Construction glossary
Standby
Also called idle time, show-up, waiting on owner.
Standby is time the crew or the iron is held for the owner and not producing. It is not the same hourly as digging. If the sheet is silent, the ticket becomes a fight.
Typical patterns
A reduced equipment hourly, a show-up minimum, or the full operated rate after a notice period. Weather, owner delay, and late locates are the usual causes. Write the rule before the rain.
Do not hide it in production hours
Mixing standby into a production line makes the extra look inefficient and the invoice look padded. A separate LEM line with the standby class is cleaner.
Standby FAQ
Is standby the same as show-up pay?
Show-up is often a labor minimum when work is cancelled. Standby is usually held time during the shift. Both need a line on the sheet.
Does the Rates book include standby?
No. The published ranges are production-style T&M charge-out. Standby is a project rule.
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.