In this guide 6 sections
Hours and fuel stop matching the job because three records are kept by different people: the hour meter reading, the fuel issue slip and the operator’s daily log. None of them names the same site. Capture machine, site and operator on every entry, then reconcile weekly.
Three records that never meet
The operator writes hours in a daily log. The fuel bowser attendant writes litres on a slip; the site engineer writes the job code on a timesheet. Three people, three papers.
At month end the office tries to join them. The excavator burned fuel on Monday but the log says it was idle, and the slip carries no site name.
The job cost then absorbs a guess. Nobody can say whether a trench cost more because of rock or because a machine idled for two hours a day.
Where the numbers drift
Hour meters get misread. A meter that rolls over, is replaced or is photographed badly breaks the chain of readings.
Fuel gets issued to cans. A driver takes diesel for a generator, a roller and a compressor in one trip, and the slip lists only the truck.
Operators also log hours when the engine ran, not when work was done; warm-up, waiting for trucks and travel between chainage points all count as hours.
- Hour meter replaced or rolled over without a note
- Fuel drawn into cans with no machine named
- Shared machines moved between sites mid-week
- Idle and standby hours mixed with working hours
- Fuel slips written after the fact from memory
Capture three things on every entry
Insist that each fuel issue names the machine, the site and the operator; if any of those is missing, the issue is not accepted.
For hours, take a meter reading at start and end of each shift, and record a status code for the day: working, standby, breakdown or travel.
A phone form beats a notebook. A simple picture of the meter taken with the entry gives you proof for audits and for disputes with a hired-in operator.
Reconcile weekly, not at month end
Every Friday, compare fuel issued with hours worked per machine; a loader that suddenly burns far more per hour than last week needs a look.
Check the cause before blaming anyone. A blocked air filter, a longer haul or soft ground can all explain it, and so can theft.
Write down the ratio for each machine type and site; over a few months you learn what normal looks like, and exceptions stand out.
- Litres per working hour for each machine
- Standby hours against working hours
- Meter readings that do not follow on
- Fuel issued on days the machine was in the workshop
Push the totals into job costing
Once entries carry machine and site, charging hours and fuel to a job is simple. Apply an internal hourly rate for each machine and post fuel at actual cost.
The job manager can then compare planned machine hours with actual ones while the work is still running. That is when a change in method is still useful.
Pick one site this week and run the three-field rule there for a fortnight. Compare it with the old method before extending.
Machine day log
A one-page daily log per site. Columns are date, machine, operator, meter start, meter end, status code, litres issued, issued by and remarks. A weekly box at the foot shows litres per working hour for each machine and flags any reading that does not follow on.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How do we cost a machine that works on several sites in a week?
Log each shift against one site and one meter reading; charge the hours of each shift to its own job at the machine’s internal rate.
Is a fuel flow meter worth fitting?
On a bowser or a tank it gives accurate issue figures and cuts disputes; it is most useful where fuel is issued to many machines.
Why does one excavator use more fuel than its twin?
Check operator habits, idle time, attachments, filter condition and ground; compare litres per working hour, not per day, to make the comparison fair.
What if operators forget to record meter readings?
Make the reading part of the fuel issue. No reading, no fuel. The habit sticks quickly when the fuel depends on it.