GUIDE

Should I charge clients for drive time?

Q: Should I charge clients for drive time?

You can either include travel in your flat rate or bill it as a separate line item. TradesTimer helps you see exactly how much time you spend on 'trips' versus 'stops' so you can price your services to cover your actual movement.

By Ryder Wishart — years on the tools, then time tracking in a contractor’s back office · Updated 2026-06-08

QUICK QUIZ

When calculating your 'effective hourly rate,' why is it a mistake to only look at the duration of your 'stops'?

If you only track jobsite duration, you are ignoring the time spent moving, which significantly lowers your actual earnings per hour.

While stops are often longer, the issue isn't the length, but the fact that the time spent on trips is a cost that must be accounted for.

Mileage is actually derived from the 'trips' (the movement between stops) rather than the time spent at the jobsite itself.

True profitability is found in the gap between your total working hours (stops + trips) and your total billable hours.

The Service Fee Model

Many solo pros avoid the friction of billing for 'drive time' by using a flat call-out fee. This fee covers your travel within a specific radius and prevents clients from feeling 'nickel and dimed' by minute-by-minute travel charges.

This approach is best for short-duration jobs where the overhead of calculating travel time would be more complex than the profit gained.

The Hourly Travel Rate

If you choose to bill for travel, treat it as billable time. However, transparency is vital. You must clearly state in your quotes that travel time is billed at a specific rate to avoid disputes when the final total arrives.

This model works well for long-distance service calls where the time spent on the road significantly impacts your daily capacity.

Calculating Your True Profit

Even if you don't charge the client for driving, you must account for it in your business math. Every 'trip' recorded is time and fuel spent that isn't generating direct revenue.

By reviewing your total trip duration against your total stop duration, you can determine if your current pricing structure is actually covering your vehicle's wear and tear and your lost opportunity costs.

FAQ

Should I charge extra for heavy traffic?

It is usually better to include a 'buffer' in your initial estimate rather than billing for unexpected delays, which can frustrate clients.

How do I track mileage for these trips?

Using an automated tool allows you to capture the distance of every trip between stops without manual entry, making tax season much simpler.

Last updated 2026-06-08.