A traffic control docket is the signed record of a shift: who worked, from when to when, with which vehicles and equipment, and what changed on the day. It is the evidence behind your invoice and your pay run, and it is the first thing a client asks for when they query the hours. This free digital docket does the job of a paper docket book on your phone, then locks the finished record so nobody can quietly change it later.
What goes on a traffic control docket
A good docket lets the office invoice the client and pay the crew without ringing anyone. The tool asks for each of these, in the order you'd fill them in on site.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Client, job or PO number, site address | Matches the docket to the booking and the client's purchase order |
| Date and TGS number | Ties the shift to the approved plan the crew worked to |
| Crew names, roles and ticket numbers | Shows who was on site, at what rate, and that they held a current ticket |
| Start, finish and unpaid break | The core of both the invoice and the pay run |
| Vehicles and equipment | Supports the charges for utes, TMAs, VMS boards, arrow boards and portable signals |
| Standby and waiting time | The most argued line on traffic control invoices |
| Notes and variations | Records extensions, extra equipment and client instructions |
| Client representative and supervisor signatures | Both sides confirm the record on the day |
| Location and time at signing | Shows the docket was signed on site, not at home that night |
Our guide to traffic control dockets explains where paper dockets lose money and how to switch to digital.
How the docket works out hours
For each person, hours are the finish time minus the start time minus the unpaid break. If the finish is earlier than the start, the tool treats it as a night shift that ran past midnight. The total at the top adds up every crew row, and the panel shows the earliest start and the latest finish across the crew.
The docket records actual times. Minimum charges (often 4 hours per controller), penalty rates and overtime belong on the quote and the invoice, not on the docket. Keeping them apart avoids the most common argument: a client sees 2.5 hours on the docket and 4 hours on the invoice and assumes something is wrong. If the minimum was in the quote, the docket and the invoice both make sense. The traffic control quote builder puts the minimum, penalty rates and standby terms in writing before the job starts.
A worked example
A three-person crew runs stop/slow for a stormwater pit on a Tuesday. The booking is 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.
| Name | Role | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Lee | Team leader | 06:30 | 15:45 | 30 min | 8.75 |
| Priya Nair | Traffic controller | 06:30 | 15:45 | 30 min | 8.75 |
| Tom Walsh | Traffic controller | 07:00 | 15:45 | 30 min | 8.25 |
| Total | 25.75 |
The excavator arrived at 8:10 am, so the crew stood by for 40 minutes after setting up. The client's site manager asked them to stay until 3:45 pm to finish the backfill. The team leader records both:
- Standby: 40 minutes, "excavator not on site", requested by the site manager.
- Notes: "Site manager (J. Smith) asked crew to stay 45 min past booked finish. Extra arrow board brought in at 10:30."
- Equipment: 1 ute for 9.25 hours, 1 arrow board for 1 day, 1 set of signs and stands.
The site manager reads the docket on the phone and signs with a finger. The phone records the location and time. The team leader signs and taps Finish docket. The docket gets a reference such as DK-261027-7KQ2XM and a fingerprint, and the PDF goes to the client before the crew leaves site. When the invoice for 25.75 crew hours plus standby arrives a week later, the client already has the signed record.
Signatures, location and the tamper check
Three things make a digital docket stronger evidence than a paper one.
The signature matches what was signed. If anyone changes the crew, times, equipment or notes after the client has signed, the tool flags it and won't finish the docket until the client signs again.
Location and time are captured on the spot. The phone's GPS location, accuracy and time are recorded when the client signs and again when you finish. If location is blocked or unavailable, the docket says so rather than leaving a blank.
A fingerprint shows later changes. Finishing calculates a SHA-256 fingerprint (a 64-character code) from everything on the docket, including the signatures and photos. It's printed on the PDF. Change one minute in one start time and the fingerprint is completely different. Download the docket file (.json) and keep it with the job: anyone can load it into the checker on this page to confirm it hasn't been edited since it was finished.
Using dockets in disputes and progress claims
Most invoice queries in traffic control are about time: the crew arrived later or left earlier than the invoice says, or the client didn't expect the minimum charge. A docket signed on the day, with the standby reason and the extension written down, usually settles it in one email.
For larger jobs, dockets are also the evidence behind progress claims. Group them by week, match each one to the TGS and the permit, and attach the hours CSV to the claim. Our guides on progress claim evidence and handling client complaints go further.
Common docket mistakes:
- filling the docket in at home, hours after the shift
- rounding times instead of recording the actual start and finish
- leaving out the extension or the extra equipment brought in during the shift
- getting a passing labourer to sign instead of the client's authorised representative
Privacy and where your data lives
Everything you enter stays in this browser on this device. The draft saves as you type, finished dockets go into the history, and photos are shrunk to 1000 pixels to save space. Nothing is uploaded to TrafWise. If the device's storage fills up, the tool tells you and removes photos from the oldest dockets first; their fingerprints still check out because the fingerprint stores each photo's own code.
Because the docket records names, ticket numbers and location, tell your crew and clients what is collected and why. Check your state's workplace surveillance rules and the Australian Privacy Principles if location data is part of your process.
State differences and when to get advice
Docket requirements come from your client contracts rather than a road standard, so the same docket works in every state. Some principal contractors want their own docket format or a specific sign-off person, and some government contracts require dockets to be lodged in their own systems. Check the contract.
Electronic signatures are generally accepted for business records in Australia under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 and the matching state laws. If a large claim or a court case turns on a docket, get legal advice.
From one docket to every shift
This free docket covers one crew and one shift at a time on one device. When the office needs every crew's dockets in one place, approved the same day and flowing into payroll and invoicing, that's what TrafWise's digital timesheets do in the crew app. Keep crew tickets current with the ticket expiry tracker, and let the crew check their pay against the docket hours with the traffic controller pay calculator.