Mobile mechanics: does today's route actually pay? Free, no signup.
Everything below is measured against this rate. Set it to what your time is worth after expenses, not your wish number.
Revenue per job = what you keep on the job (labor + your parts margin), not the customer's total bill.
Parts runs and quoting are unpaid but eat your day. Count them.
Take your monthly overhead (insurance, tool payments, phone, software) and divide by work days.
Set your bar: the minimum dollars per hour you will work for ($75 default). Pick a route preset: Steady day, Light day, or Heavy day. Each fills jobs booked, average revenue per job, wrench minutes per job, drive minutes between stops, first-stop drive, and parts run or admin minutes. The note under average revenue matters: enter what you keep on the job (labor plus your parts margin), not the customer total bill. Parts runs and quoting are unpaid but eat your day, so the note says to count them. In day costs enter total miles at $0.70 per mile and your fixed daily cost: monthly overhead (insurance, tool payments, phone, software) divided by work days. Results show day revenue, drive cost, fixed cost, day profit, committed hours, effective dollars per hour across the whole day, and a verdict: ROUTE PAYS, TIGHT ROUTE (with the one-more-job math), UNDERBOOKED OR UNDERPRICED (with the exact revenue needed), or LOSING DAY. The monthly planner converts your goal into work days needed at this route pace.
Example only, not typical pricing. Steady preset at a $75 bar: 4 jobs at $220 kept each, 60 wrench minutes per job, 25 between stops, 20 first stop, 30 parts run, 60 miles at $0.70, $40 fixed daily. Committed time is 240 + 75 + 20 + 30 = 365 minutes, or 6.08 hours. Revenue is $880, drive cost $42, fixed cost $40, profit $798, so the effective rate is $131.18 per hour: ROUTE PAYS. A $6,000 monthly goal needs 7.6 work days at $798 per day.
**Why plan the day instead of quoting each job?** You already quote jobs; the route is where mobile mechanics lose money. Two $250 jobs 40 minutes apart can pay less per hour than three $180 jobs clustered together, and only the day view shows it.
**What counts as committed hours?** Everything the day costs you: wrench time, all driving, parts runs, and admin. The verdict measures profit against this full day, not just billable time.
**How do I figure my fixed daily cost?** Add monthly insurance, tool payments, phone, and software, then divide by your work days per month. It is the money the day owes before the first job pays anything.
**What does TIGHT ROUTE mean?** Your rate is close but under your bar, and one more average job would likely fix it without much extra driving. It is a booking problem, not a pricing problem.
**Should I count parts margin in average revenue?** Yes, what you keep: labor plus your parts margin. Parts you pass through at cost are not revenue.