happening
- the crew isn’t relying on memory at week’s end
If hours get entered late, I see the same pattern: rounding and missing time.
Common mistakes that cause underreporting or overreporting
Here’s what usually throws equipment hours off:
- Logging only “active time” and skipping idle time
- Rounding up or down to make entries faster
- Assigning hours to the wrong job
- Double-counting the same machine on one shift
- Forgetting partial-day usage (it adds up)
Even small errors compound across a week.
Why tracking equipment hours with labor data matters
Tracking labor alone tells you one part of the story. Adding equipment hours shows the full cost of production.
That matters most when you’re trying to answer basic questions like:
- Was this phase profitable?
- Why did this job go over budget?
- Where did production slow down?
Why equipment hours matter for job costing and profitability
Equipment hours matter because they represent:
- fuel and wear
- operator time tied to production
- ownership or rental costs that should be recovered
When equipment time is missing, job costing gets distorted. Labor looks “too high,” or equipment costs disappear into overhead.
How labor hours and equipment hours interact in job costing reports
Labor and equipment hours usually hit the same phase.
If labor is logged but equipment isn’t, the phase cost looks incomplete.
If equipment is logged under the wrong cost code, the report gets misleading.
The best job costing reports let you see labor + equipment side by side under the same job structure.
How shared or rented equipment hours are allocated across jobs
This is where tracking breaks down fast.
Shared equipment should be allocated based on:
- actual hours used per job, not “who had it first”
Rented equipment can be handled a few ways:
- log runtime hours per job (most accurate)
- split cost across active jobs (simpler, but less precise)
I’ve found the clearer the job-level assignment is, the fewer disputes happen later.
How equipment hours affect billing, depreciation, and maintenance planning
Equipment hour logs don’t just support job costing.
They also help with:
- T&M billing backup (proof of usage)
- maintenance scheduling (service intervals tied to real hours)
- depreciation planning (better equipment cost visibility)
When those hours aren’t tracked, teams usually end up estimating.
Construction costs make up 64.4% of a home’s total price.
Tracking labor and equipment hours together helps control the biggest cost drivers.
Source: NAHB, 2024
Key features to look for in a construction time tracking app
Tracking labor alone tells you one part of the story. Adding equipment hours shows the full cost of production.
That matters most when you’re trying to answer basic questions like:
- Was this phase profitable?
- Why did this job go over budget?
- Where did production slow down?
Why equipment hours matter for job costing and profitability
Equipment hours matter because they represent:
- fuel and wear
- operator time tied to production
- ownership or rental costs that should be recovered
When equipment time is missing, job costing gets distorted. Labor looks “too high,” or equipment costs disappear into overhead.
How labor hours and equipment hours interact in job costing reports
Labor and equipment hours usually hit the same phase.
If labor is logged but equipment isn’t, the phase cost looks incomplete.
If equipment is logged under the wrong cost code, the report gets misleading.
The best job costing reports let you see labor + equipment side by side under the same job structure.
How shared or rented equipment hours are allocated across jobs
This is where tracking breaks down fast.
Shared equipment should be allocated based on:
- actual hours used per job, not “who had it first”
Rented equipment can be handled a few ways:
- log runtime hours per job (most accurate)
- split cost across active jobs (simpler, but less precise)
I’ve found the clearer the job-level assignment is, the fewer disputes happen later.
How equipment hours affect billing, depreciation, and maintenance planning
Equipment hour logs don’t just support job costing.
They also help with:
- T&M billing backup (proof of usage)
- maintenance scheduling (service intervals tied to real hours)
- depreciation planning (better equipment cost visibility)
When those hours aren’t tracked, teams usually end up estimating.
Top construction time tracking solutions with equipment hours
When I compare tools for construction time tracking with equipment hours, I’m looking for two things: accuracy in the field and clean reporting back in the office. The best systems make it easy to log labor time and equipment usage in one workflow, then tie both to the right job and cost code.
Below are several options contractors commonly use.
1. Workyard
Workyard is a good fit for contractors who need accurate time tracking that holds up for job costing. It combines mobile time tracking with GPS-backed location data, which helps reduce disputes and cleanup at payroll time.
I also like that Workyard supports job-based tracking workflows that don’t require crews to overthink entries. If the field process is simple, equipment hours are more likely to get recorded consistently.
Best for: Contractors who want higher accuracy and cleaner job costing
Workyard tracks crew and equipment hours in one system.
Try it for free
2. BusyBusy
busybusy is often used for simple jobsite time tracking. It’s easy for crews to adopt quickly, and the interface is straightforward.
For equipment hours, it can work well when you don’t need deep reporting. If your job costing is fairly simple, it can be enough.
Best for: Small teams that want a lightweight option
3. Trimble Viewpoint
Trimble Viewpoint is often used by contractors who want time tracking that connects to a broader project and cost management setup. I see it come up most with teams that need more structure around job costing, labor reporting, and payroll workflows.
It can be a solid option when you want formal time collection and more consistent job-based reporting across larger crews and longer projects.
Best for: Contractors who want a more established, job-cost-focused system
4. HCSS HeavyJob
HCSS HeavyJob is built for heavy civil teams managing labor, equipment, and production. It’s a more advanced platform, and it’s usually used by contractors who need deeper cost code structure and reporting.
If equipment time is central to your job costing, this is one of the more purpose-built options.
Best for: Heavy civil contractors with equipment-heavy operations
5. Raken
Raken is a field-friendly app built around quick time entry and daily reporting. It’s a strong fit for crews that want timesheets and jobsite documentation in the same place, without adding a lot of extra steps for the field.
Equipment logging is more basic than dedicated fleet tools, but it’s convenient for tracking day-to-day usage and keeping notes tied to what happened on-site.
Best for: Crews who want simple timesheets and documentation without advanced fleet tracking
How to implement an integrated tracking system
This works best when the setup is simple. Too much structure up front slows adoption.
Here’s the implementation approach I see work most often:
- Standardize equipment IDs. Label each unit with a unique code so crews log usage consistently.
- Teach crews the “why,” not just the “how”. Explain how dual logging supports payroll accuracy, maintenance, and job costing.
- Connect your tech stack early. Integrate time tracking with payroll and job costing systems like QuickBooks or Sage.
- Review usage and trends weekly. Spot underused machines, idle time, or labor overruns before they cause delays.
The infographic below explains how construction teams can set up a unified system that tracks both labor and equipment activity in one workflow.
For broader workflow coordination, team management apps or scheduling programs can support labor planning alongside time tracking.
How Workyard helps with accurate time and equipment tracking
Tracking labor and equipment hours separately leads to mismatched logs, unclear job costs, and delays in payroll. Workyard fixes this by keeping crew time, equipment usage, and GPS location data in one workflow so contractors get clean, reliable hours without extra admin.
Workyard is a construction time tracking and job costing platform that uses real-time GPS to record exact crew hours, equipment usage, and jobsite activity. It ties every hour to the right project and cost code, giving contractors clean, verifiable data for payroll, billing, and equipment maintenance, even on remote sites with weak signal.
Where Workyard directly solves the problems in this article
- Exact timestamps prevent rounding and mismatched logs
- Operator-level equipment tracking shows true usage and idle time
- Real-time GPS confirms crews and machines were on the correct jobsite
- Job code prompts keep hours tied to the right task
- Offline tracking protects records on remote sites
- Integrated job costing combines labor and equipment expenses automatically
Workyard gives contractors one accurate, GPS-verified source of truth for labor, equipment, and project costs—powered by its construction time tracking software.
Use a system that logs labor and equipment hours together. Apps with operator assignment and cost codes keep entries aligned to the right job in real time.
Tracking both gives a fuller view of job activity. It improves job costing, helps spot idle time, and supports maintenance planning.
Look for GPS-verified labor tracking, operator-level equipment logs, and cost code assignments. Workyard follows this model, helping keep payroll accurate and equipment time tied to the right job and phase.
If you want to compare similar tools, this best app for tracking work hours guide is a helpful starting point.
Manual entry is simple but often leads to missed time and rounding. Automated workflows are more consistent because equipment hours stay connected to daily time entries.
Yes. The best systems assign equipment hours to the same job, phase, and cost code structure as labor to keep job costing reports clean.
GPS helps confirm where work happened and reduces inflated logs by tying time entries to the correct jobsite and time window.
The most accurate method is allocating by actual runtime per job. When that’s hard to capture, teams sometimes split costs across active jobs, but it’s less precise.
Yes. Many tools integrate with QuickBooks, Sage, and Gusto to sync labor hours, job costs, and payroll data.
If equipment use is rare or doesn’t affect pricing, detailed equipment tracking can add more admin than value. In those cases, basic notes or simple usage logs may be enough.
At a minimum, equipment entries should have supervisor review, office approval, and edit history so errors don’t hit payroll or job costing.
