Start with the evidence
Record total miles, total time including the return where relevant, variable vehicle cost per mile, direct time cost and other direct expenses. Check whether a bundled rate already includes a component you plan to enter separately. The operator must assess feasibility and actual conditions; this worksheet does not select a route or prescribe a price.
A worked example
Fictional scenario: expected collection is $400, total travel is 100 miles at $0.80 per mile, total time is four hours at $30 per hour, and other direct costs are $20. Specified contribution is $400 − $80 − $120 − $20 = $180 before overhead and omitted costs. If total time becomes six hours, contribution falls to $120 under the same assumptions.
Choose the next action
Use the service-radius tool to compare a base and downside scenario, naming which inputs are estimates. Review the work displaced during the time commitment without assuming a replacement job would certainly occur. Keep collection timing separate from invoice value and preserve any unknown costs instead of treating them as zero.
Check whether it worked
After actual work, compare observed miles, time, costs and collection with the planning assumptions. Document why they differed and revise future planning inputs where evidence supports it. Do not use one unusual job as an industry-wide margin benchmark. A positive contribution estimate is one input into an owner’s decision, not proof of accounting profit.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Expected collection and confidence
- Total miles including return assumption
- Total time and direct rates
- Other costs and excluded overhead
- Base versus downside comparison
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.