Compare
ControlBoard vs HCSS Dispatcher
HCSS Dispatcher is an electronic scheduler that replaces the magnet board: equipment moves,
availability, rentals, crews and drivers, with schedules texted to the workforce. Its product page now
points visitors to HCSS Resource Planner. ControlBoard® covers the same ground: labor, crews, machines,
rentals, moves and trips on one board. It adds field time from the schedule, a payroll file, the daily
log, a labor forecast and job cost, at a published per-person price. It reads HCSS HeavyBid
estimates and works beside the accounting system you already run.
Facts checked October 31, 2026 from public sources listed below.
Choose HCSS Dispatcher if
Heavy civil contractors that already run HCSS HeavyBid and HeavyJob and want one vendor for estimating, field and scheduling, with HCSS’s round-the-clock support and a long record with large heavy civil firms.
Choose ControlBoard® if
Construction companies of any size that want labor and equipment on one board with time, payroll file and job cost from the same schedule, keep their accounting system, and want a published per-person price.
Side by side
| ControlBoard® | HCSS Dispatcher | |
|---|---|---|
| What it schedules | Labor, crews, equipment, rentals, subcontractors and material | Equipment moves, availability and rentals; crews and drivers |
| Status | ControlBoard 2.0, released 2026 | Product page points to Resource Planner: ‘Looking for Dispatcher? Meet Resource Planner.’ |
| Sends the schedule | App, text or email per person; two-way job threads | Text schedules to the workforce |
| Field time | Punch with location rules, typed hours, foreman crew sheet; weekly approval; payroll file | HCSS HeavyJob, a separate product |
| Labor forecast | Per job by trade, crew or cost code; company labor plan | Not described on the Dispatcher page |
| Job cost | Budget, committed, cost to date, scheduled and projected final | Not described on the Dispatcher page |
| HeavyBid | Reads the HeavyBid detail cost report into budget and needs | Same vendor |
| Licensing | Per person, by what each person does | Concurrent-user licences |
| Published prices | Yes, from $4 a person a month | No; pricing varies by customer, two-step quote form |
| Support | Unlimited, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern, by phone or email, included | 24/7 support |
| Scale | Congistics Inc. since 2004; ControlBoard since 2015 | 4,000+ contractors; 43 of the ENR Top 50 heavy civil contractors use HCSS |
From people who switched
“Efficient, Intuitive, and Well-Supported—ControlBoard Delivers”
With ControlBoard, resources can be scheduled easily, and complex labor forecasts can be prepared, ensuring we run efficiently without hiccups or guessing.
★★★★★
Tomas Z, VP of OperationsPihl ExcavatingCapterra review, 05/23/2025
Common questions
Is ControlBoard an HCSS Dispatcher alternative?
Yes. ControlBoard schedules equipment, moves, rentals, crews and drivers on one board, as Dispatcher does. It adds field time, the daily log, a payroll file, a labor forecast and job cost from the same schedule. Contractors who want all of their estimating, field and scheduling from one heavy civil vendor may prefer to stay with HCSS.
Is HCSS retiring Dispatcher?
HCSS has not said so on its Dispatcher page as of 31 October 2026. The page carries a banner reading ‘Looking for Dispatcher? Meet Resource Planner,’ which it presents as the modern way to schedule crews, equipment and work. Contractors on Dispatcher who are weighing a move can compare Resource Planner and ControlBoard side by side.
Can we keep using HeavyBid with ControlBoard?
Yes. ControlBoard reads the HeavyBid detail cost report. Each bid line is mapped once to a cost code and activity, and rules propose the mapping for the next bid. The mapped bid builds the job’s budget and its labor and equipment needs, so the estimate becomes the schedule’s plan without retyping.
Sources
- HCSS Dispatcher, seen 2026-10-31
- HCSS pricing, seen 2026-10-31
- HCSS home page, seen 2026-10-31
- HCSS HeavyJob, seen 2026-10-31