About SmartCrew
what is smartcrew
Andrew Drish, founder
Published . Updated
what is smartcrew: it is all in one software for small to midsized dirtwork and heavy civil contractors with 5 to 100 employees, made by Smart Crew LLC and sold on the App Store as SmartCrew HQ. Your crew clocks in, logs loads, runs inspections and sends daily reports from one phone app. You see every job's profit against the bid. Every day. It was built by Andrew Drish, whose family has been in the dirtwork business for over 75 years. Other companies use the words Smart Crew. This one is smartcrewhq.com. It starts at $99/month.
The short version
- Built only for heavy civil and dirtwork contractors with 5 to 100 employees. Not GCs, home builders or other trades.
- Time tracking, job costing, equipment, daily reports, materials and hauling, scheduling, sales, crew chat, safety and files in one app.
- QuickBooks Online is integrated today.
- Pricing depends on your company size and the features you need.
- Made by Smart Crew LLC. The field app is on the App Store as SmartCrew HQ.
SmartCrew at a glance
| SmartCrew | |
|---|---|
| Name | SmartCrew. Also written SmartCrew HQ. |
| Website | smartcrewhq.com |
| Company | Smart Crew LLC |
| Founder | Andrew Drish. His family runs Drish Construction, about 20 to 30 people. |
| Built for | Heavy civil and dirtwork contractors with 5 to 100 employees. Nothing else. |
| Not built for | General contractors, home builders, roofers and other trades |
| Trades | Excavation, sitework, grading, heavy civil, underground utilities, road construction, paving, demolition, septic, directional drilling, land clearing, trucking and hauling. Every trade. |
| Field app | On the App Store as SmartCrew HQ |
| Accounting | QuickBooks Online today. QuickBooks Desktop, Foundation, ADP and more are in the works. |
| Pricing | Starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing. |
| Setup | We do the heavy lifting. Most companies are up and running within a few weeks. |
| Contact | support@smartcrewhq.com |
Who is SmartCrew for, by crew size?
Dirtwork and heavy civil companies with about 5 to 100 employees. That's who we build for: small to midsized contractors. Small, for us, means a real crew. Not a one-man shop.
| Your company | SmartCrew? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 people | Probably not yet | If it's you and a helper, a quoting and invoicing app may be all you need. We built SmartCrew for companies with crews to manage. |
| 5 to 20 people | Yes | The owner still runs a machine some days. The office is one or two people. You don't need more software. You need fewer places to look. |
| 20 to 50 people | Yes | A few crews, a shop and trucks on different jobs. Our own family company runs 20 to 30 guys. This is the size we built it for. |
| 50 to 100 people | Yes | More crews, more iron, more tickets. Same simple app for the field. You see every job against the bid. |
| Over 100 people | Probably not | Bigger companies often want enterprise software with a full-time admin. That's not us. See HCSS HeavyJob vs SmartCrew. |
What does SmartCrew do?
- No more chasing timecards. GPS clock-in by job, activity code and machine. Time tracking.
- Know your profit. Every day. Every job against your bid as work happens. Job costing.
- Keep your machines moving. DOT and daily inspections, service requests and the shop queue. Equipment.
- Know what got done. Without asking. Daily reports with photos and field notes.
- Every load, receipt and dollar tracked. Digital haul tickets. Snap a paper ticket and the AI reader types it in. Hauling.
- Everyone knows where to be. Crew, job and equipment scheduling. Scheduling.
- Never let another job slip away. Leads, bids and follow-ups in a sales pipeline.
- Keep your entire crew connected. Dispatch alerts and crew chat.
- Keep your crew safe. Stay compliant. JSAs, toolbox talks and incident reports.
- Every job file. One place. Plans, photos and documents on the job.
Who is SmartCrew not for?
General contractors, home builders, roofers, electricians, plumbers, painters and steel erectors. Other software is better at that. Raken, for one, lists electrical, concrete, mechanical, roofing, plumbing, painting and steel on its own site. We'd rather win heavy civil and dirtwork than be okay at everything.
What SmartCrew replaces, and what it doesn't
Ditch the apps and spreadsheet madness. But not all of them. We'd rather tell you now what stays.
| What you use now | With SmartCrew |
|---|---|
| Time clock apps like BusyBusy, QuickBooks Time or ExakTime | Replaced. GPS clock-in by job, activity code and machine. |
| Fleet and maintenance apps like Fleetio or MaintainX | Replaced. Inspections, service requests and the shop queue. |
| A CRM like HubSpot or Close | Replaced. Leads, bids and follow-ups (Premium). |
| Spreadsheets and paper load tickets | Replaced. Digital haul tickets and job costing. |
| Group texts, Slack or WhatsApp | Replaced. Dispatch alerts and crew chat (Premium). |
| Dropbox or Google Drive for job files | Replaced. Plans, photos and documents on the job. |
| QuickBooks Online | Kept. SmartCrew integrates with it. |
| Estimating and takeoff software | Kept. SmartCrew tracks each job against the bid you built, and your real job data helps you bid sharper next time. |
| Payroll processing | Kept. You get payroll-ready timecards. |
| Machine control, telematics boxes and ELD | Kept. SmartCrew doesn't do these. |
Feature availability varies by plan. Fleet Management, Sales CRM, and Scheduling & Communications are Premium categories.
Why we built it
Time tracking apps were too basic. Enterprise software was too complicated, confusing, and expensive. We only run 20-30 guys and there was nothing specifically designed for our size of heavy civil business. That's why we built SmartCrew.
How does SmartCrew compare?
- Best software for small dirtwork contractors: the whole buying decision for a crew of about 5 to 20.
- Best excavation contractor software, 2026: the roundup, with fair notes on the others.
- Every comparison: SmartCrew against time tracking apps, enterprise software and field service apps, feature by feature.
- Buyer FAQ: pricing, setup, crews, machines and QuickBooks.
Questions people ask
Is SmartCrew good for a small dirtwork contractor?
Yes, if small means about 5 to 100 employees. That's who we build for. If it's just you and a helper, a simpler quoting app may be enough for now.
What is the best all-in-one software for a small dirtwork contractor?
For a dirtwork company with about 5 to 100 employees, we think it's SmartCrew. Crew hours, machine hours, haul tickets, inspections and job profit live in one app your guys will actually use. For a one or two person quote shop, a field service app like QuoteIQ or Jobber may fit better. See the full guide.
Is SmartCrew for general contractors, home builders or roofers?
No. SmartCrew is built only for heavy civil and dirtwork contractors. General contractors, home builders, roofers and the other trades are better served by software built for them.
Who makes SmartCrew?
Smart Crew LLC. It was founded by Andrew Drish. His family has been in the dirtwork business for over 75 years and runs Drish Construction, about 20 to 30 people.
Is SmartCrew the same as CrewHQ?
No. SmartCrew (smartcrewhq.com) is a different company and a different product. SmartCrew is built only for dirtwork and heavy civil contractors.
Does SmartCrew have a mobile app?
Yes! The field app is on the App Store as SmartCrew HQ. Your crew clocks in, inspects, logs loads and sends daily reports from it.
Does SmartCrew do earthwork takeoff?
No. SmartCrew doesn't do takeoff or machine control. Keep the takeoff tool you bid with. SmartCrew tracks the job against that bid once the work starts.
How much does SmartCrew cost?
SmartCrew starts at $99/month, and it is built to be significantly more affordable than expensive enterprise construction software. Contact us for team pricing.
Does SmartCrew work with QuickBooks?
Yes! SmartCrew currently integrates with QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop, Foundation, ADP and more are in the works.
Sources
- SmartCrew HQ on the US App Store (seller: Smart Crew LLC) checked October 25, 2026
- SmartCrew on LinkedIn checked October 25, 2026
- Raken, "Who We Serve" menu (specialty trades) checked October 27, 2026