calculating travel time

[howardrichman]

I've been working w/ a sunroom contractor whom does installations throughout my state. I've completed several units for him so far. These are small 1-2 day rough-1 day finish, sometimes get jucky w/ HO extras. Just as most salesmen/contractors they want to economise to increase their profits. The next few jobs planned for me are at a travel distance of 1.25-1.5 hrs one way. The contractor probably didn'nt figure 100% of my gas,wear and tear, and time for all three days. I dought any do, and may assume the usuall charge for that typical job. To not charge to overwelm the contractor, I'll have to compromise a cost and put it to them before I start, but I'm still working out the cost. What I usually do is charge one way travel to bring the traveling to a common job travel of a job in the common work area. Even 1way @45min. should still have a slight charge. Any opinions?

HR

 

[rodneee]

if you can get someone to pay you for travel time that's great. until i can get my hands on a picture of any customer's wife with tiger woods in the wrong situation i get nothing for travel time.

 

[jwjrw]

On jobs" in town" I do not charge travel time. On jobs 30 mins away or more I add 30.00 to my bill for gas. On jobs 1 away I add 60. I never mention travel time. Saves me trying to explian why I need it.

 

[roger3829]

I always charge travel time.
My invoices say on the bottom

"Total time billed includes travel to/from job and materail pickup"

It's all part of doing the job

 

[ultramegabob]

if you can get someone to pay you for travel time that's great. until i can get my hands on a picture of any customer's wife with tiger woods in the wrong situation i get nothing for travel time.

Im sure not going to drive for two hours a day and pay for the gas to go work on someone elses project and not be compensated for it, no matter how you write it out on the bill you need to get paid for that time and fuel.....

 

[cowboyjwc]

It's really based on quantum mechanics and string theroy. You would have to use speed of light as your main measurement.......

Whoops just reread the post You said "travel time", I had it backwards. Never mind.

 

[jwjrw]

Its a cost of doing business thing. I include it in my price because it cost me money and I'm trying to make money not lose money....

 

[iwire]

The real fun begins when you have 40 - 4 hr jobs in 40 different stores in five states. :grin:

 

[LarryFine]

If the job is out of town, I charge my working rates for travel time if it's hourly. I may not be working, but the van certainly is. I figure travel into most jobs that I give a price on, without specifically itemizing it.

How have you been doing these sunrooms so far? A flat price? If so, have a discussion with the contractor; he knows it costs more to do out-of-town work. You must be able to talk to those you work with.

 

[howardrichman]

I've only done a few of these rooms so far, and they expect to be billed the same as of same quanity of work as a package job,sa 7 device price -no bsmnt vs 4 device w/ac condensor package slab, even though I explain not one of these jobs can be billed the same, w/travel being only one factor.
HR...

 

[jaylectricity]

If they would rather keep you doing the work because you've already worked with them and they trust you, they'll pay the travel time. It's not worth the hassle of finding another guy to avoid paying a little extra for the ones that are a little out of the way for you.

And if they don't see it that way, tell them why they should be seeing it that way.

 

[ultramegabob]

If they act like they dont understand why you cant do a job that is in town vs. a job that involves two hours of driving time and fuel for the same price. They are either idiots or playing you for an idiot, do you think they charge thier customers the same price no matter where the job is? Either way I wouldnt want to do business with them, just stand your ground and tell them jobs that are farther away cost more money....

 

[jaylectricity]

I've only done a few of these rooms so far, and they expect to be billed the same as of same quanity of work as a package job,sa 7 device price -no bsmnt vs 4 device w/ac condensor package slab, even though I explain not one of these jobs can be billed the same, w/travel being only one factor.
HR...

Then you need to make sure that your cost for each job is higher than it should be for the easier ones so that it makes up for the more difficult ones. You win some and you lose some if you choose to play the game.

 

[brian john]

I've been working w/ a sunroom contractor whom does installations throughout my state. I've completed several units for him so far. These are small 1-2 day rough-1 day finish, sometimes get jucky w/ HO extras. Just as most ?

HR

I wish our travel time was ONLY 1 to 1.5 hours one way.

 

[jaylectricity]

To elaborate, I had a colleague who installed sump pump systems. He needed me to give him a single price to put a receptacle near the sump pump if there wasn't one already. But he needed the single price so that he didn't have to call me over to give an estimate on chicken feed and he could get the deal done with the customer.

It worked pretty well. Sometimes I could just get some power from a nearby box, he'd ramset a 2X4 on to the concrete and I could give him a plug in 15 minutes.

Other times I would have to run a new circuit from the panel, or even do a little piping to put the receptacle where he needed it. The cost balanced out, but if the jobs got much more difficult with more consistency I would have said, "Hey, I can't do these for that price anymore."

 

[AV ELECTRIC]

I dont understand how you cant charge for drive time . you as an electrician your truck and tools have value.You are transporting a service it needs to be billed for. if a truck driver didnt bill for driving and only billed for offloading i would think he would have undervalued his services quite a bit. I would bill a percentage per mile you drive to the job . The wiring of the enclosure would be constant unless there are changes . I Would run a dedicated circuit which you can not figure as a lump sum value to many variables . Panel location age and space availability and parts house location in the area your working . JUst a few things to think about but if this is survival mode get as much as you can until something better comes along.

 

[readydave8]

A few years ago I sub-subbed a job from another electrical contractor, unhooking a fryer at 70 McDonalds. I bid based on how many I thought I could do in a day, added in travel and road expenses.

Each store was a little different, but similiar. I wound up doing 2 1/2 times the production I expected, and made more money in less time than usual.

David Shapiro had a column in one of the trade magazines a few years ago about heuristics. Keep it simple, give the customer a fixed price so he can make his decision. You don't want him to start thinking about what you do with how much of the money. You want him to think in terms of whether or not the job is worth the price to him.

 

[zappy]

I charge .60 cents per mile, each way.

 

[howardrichman]

Thanks for replies;
I posted in reguards to confirm charges I've already figured in. I did charge for both ways ,but at a reduced rate plus most gas used. As I said; to be fair w/ the contractor I charged him for the extra distance, than I would consider the average to do these jobs, compared from any previous job I had done for them. Usually no more than ~40min. The only drawback to these distance jobs are you usually have to either work a little late or spend another day to finish which can cost. I just make sure prior to estemate, I confirm total job is cost effective. At that point it's take it or leave it! When The numbers are written down in my estemate book; I'll know what I HAVE to make by the end of that day, and no salesman or building contractor will be able to convince me otherwise.

HR...

 

[ohmhead]

Well general question relative to post this worker travels 154 miles oneway everday back and forth from home to work site in company truck but company does not pay worker in truck they supply truck and gas .


The job is 2.5 years start to finish do you add gas time , tires , oil change ?

If you had a company who had a job like this would you pay worker for total trip ?


Would you pay 1/2 trip time ?


Or is 2.5 hours one way each day travel time not in the budget?



Keep in mind this is 5 hours in good traffic .




Would you put them up in a hotel ?


Is there a state law on travel time in you state ?

In florida its if your not doing company work but just travel to and from work its no pay .

If your actually doing work lets say picking up material its pay time .

Comments on 2.5 hours ?