Construction glossary
Portal-to-portal
Also called mob, demob, travel time, yard to yard.
Portal-to-portal means the clock starts at the yard (or agreed portal) and stops when the crew is back — travel included. On-site means the clock runs only on the job. The two are not interchangeable on a hydrovac or crane ticket.
Why tickets get rejected
A four-hour minimum that is portal-to-portal can burn most of a short potholing visit in windshield time. If the sheet says on-site, travel is a separate mob line or it is not billable. Write the rule on the rate sheet. Do not leave it to the foreman’s memory.
What to lock before the first LEM
Where the portal is, whether the truck rolls loaded, and whether return travel bills. Equipment moves on a lowboy are a different line from production hours.
Portal-to-portal FAQ
Does portal-to-portal include fuel?
Not automatically. Fuel, water, and disposal are often extra even when travel is in the hourly.
Is mob the same as portal-to-portal?
Mob is usually a trip charge or hours to get to site. Portal-to-portal is how the hourly itself is measured.
Use your agreed rates on every daily ticket.
These public ranges are a benchmark. SubTrack stores the rates you agreed with the client on a project rate sheet. Crews apply those rates to labor, equipment, materials, and subcontractors on the daily ticket. The same figures carry into reporting and the billing documents you send.