Travel work and billing quick help please.

[cthomps]

Hello,

Last summer I did some work for a local fitness center.  I picked up pieces and returned them in the morning.  I was just approached, buy the same chain store in a city 1hr and 15 minutes away from home.

Do you travel?  How do you bill.  I would think you would bill for travel time both directions, plus the time it takes to load and unload.  The email said "a couple of pieces".  Im not sure I would do it for such a low quanity, but I would appreciate any advice before answering her email.  It could end up being a nice little gig.  Good to get out of the house as long as the $'s are there. 
Thank you.  Carol 

[kodydog]

I live in the boonies so a trip to the city is a real treat for me. Gainesville is 1 hour away and we have a lot of customers there. We do charge but try to make it an all day affair. We split the charge between 3 or 4 pickups and deliveries. We also do a little shopping, lunch at a real restaurant then head back home. About an 8 hour trip.

[sofadoc]

My shop is 50 miles from Dallas, which happens to be where most of my best customers live.

Like kodydog, I mix business with pleasure. Me and the lovely Mrs. sofa will do a few PU/deliveries, and cap the day off with shopping and dining.

We only do it on Saturday afternoons though. Very little traffic to contend with. If the customer insists that I come mid-week, then they pay the regular PU/Del rates. A dollar a mile each way. But if they can wait until Saturday, and help load the furniture on my truck......free.

You would be surprised at how many customers can be talked into bringing their stuff to you if you give them the proper incentive. I have 2 out-of-town fitness centers that bring me their pieces. Also offices, furniture stores, restaurants, etc. I have a customer who is a district manager for a chain of Dairy Queens that brings me booth seats from stores as far away as 200 miles.

I usually tell them that it may be 3-4 weeks, unless they can bring it to me. If they can, I'll get right on it.

If I were you, I wouldn't mind the travel so much, but I would try to avoid getting hung up at the fitness center removing and re-installing the pieces. Let them do that on their own time.

[Mike]

I do boat buts I will travel only if the moneys good hour and a half is it so far

[cthomps]

 I'm sorry, I wasn't very clear about loading and unloading.  They would want me to do the work on site if I came there.  So I would be loading all tools, supplies, sailrite etc.  When I did the previous store, they removed and replaced all of the pieces. 

It would be better for me if they would transport, and hang out for a day in my town! LOL 

Thanks.  I really appreciate the help. 

[MinUph]

Working on site is all billable. Portal to portal. Shop time. You have to know your shop's hourly rate. If it is $xx.00 an hour and it takes you four hours then you would bill them 4 x xx.00 for the time. If you want to add mileage you can safely do $ .50 a mile. For my regular customers I just charge the shop rate and eat the fuel. We just had to go this route yesterday. 2:30 minutes one way to install covers on a love seat. I will bill 4 hours. It isn't something we do all the time so I keep the designer happy. You win some you loose some. I wouldn't charge for time loading my tools as if it was a mobile business all would be in the truck.
  You are the best in deciding what and how to charge.