What to put in an excavation daily report

An excavation daily report is a short record of what happened on the job today: who was on site, which machines ran, what work got done, the weather, anything that slowed you down, and who visited. Written the same day, it settles arguments about delays, extras and quantities months later, when nobody remembers the details.

It does not need to be long. The reports that get filled out every day are the ones that take five minutes. The ones that are thorough on paper and skipped in practice protect nobody.

Why bother

• Delays. If rain, a late locate or a customer change cost you two days, the report is your proof. Without it you are relying on memory.
• Extras. When something outside the scope comes up, a dated note with photos supports the change order. It shows when the surprise was found and what was said.
• Quantities. Loads hauled and yards moved add up to what you bill. Notes made each day keep the totals honest. See tracking haul tickets.
• Safety and insurance. A record of who was on site and what the crew covered in the morning talk helps if there is ever a claim.
• Job costing. Crew hours and machine hours by day are what you need to learn what the job cost. See job costing for dirt contractors.

The checklist

1. Job and date

Job name, address, date, and who wrote the report. It sounds obvious, and it is the first thing missing from a photo of a napkin.

2. Crew

Names and start and stop times, or the hours worked. If you use phone clock-in, this is already recorded. See how to track crew hours without paper. Include subcontractors and their crews, since you may need to show who was there.

3. Machines and trucks

Which machines ran, and about how many hours each. Note anything that was down and why. This feeds your cost per hour and the maintenance record. If you rent, note the rental start and return times.

4. Work completed

What got done, in measurable terms: feet of trench opened, feet of pipe laid, yards stripped, loads hauled, areas graded. "Worked on trench" is not useful. "Opened and bedded about 120 feet of trench, backfilled 60 of it" is. Estimates are fine if they are labeled as estimates.

5. Materials in and out

Deliveries received, ticket numbers, loads hauled off and where they went. A line or two is enough, and the actual tickets should be photographed or saved with the report.

6. Weather and site conditions

Rain, frozen ground, standing water, wind. Record the condition, not just the forecast, and what it did to production. Our article on scheduling around weather covers how to plan for it.

7. Utilities and locates

Ticket numbers, whether marks were present and fresh, and anything hit or found that was not marked. If a utility showed up that was not on the plans, write down where, how deep and who you told. This matters more than most items on the list. See 811 ticket tracking.

8. Delays and problems

What stopped work, for how long, and who was told. Be factual: "Waited 2 hours for the inspector, arrived at 10:15." Skip the opinions.

9. Changes and extra work

Anything the customer, engineer or inspector asked for that was not in the scope, and whether it was approved in writing. A note here is the start of a change order, not the end.

10. Safety

The morning talk topic, any incident or near miss, and trench protection in use. A toolbox talk template helps keep that part quick.

11. Visitors

Inspectors, owners, engineers, utility reps. Name, company and time, plus anything they directed.

12. Photos

Photos of progress, problems and open trenches before they are covered. They matter most for anything that will be buried. TrackOver's jobsite photos are stamped with date and location and stored on the job, so they travel with the report.

Keeping it to five minutes

• Use the same format every day. The brain fills in a list faster than a blank page.
• Do it at the end of the day, in the truck. Not the next morning.
• Let the foreman write it. They know what happened. The office reviews it.
• Take photos as you go, and add notes after. It is easier than describing a trench from memory.
• Do not write novels. A few clear lines per section is plenty.

Some jobs require a specific format

Public work and some GC contracts require their own daily report or inspection forms. Follow the contract, then keep your own report too. Yours covers the things their form leaves out, like crew hours and your machine time.

Where TrackOver fits

In TrackOver the pieces of a daily report already live on the job: crew time, photos with date and location, 811 ticket status, and notes. That means the report is mostly assembling what the crew already captured. See the jobsite photos feature, or start the 7-day free trial, no card needed.

Common questions

Do I need a daily report on every job? Not necessarily on a one-day driveway. On anything that spans several days, involves a utility, or has a customer who might dispute the bill, it pays for itself.

How long should I keep daily reports? At least as long as your contract, warranty and the statute of limitations in your state run. Ask your attorney or insurance agent, and keep them with the job.

Can photos replace a written report? Photos help a lot, but they do not show who was on site, why something stopped or what was said. Use both.

Who should sign it? If your contract requires a signature, follow it. Otherwise the foreman writes it and the office reviews it.