Time Cards and Travel

I know this has been discussed before but I can't find the old threads. Wondering how companies that are running production crews that might also run service work keeps track of employee time? For instance, if you have a crew that is running 4 service/repair work orders in a day, how are the guys keeping time? Each man keeps their own time card? Crew Foreman keeps all time cards?

How do you base pay for the day? Do you charge for time on the job? do you include shop and travel time? Do you include time back to shop? Do you pay a production and a travel rate?

Just looking at what is working for others.

Mel,

It's a combination of GPS tracking and job clock timing that we use to control manipulation. You're right, it can happen and the easiest way is for them to clock in prior to getting to the job.

We had a big problem with time being fudged. It was worth the cost.

We can never solve all the problems, and some are only solveable with more money. Having 6 guys to track on one hand is much easier, but also not enough guys to absorb added overhead of more sophisticated methodology.

I can't give you all the detail. Not because I don't want to, but because I simply don't know.

Sorry.

You'd be welcome to call my office and talk to Tab or Lynn about it. Maybe even Ryan. I doubt any one of them could answer all the questions. Each has their own portion of the checks & balances to control.

Hey Mike. What I meant by that was in general, how is pay and invoicing determined? It really ends up being a two part process, I guess. There is the payroll part and the billing part. At times, our guys are more concerned with the payroll part. Those cards are always completed but the service orders tend to get less attention.

I've considered the Job Clock type system to get an exact track of time but just like the hand completed cards, the time clock can be manipulated. I'm just trying to find a way that is the most accurate that makes sure I am paying for the time turned in and able to bill for all of that time.

We have what is called shop time. Usually that has to do with days (snow or rain) that we are in the shop doing shop related tasks. Sometimes that gets confused with job time. For example, our guys work an entire week running service calls. On Friday they have a short day but they find time to remove all of the tools and materials left in the truck from the week's work. That should be billable time but the guys have already turned in the service order. Now we are being charged for billable time that we cannot bill. Follow me?

I'm interested in the Job Clock type system you are referring to but we are only running about 6 guys max so it's been a hard thing to pull the trigger on. Those 6 guys serve on both the production side and the service side. Does that system allow you to have each person identify which call they are on as they clock in/out? Or does that task take place as the time is collected? Do you all have a way to cross reference the time submitted with the work orders completed?

Chipper1 Said:For instance, if you have a crew that is running 4 service/repair work orders in a day, how are the guys keeping time?

We use a combination of GPS tracking, Job Clock time system, FCSControl real-time customer dispatch/property management software, with manual crosschecks.

Chipper1 Said: Each man keeps their own time card?

Each person is provided a set of "keys" that are unique to them that are used to punch in and out of the Job Clock system. This info is downloaded from each vehicle at the end of the pay period.

Chipper1 Said:Crew Foreman keeps all time cards?

Formen are expected to assure that each crew member is complying with clock-in/out procedures, and is responsible for any manual over-rides that must take place.

Chipper1 Said:How do you base pay for the day?

Do not understand this question.

Chipper1 Said: Do you charge for time on the job?

Yes

Chipper1 Said:do you include shop and travel time? Do you include time back to shop? Do you pay a production and a travel rate?

Yes Port to port on all service calls, or split time between calls. With FCS the next customer's bill starts at the closing of the previous. Customer is shown a digital copy of their invoice, which they digitally sign, at close of the call.

Yes There is a function by which travel time can be added. I don't know the details of how it works.

No We have a drive-time rate and production rate for production roofers. Service techs are paid same rate from the time they leave the shop till the time they return at end of day.

I made up timecards in Excel that everyone is to fill out. If they are on multiple jobs in the day they need to seperate each job out. Time starts from when they leave the shop to the end of the first stop and the next job includes the travel time to the next stop, goes on the next job. Of course the timesheets are usually a mess that requires me to decipher what they have written and I usually have to call them to make sense of them and make sure all of the hours on a particular job are accounted for.

were I work we are each responsible for keeping track of were we worked and the hours spent there. I as a foreman keep track of all on my crew and at the end of the week it all has to add up correctly. we do job tracking for each job so they can see how the numbers are working out