Just wondering how other guys charge for mobile welding, not fitting stuff you've fabbed but a call out to somewhere, how do you cover yourself for loading, transport to site and home again, a call out fee? minimum charge? or other ideas. I ask because once again I've spent all morning loading van with whatever I think I may need, driving to job etc to do two hours work and then home again, how do you make these jobs pay?
- Thread starter steve t
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cumbriasteve
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I think the issue is you looked at the job as 2 hours work, in reality the time started when you left home and finished when you returned.
The simple answer is charge enough that you can accept the day was profitable or don't do it.
For example: Fetch a bracket to me for welding and I charge £10, ask me to travel 10 miles and weld a bracket and I charge £50, if the customer thinks that's too expensive then tough luck they can try elsewhere.
Customers often struggle with the concept of paying for you driving but you can easily disguise the cost into the work, even though in an ideal world you should not have to.
The simple answer is charge enough that you can accept the day was profitable or don't do it.
For example: Fetch a bracket to me for welding and I charge £10, ask me to travel 10 miles and weld a bracket and I charge £50, if the customer thinks that's too expensive then tough luck they can try elsewhere.
Customers often struggle with the concept of paying for you driving but you can easily disguise the cost into the work, even though in an ideal world you should not have to.
Kent
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Charge a minimum of half a day (I make some exceptions for regular customers) the issue then can be if you get a lot of mobile little bits n bobs is can you easily fill the other half? Just the other week I said weather not good forcast not coming and the customer talked me into it, drove there didn't even plug the leads in sat and had a brew and a bacon butty, drove back. 40 mins each way didn't charge a bean just got a free breakfast. Point is you always need to make exceptions, this guy spends a lot with me! I have another guy pestering me to do a little job that's a major hassle but if I say a real big price he will just tell everyone I am real dear which I don't want.
Pricing? I think its best suited to the situation at hand. Tyre place the other week who have used for a long while charged me a tenner for work that was honestly their fault , for the sake of invoicing such an amount they might have lost my next set of tyres due soon enough for me to remember
Pricing? I think its best suited to the situation at hand. Tyre place the other week who have used for a long while charged me a tenner for work that was honestly their fault , for the sake of invoicing such an amount they might have lost my next set of tyres due soon enough for me to remember
cianh91
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As Kent said regular customers get better deals but in general I work it out by pricing fuel and time into job before I even leave the shed then price according to did I make it and I'm fitting it or am I fixing it
Also add in things like if I need a labourer if I do I charge a full day for the simple fact il have to pay him a full day 90% of the time
Also add in things like if I need a labourer if I do I charge a full day for the simple fact il have to pay him a full day 90% of the time
F.J.
The least I know, the least i am responsible for
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As my van is a mobile workshop it has most things I need for site work so loading only involves a few materials for whatever job I'm heading out to do. I charge a call out fee and a higher first hour which covers my fuel and time if it is a small job I am going to, I then charge what I believe to be the going hourly rate. Should it take me 10 mins to get to site or 10 days, my price is always the same (except for my regulars). Should it come to day rate I then charge mileage.
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We keep most gear in the van, except the genny. Buts its there ready to go, can take 15-30 mins loading, genny, few other bits and bobs....
If its phone call to come and weld something up quickly, time charged starts from the moment we start loading the van up, to the time we get back and unloaded in most instances.
For priced jobs, where one of us has looked at the job, its the estimated time to do the job, plus time traveled each way...plus a bit for loading/unloading.
Dependant on the customer and location, you also need to factor in time for messing about with work permits, hot works, inductions, isolating fire systems....
One of my most recent site welding jobs had a 1.9mile drive past where i had to do the welding, to get the hot works permit, then another 1.9 back to the job, then back again to sign it off, and back to the site exit..... half an hour a day, just doing permits.
If its phone call to come and weld something up quickly, time charged starts from the moment we start loading the van up, to the time we get back and unloaded in most instances.
For priced jobs, where one of us has looked at the job, its the estimated time to do the job, plus time traveled each way...plus a bit for loading/unloading.
Dependant on the customer and location, you also need to factor in time for messing about with work permits, hot works, inductions, isolating fire systems....
One of my most recent site welding jobs had a 1.9mile drive past where i had to do the welding, to get the hot works permit, then another 1.9 back to the job, then back again to sign it off, and back to the site exit..... half an hour a day, just doing permits.
chevy2
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Been there with all that paperwork thing,
Had a welding job to do in a loading bay of a shopping centre,
Had to do my hotworks,
do the precincts hotworks,
My office had to fax over liability insurance, risk asessment/method statement (rams)
Isolate fire alarm,
Finally do the 20 minute welding job,
Sign off hotworks twice,
Then another wait as the precinct has a 2 hr firewatch after hotworks,
Nearly a days work for 20 mins welding!
