Service Call Pricing Calculator
A service call that only covers wrench time loses money on every drive. Enter your loaded labor cost, average drive and on-site time, typical parts, and the margin you want, and this calculator returns a flat service call price and the equivalent hourly rate.
Call Details
Wage plus burden.
Round trip, door to door.
Fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance.
Truck stock used on a diagnostic call.
Total time committed
1.58 hrs
Drive plus on-site
Cost to run the call
$142.51
Recommended service call price
$190.01
Profit per call
$47.50
Effective rate on total time
$120.01/hr
Equivalent on-site hourly rate
$190.01/hr
What the price works out to per wrench hour
Why Drive Time Decides The Price
A one-hour diagnostic with a thirty-five minute round trip is really a ninety-five minute commitment. Price it against the hour and you give away a third of the technician's day. This calculator charges the full committed time, then shows what that price works out to per on-site hour so you can compare it to your posted labor rate.
Tightening The Number
Two levers move this price more than anything else: drive time and parts. Routing calls by area rather than by call order cuts committed time on every stop, and stocking the twenty parts that resolve most diagnostics removes the second trip that quietly doubles the cost of the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should a service call fee include the first hour of labor?
- Both models work as long as the customer understands which one you use. A diagnostic-only fee is easier to justify on the phone; a fee that includes the first hour reads as better value but has to be priced to cover a full hour of on-site time plus the drive.
- Do I charge for drive time?
- You pay for it either way, so it belongs in the price whether or not it appears as a line item. Most shops bury it in the service call fee rather than itemizing it, because a separate travel charge invites an argument at the door.
- Should the fee be waived if the customer approves the repair?
- Waiving it is a common closing tool, but only works if your repair pricing already absorbs the diagnostic cost. Run the repair price through the job profit calculator with the diagnostic hours included before you offer to waive anything.
- How much should after-hours calls cost?
- Price the premium off your actual after-hours labor cost, including any overtime multiplier and the on-call stipend, not off a round number. Most shops land somewhere between 1.5x and 2x the daytime fee.
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