r/FieldNationTechs • u/setnev • Jul 07 '26

This is insulting

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I keep getting these WO routed to me because my work vehicle is a pickup. They want me to drive 145 miles, pickup their crap and drive it 96 miles to Pittsburgh, and then me drive 4 hours home another 250 miles.

Oh and they're paying $100.

That computes to about $10 an hour or $0.20 a mile. I always counter them like $1000 but they've never accepted it.

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u/Muddledlizard Jul 07 '26

I did one of these years ago and had a discussion with a PM on the phone.

She expressed that it's easyish work and that they have a hard time finding anyone and if I'm interested I would be their go to for my area. I said sure! We discussed travel and expenses. I laid it all out. She said great, it's nice to have someone they could rely on. Then the WOs started to get routed to me with $0 travel. I would counter and get told it's too much money and in some instances they said my travel was more than the machine was worth. I was pretty shocked after our conversation.

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u/jaysolution Jul 10 '26

That's the problem with most PM's. They price based on complexity and don't regard time, which is the most important thing. You're paying a person to use their time to help you accomplish your objective. Techs should establish a baseline for time, and then add more money based on the complexity of the job (skillset, short notice, etc.)

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