Guides for running better jobs.
Practical, plain-English guides for contractors who want to tighten how they run jobs and put new site technology to work. Free to read, no sign-up.
Time and payroll
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What counts as hours worked on a construction job
Drive time between sites, the shop in the morning, toolbox talks, waiting on an inspector, meal breaks and rounding: the federal rules on paid time, with the state rules that trip contractors. Read the guide · 6 min -
Tracking crew time by cost code: job costing, productivity and change orders
Why hours recorded against cost codes are the backbone of labor job costing, how to measure crew productivity with earned hours, and how time records back up T&M tickets and change orders. Read the guide · 3 min -
Choosing a time tracking method for construction crews
Paper timecards, foreman crew sheets, mobile clock-in, kiosks and biometrics compared, with the GPS and biometric laws to know, a sound approval workflow and how to move crews off paper. Read the guide · 4 min
Certified payroll and prevailing wage
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Certified payroll explained: Davis-Bacon, the WH-347 and the weekly statement of compliance
Who has to submit certified payroll, when it is due, what it must contain, the current WH-347, how long to keep records, and what happens when it is wrong. Read the guide · 5 min -
Getting prevailing wage right: wage determinations, classifications, fringe benefits and apprentices
Which wage determination applies, what to do when a classification is missing, how fringe benefits and annualization work, overtime on prevailing wage jobs, and the rules for apprentices. Read the guide · 4 min -
State certified payroll: how California, New York, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey and Massachusetts differ
State prevailing wage programs have their own portals, deadlines and forms. A plain overview of six major states, and what to do on jobs with both federal and state requirements. Read the guide · 3 min
Equipment
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Equipment and tool tracking for contractors: registers, tags, GPS and telematics
How to keep track of owned and rented equipment and small tools: a proper register, QR tags, GPS trackers, OEM telematics and the AEMP standard, theft prevention and a rollout that sticks. Read the guide · 5 min -
Equipment inspections and operator records: what OSHA expects on a construction site
Pre-shift checks, crane and aerial lift inspections, taking defective equipment out of service, and the training and certification records for crane, forklift and aerial lift operators. Read the guide · 4 min -
Charging equipment to jobs: internal rates, rentals, standby and change orders
How to cost owned and rented equipment to jobs and cost codes, set internal rates from ownership and operating costs, use rate books for extra work, and handle standby time. Read the guide · 4 min
Materials and sensors
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Tank level sensors on a construction site: what they are good for and how to use them
How a level sensor on a fuel or chemical tank keeps site figures current, catches leaks and low stock early, and where a person still has to check. Read the guide · 6 min -
Choosing sensors and labels for site materials: a plain comparison
QR labels, NFC tags, GPS trackers, ultrasonic and radar level sensors, pressure sensors and load cells compared for construction stores, with the tradeoffs that matter on site. Read the guide · 5 min -
QR and NFC labels for site stock: recording as things happen
How durable QR and NFC labels on drums, tanks and boxes let crews record site stock in seconds, even without signal, and how to make the habit stick. Read the guide · 3 min -
When the count and the records disagree: reconciling site stock
Why site stock records drift from what is really there, how to keep recorded and measured figures apart, and how to review a variance without blame or lost history. Read the guide · 3 min -
An SDS register and emergency inventory that holds up when it matters
How to keep a chemical register with current safety data sheets and an emergency inventory responders can use, including on a site with no signal. Read the guide · 3 min
Improving how you run jobs
These guides are written to be useful whatever software you use. They are published by YakProject, construction records for general contractors and subcontractors; where it helps, a guide notes how YakProject handles the topic. Take the tour.