Hours charged for tractor work

[mdmd531]

Refueling should be part of the hours whether it’s at the end of the day or beginning. That job is using fuel and some people don’t want to leave a full tank if there’s a chance someone might steal it. I have done some labor work for a contractor and been told that I charge him when I leave my house until I’m off the job and the keys to the rig are returned. I disagree. I prefer to be paid for my work not my driving time or lunch or standing around waiting for my que to start. If I was working for a big company that would be different. I have my own business and don’t like to charge for the time I visit but I’m told too bad cuz they’re paying me for listening to them. Local work means you probably know them and if they’re unhappy they’ll tell everyone. Myself, I’d rather take a little less than **** where I eat. Most people just want to know they’re getting their money’s worth.

 

[aircommuter]

Never heard of comp having a dollar limit. Here it is just available as an hourly rate. Sounds more like an additional insured is what you have on them.

 

[Fixastuff]

Never heard of comp having a dollar limit. Here it is just available as an hourly rate. Sounds more like an additional insured is what you have on them.

No, they are additional insured on my liability for 5 million and I have to show them I have 1 million in workman's comp for myself.

 

[Fixastuff]

And 1 million additionally insured on the auto insurance.

 

[aircommuter]

I guess thats good since your comp carrier is limited to that amount because comp claims can be ten or 20 times that much. Here it’s whatever a lawyer can get a jury to give them.

 

[duke7595]

I charge 'TRACK TIME' some call it ' seat Time' only those hours spent on the machine are billed to the customer. Depending upon the distance, I charge accordingly, example 10miles or less, no charge, over 10 miles and less than 30 miles I charge $150.00 over 30 miles flat fee of $250.00 however, 50 miles. is the limit of distance I will travel.

 

[olenjohn]

It is whatever is agreed to by both parties BEFORE the work starts. Too often this doesn’t happen and this is what causes disputes. I know of someone (owner) that hired a contractor to “ fix the road” without a clear understanding of what was going to be done and the cost to do it. When the owner got the bill they went ballistic. Contractor “fixed the road” as he saw fit and billed the owner as he saw fit. He had brought in a bulldozer, excavator and dump ruck with trailer to haul the equipment. The owner was billed the equipment hourly rate for all the equipment, truck and trailer for 2 ten hour days even though the truck never moved once it got to the site and the excavator was only actually used for about 4 hours. To make it even more painful to the owner, the contractor had also billed him an additional 4 hours of truck / trailer time for equipment hauling before and after the road work. 2 hours for moving the dozer and 2 hours for moving the excavator. Contractor was a crook and was most likely charging the next customer for haul into their site while also charging this owner to haul out of his site. Double dipping. So the lesson is to get a mutual agreement with both owner and contractor BEFORE the work is started. If either one has a problem with that walk away, it will not end well if you proceed.

 

[fritzp]

I have been asked why I charge for travel time and idle time waiting for parts or materials. My response is, “I am not available to someone else at this time, I bill it”. My time has to be worth something.
Some separate man hours from machine hours and total them.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I am retired and started my own business doing tractor and skid steer work, I charge $150 per hour for the skid steer and have a 3 hour minimum, what I have found is that a lot of people are willing to hire you at the 3 hour minimum just so they can see what you can get done in those 3 hours, I have only had 1 job that the customer didn't want more done after the 3 hours, most give you the go ahead to keep working for the full day or more. I am a firm believer in giving people a fair day's work for a fair day's pay and so far it has worked out pretty good for me, on mowing with the tractor I charge $50-75 per acre depending on how the mowing is, I miss out on a few jobs due to some who will mow for $30 per acre but I just can't make that work for my bottom line, but I make up for it in other ways on pasture re-seeding jobs or other custom jobs that alot of weekenders just don't have the equipment to do.

 

[paulsharvey]

I know it has been 12-15 years ago; but I was doing skid steer work at $75/hr; no insurance, no taxes, and I figured out I wasn't doing very well for myself. The cost to go look at a job, getting paid, and people thought you were making $75/hr; and that you could just swing back by and touch things up... Honestly, I could run the machine, but had no idea what I was doing business wise.

Smart phones, mobile card scanners, etc. weren't a thing yet.

Also was doing handy man work for $35/hr, plus materials; and found out fast that small things; misc screws, sand paper, trips to quote, kicked my butt. Did some 1099 work; and didn't increase rates to cover taxes/SS/ etc... Figure I was 25 or so at the time; and would do things a lot different now.