TL;DR: A site logistics plan is only as good as the base it is drawn on. 3D planners model cranes, hoists and phases. Delivery tools book gates, cranes and laydown slots. Markup tools draw the plan on a PDF drawing. Current drone maps show what is actually on site this week. Most contractors use two of these together.
Key takeaways
- Logistics is a safety issue. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,034 construction workers died on the job in 2024.
- Bad information wastes time. According to an FMI and PlanGrid study, construction professionals spend 35% of their time on non-productive work, including looking for project information.
- The stakes are large. According to the US Census Bureau, construction put in place in the US was worth $2,164.4 billion in 2025.
- Plans go stale fast. A logistics plan drawn on an old aerial or the design drawing misses what has changed on site since.
- A current map helps. According to the help center of Birdi (birdi.io), drone maps can be marked up with lines, polygons and markers and compared by date.
What goes into a site logistics plan?
A site logistics plan sets out site access and gates, traffic routes and pedestrian paths, laydown and storage areas, crane and hoist positions and reach, delivery times, welfare facilities, and how each changes by phase. It keeps materials, plant and people moving safely in a tight space. It changes as the build progresses.
Most plans start on the design drawing or an old aerial photo. That works at the start. However, a site changes weekly: stockpiles move, excavations open, temporary works appear. A plan that is not updated against the real site leads to blocked access, double handling and unsafe routes.
Who uses the plan
The site manager owns it. Subcontractors use it to plan deliveries and work areas. The crane operator and traffic controllers use it daily. And neighbors and authorities may need to see parts of it. So the plan has to be easy to share and easy to update. For keeping site data in one place, see our guide to managing site data across teams.
How did we choose and compare the tools?
We chose tools that contractors use to plan site logistics, and compared them on the base the plan is drawn on, crane and delivery planning, phasing, data types in one view, access for people outside the paid team, and pricing. Birdi (birdi.io) is listed first, and the order is not a ranking. Facts were checked on October 8, 2026.
The tools do different jobs, so we say plainly which job each does. Purpose-built logistics tools model cranes and book deliveries; Birdi does neither, and its entry says so.
The best construction site logistics planning tools in 2026
The site logistics tools compared here are Birdi, cmBuilder, Follo, Bluebeam and Procore. One plans on current drone maps, one models logistics in 3D and 4D, one books deliveries and lifts, one marks up PDF drawings, and one manages the wider project. Each entry carries the same fields, checked on October 8, 2026.
1. Birdi
Best for: Site teams that want to plan on a current drone map of the site, mark it up and share it with subcontractors each week.
Typical customer size / segment: Mid-sized construction and civil teams of roughly 30 to 500 staff.
Key strengths:
- Markers, lines and polygons drawn on the current drone map, styled by color and label.
- DXF site plans and design linework overlaid on the map in 2D.
- Timeline and split screen show how the site changed between captures.
Base the plan is drawn on: Current drone maps you capture, plus design overlays.
Crane and delivery planning: Not supported. No crane models or delivery booking.
Access for people outside the paid team: Guests view and download without a paid seat, and view-only links share one map.
Data types in one view: Orthomosaics, elevation models, point clouds, 360 photos, PDFs and DXF overlays.
Watch-outs: Not for a GIS analyst who needs a full desktop GIS. It also does not suit anyone who wants existing aerial imagery supplied.
Pricing: Growth is $287 USD a month, billed annually. Ultimate is priced by quote (checked October 8, 2026).
2. cmBuilder
Best for: Teams that want to model site logistics in 3D, simulate phases in 4D and show the plan to stakeholders.
Typical customer size / segment: Large construction projects and general contractors.
Key strengths:
- Cloud-based 3D site logistics plans and 4D construction sequences.
- A catalog of parametric resources such as fixed and mobile cranes, fences, scaffolding, hoists and shoring.
- Runs in a web browser for sharing with the project team.
Base the plan is drawn on: 3D models built in the tool.
Crane and delivery planning: Crane and resource modeling in 3D.
Access for people outside the paid team: Shared through its web platform; terms by quote.
Data types in one view: 3D site models and sequences.
Watch-outs: It models the plan rather than recording the site as built, so it needs a current base to stay accurate.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
3. Follo
Best for: Sites that need to book deliveries, crane picks, hoist picks and laydown areas day to day.
Typical customer size / segment: Busy, constrained sites with many trades.
Key strengths:
- Booking of jobsite deliveries, crane picks and hoist picks.
- Management of laydown areas.
- Ready-mix concrete details, such as slump, mix design and pump size.
Base the plan is drawn on: The site's logistics layout and booking calendar.
Crane and delivery planning: Yes, as its core job.
Access for people outside the paid team: Subcontractors and suppliers book through the platform.
Data types in one view: Bookings, logistics resources and delivery details.
Watch-outs: It schedules logistics rather than drawing the site plan, so pair it with a plan on a current base.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
4. Bluebeam
Best for: Site managers who draw logistics plans on PDF drawings with scaled markups.
Typical customer size / segment: Contractors of all sizes that already use Bluebeam for drawings.
Key strengths:
- Calibrated measurement and sketch tools to lay out staging zones, access routes and equipment clearances on a PDF drawing.
- Saved, shareable markups to standardize plans across projects.
- Familiar to many site and project teams.
Base the plan is drawn on: PDF drawings.
Crane and delivery planning: Drawn as markups, not modeled or booked.
Access for people outside the paid team: PDFs and Bluebeam sessions shared with the team.
Data types in one view: PDF drawings and markups.
Watch-outs: The base is the drawing, not the site as it is today.
Pricing: Subscriptions from its pricing page.
5. Procore
Best for: Contractors who want logistics plans stored with drawings, documents and daily logs for every project.
Typical customer size / segment: General contractors and owners of all sizes.
Key strengths:
- Unlimited users, including subcontractors, under its pricing model.
- Drawings, photos and documents in one system of record.
- Unlimited storage.
Base the plan is drawn on: Drawings and uploaded plans.
Crane and delivery planning: Not its focus.
Access for people outside the paid team: Unlimited users on every contract.
Data types in one view: Documents, drawings, photos and project records.
Watch-outs: It is a construction management system; logistics planning itself happens in other tools.
Pricing: An annual fee by product, based on annual construction volume (checked October 8, 2026).
How do you keep a logistics plan current?
Keep it current by re-capturing the site regularly and redrawing the plan on the new base at each phase change. A weekly or fortnightly drone map shows what has moved: stockpiles, excavations, temporary works and laydown. Update the plan, share the new version, and keep earlier versions so you can see how the site evolved.
A routine for each phase
- Capture the site at the start of each phase, and weekly on busy sites.
- Redraw access, laydown and exclusion zones on the new map.
- Check crane positions and reach against the current layout, in a 3D tool where needed.
- Share the plan with subcontractors and update the delivery booking system.
- Keep each version, dated, so changes are traceable.
For using aerial data in site decisions, see our article on decision-making with aerial site data.
Frequently asked questions
What is a construction site logistics plan?
A construction site logistics plan sets out how materials, plant and people move on a site: access and gates, routes, laydown areas, crane and hoist positions, delivery times and welfare facilities, phase by phase. It keeps work safe and efficient in limited space, and it changes as the build progresses.
How do you plan a laydown area?
Choose ground that is level, accessible to delivery vehicles and within crane reach of where materials are needed, away from excavations and pedestrian routes. Mark it on a current map or plan, size it for the deliveries in each phase, and book deliveries so the area does not overflow.
What software do contractors use for site logistics?
Contractors use 3D planners such as cmBuilder to model cranes and phases, booking tools such as Follo for deliveries and lifts, markup tools such as Bluebeam on PDF drawings, and drone platforms such as Birdi to plan on a current map. Many combine two of these.
How often should a logistics plan be updated?
At every phase change, and whenever the site layout changes enough to affect access, laydown or crane use. On busy sites, a weekly review against a current map catches changes before they cause problems. Share each update with subcontractors and keep earlier versions.
Can drone maps be used for site planning?
Yes. A current drone map shows the site as it is, so planners can mark access routes, laydown areas and exclusion zones on real conditions rather than an old drawing. Drone maps do not model crane lifts or book deliveries, so pair them with tools that do.
About the author
This guide was written by the Birdi team. Birdi (birdi.io) is a geospatial AI workspace that construction, civil and mining teams use to share drone surveys, site plans and project data in one map. We checked every product fact against each vendor's own website or help center on October 8, 2026.
Related reading
- Safer construction projects: five ways geospatial data supports safety.
- Drone, 360 and point clouds: platforms that show every data type in one place.
- Sharing drone maps: getting maps to the people who need them.
Sources
Independent
- Construction Dive. "Construction's deaths, fatality rate declined in 2024." 2026, reporting the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. https://www.constructiondive.com/news/constructions-deaths-fatality-rate-2024-hazards/812666/
- FMI and PlanGrid. "Construction Disconnected." 2018. http://pg.plangrid.com/rs/572-JSV-775/images/Construction_Disconnected.pdf
- U.S. Census Bureau. "Monthly Construction Spending, December 2025." https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/pdf/pr202512.pdf
Vendor documentation (read October 8, 2026)
- Birdi Help Center. "How to use annotation tools on your 2D map" and "How to customize and style your annotations." https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/10389705
- Birdi Help Center. "How to upload vector data to your map." https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/10382988
- Birdi Help Center. "How do I share a map with a user?" https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/6113402
- Birdi. "Pricing." https://www.birdi.io/pricing
- cmBuilder. https://www.cmbuilder.io/
- Follo. https://www.follo.no/en
- Bluebeam. "Construction logistics software." https://www.bluebeam.com/workflows/site-logistics/
- Procore. "Pricing." https://www.procore.com/pricing
