Mobile App Overview
The Excavation Expert mobile app is what field crews use day-to-day. It runs on iOS and Android, works offline, and gives each role a focused view of just the tasks they need — no clutter, no desktop web UI on a small screen.
Every role gets the mobile app at no extra cost on every plan. What a user sees depends on their role.
Download
Section titled “Download”Signing in
Section titled “Signing in”- Your office sends you an invitation email from Excavation Expert (the office adds you as personnel and clicks Invite — see the Personnel guide).
- Open the email on your phone. Tap the Sign in button — this is a magic link. No password to remember.
- The app opens automatically and signs you in with your name and role already set up by the office.
- Grant location permission when prompted — required for haul logs, snow plow logs, and timecard GPS capture.
What each role sees
Section titled “What each role sees”The mobile dashboard is role-aware — different users see different action cards based on their role and what’s relevant to their day.
- Operator / Labor / Mechanic: their assigned project(s), their timecard for today, equipment checks. Hidden: everyone else’s timecards, financial totals.
- Driver: their assigned truck, active haul job (if any), snow shift (winter), fuel report. Hidden: other drivers’ routes, financial totals.
- Foreman: projects where they’re set as
foremanId, crew timecard overview, equipment at each site. Can mark tasks complete. - Owner / Manager / Bookkeeper: everything — full company view, all logs, financial figures, bid list, live fleet map.
Field roles cannot see financial fields — bid amounts, approved prices, haul log pricing are stripped from API responses before they hit a driver’s phone.
Main features by area
Section titled “Main features by area”| Feature | Who uses it |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Everyone (role-filtered summary) |
| Projects | Everyone (filtered to assignments) |
| Timecards | Everyone (own time logged) |
| Haul logs | Drivers, Operators (log loads) |
| Snow plow logs | Drivers with plow trucks |
| Equipment | Operators, Mechanics (status, fuel reports) |
| Inventory | Foremen, crews (log materials used) |
| Tasks | Crews (mark complete as work progresses) |
| Documents & photos | Everyone (upload field photos) |
| Ask AI | Everyone (natural-language questions about company data) |
| Bids | Owner / Manager only |
| Live fleet map | Owner / Manager (real-time trucks/crews) |
Offline mode
Section titled “Offline mode”The mobile app works offline. Field crews can:
- Clock in and out
- Log haul jobs
- Track snow plow shifts
- Upload photos
- Mark tasks complete
All without cell signal. Changes queue locally and sync automatically the next time the device reconnects. No data is lost if you’re working in a basement, deep in a canyon, or out on a remote job.
GPS permission
Section titled “GPS permission”Location permission is requested during first-time app setup and is required for:
- Haul logs (route tracking, origin/destination capture)
- Snow plow logs (route tracking during plow shifts)
- Timecard tasks (location at clock-in for verification)
If permission is denied, the app still works — tasks save without GPS. But you’ll lose route replay on logs and site-proximity verification on timecards. You can re-grant permission from your phone’s settings.
Push notifications
Section titled “Push notifications”Currently in progress — notifications permission is requested on first launch, but server-side delivery is a forthcoming feature. Once shipped, expect alerts for:
- New bid assignments
- Crew schedule changes
- Urgent task assignments
Switching companies
Section titled “Switching companies”Some users work for more than one contractor on Excavation Expert. The app detects that and shows a company picker on launch — tap the company you want to work in, and your role/permissions scope to that business.