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How much should you charge for junk removal?

Price a job from what it costs you: the crew's time loading and driving, dump fees, truck costs and your share of overhead. Add the margin you want, and the calculator gives you a price for the job.

Average drive from the previous stop.

Wage plus payroll costs.

Fuel and wear for the drive to this customer.

Insurance, phone, software, equipment payments and other fixed costs.

Your overhead is spread across these. Use your average across the year.

The share of the price you keep after costs. 30% of a $100 visit is $30.

$279 per visit

Cost per visit: $168 · Profit per visit: $112

Wages $48 · Dump fees per job $60 · Vehicle $10 · Overhead $50

That's $258 for each hour the job takes, including the drive.

Driving to this customer is 31% of the job's time and costs you $25 a visit. See what driving costs across all your routes

Keep the drive out of your margin

Routova groups each day's stops by area and orders them by real road drive times, so less of every visit goes to the road. Route optimization is on every plan, from $49 a month.

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What goes into a junk removal price

Many haulers price by how much of the truck a load fills. This calculator gives you the cost behind one typical job, which tells you whether your volume prices cover your time, dump fees and drive. Run it for a small, a half and a full load.

How this calculator works

It adds up the cost of one visit: wages for everyone on the job for the time on site and the drive, materials, vehicle cost, and your monthly overhead divided by your visits each month. Then it sets the price so that your chosen margin is left after those costs: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). The monthly and yearly figures multiply the price by the visits in that period.

Why the drive belongs in the price

Customers don't see the drive, but you pay for it on every visit. If your stops are spread out or in a poor order, the same price earns you less. Shorter drives lower the cost of every visit without changing what the customer pays.

Questions

Should I price by volume or by time?
Customers understand volume prices, like a quarter, half or full truck. Use this calculator to check that each volume price covers the crew's time and dump fees for that size of load.
Where do dump fees go?
Enter the typical dump fee for the load size you're pricing. Items with their own disposal charges, such as mattresses or tires, are best added on top.
What do other junk removal companies charge?
It varies a lot by area. This calculator starts from your own costs so every price covers them. Compare the result with local quotes before you set your rates.

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