Drive time
Drive time is the paid time a crew spends driving between the shop and jobs; it costs vehicle money and crew hours but earns nothing.
- travel time
- windshield time
- windshield hours
Count both parts of the cost: the vehicle (fuel, wear and insurance) and the crew's wages for the hours on the road. The IRS business standard mileage rate, 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026, is a public reference for a car's cost per mile (IRS standard mileage rates); a truck towing a trailer costs more.
Drive time is the main reason to price a minimum charge and to work on route density.
Formula
daily drive cost = miles × vehicle cost per mile + drive hours × crew cost per hour
Example
Invented example: 95 miles at $0.76 is $72.20, and 3 hours of a two-person crew at $64 an hour is $192, so the day's driving costs $264.20.
Track it in Birdy
Leads, quotes, jobs and invoices on one customer record, set up with your own data.
Related
- FeatureScheduling and dispatchA day board with one row per truck, road routes on a map, rain-day moves and capacity at a glance.Read
- Free toolJob profit calculatorWork out one job's margin and profit from the price, the crew's hours, drive time, chemicals and overhead.Read
- GuideRoute densityWhat route density is, how to measure it, what drive time really costs a home service crew, and practical ways to cluster jobs by area, day and plan.Read
- GlossaryRoute densityRoute density is how tightly a crew's jobs are packed together, measured as jobs or revenue per mile or per hour of driving.Read
- GlossaryMinimum chargeA minimum charge is the lowest price you will do any visit for, set to cover the drive, setup, the smallest real job, pack-up and your margin.Read
- GlossaryRevenue per truck dayRevenue per truck day is completed job revenue divided by truck days, where one truck day is one crew working one day.Read