What's a realistic drive time reduction?

Industry data: well-optimized routes save 15-30% on multi-stop days. Solo techs with 1-3 stops see less benefit; teams with 6+ stops see the biggest lift. The default 25% is a conservative middle estimate.

Is drive time actually paid?

Yes, federal law requires it (Fair Labor Standards Act). Time spent driving between jobs is on-the-clock time. Some businesses misclassify it; that's a wage-and-hour violation. Plan for drive time as paid labor cost in your route math.

What's a fair vehicle wear cost?

IRS standard mileage rate (2026): $0.67/mile, which includes depreciation, maintenance, and insurance. Your real cost depends on vehicle age + repair history; $0.40-0.65/mi is the typical range. The default $0.50/mi is a middle estimate.

How does route optimization work?

Algorithms re-order stops to minimize total drive time (the 'traveling salesman' problem). Smarfle uses Google's Directions API which factors real-time traffic. You enter today's stops, the system spits out the optimal sequence. Typical: 20-30% drive time reduction on 5+ stop days.

What about vehicle wear from idle/start-stop traffic?

Heavy stop-and-go drives wear faster than highway miles, but the IRS rate already averages this in. If your routes are 80%+ urban stop-and-go, use the higher end of the cost-per-mile range ($0.55-0.65). Pure highway routes use the lower end ($0.40-0.50).

Can I just optimize routes manually with Google Maps?

Up to ~5 stops, yes. Google Maps lets you reorder waypoints. Above 5, the brute-force approach gets unwieldy fast (10 stops = 3.6M possible orderings). Software handles this in milliseconds.

Free tool

Route Cost Calculator

Calculate the true cost of a tech's daily route + see what optimized routing would save you per year.

Drive time is the biggest hidden cost in field service. Most owners track fuel but ignore the real expense: the wages they pay techs to sit behind the wheel between jobs. This calculator breaks down per-day route cost (fuel + drive-time wages + vehicle wear) and projects annual savings from cutting drive time 20-30% via route optimization.

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Stops per tech per day

Miles driven per tech per day

Total miles between depot, all stops, and back. Most service techs drive 60-120 miles/day.

Drive hours per tech per day

Time in the truck (not at customer sites). Typically 2-4 hours of an 8-hour day.

Loaded hourly cost per tech

Wage + payroll tax + benefits. Drive time is paid, even though it's not billable.

Fuel price per gallon

Vehicle MPG

Service trucks: 12-18 MPG. Vans: 15-22 MPG. Pickups (loaded): 14-20 MPG.

Vehicle wear + maintenance cost per mile

IRS standard mileage rate is $0.67/mi for 2026. Your fully-loaded cost (depreciation + repairs + tires) typically $0.40-0.65/mi.

Number of trucks/techs in field

Work days per truck per year

Typical: 240-260 (excluding weekends + holidays + tech vacation).

Expected drive time reduction from optimization (%)

Route optimization (Smarfle's Google Directions integration) typically cuts 20-30% of drive time on multi-stop days.

Route Cost Calculator

Calculated October 9, 2026

Stops per tech per day: 6
Miles driven per tech per day: 85
Drive hours per tech per day: 3
Loaded hourly cost per tech: $38
Fuel price per gallon: $3.5
Vehicle MPG: 16
Vehicle wear + maintenance cost per mile: $0.5
Number of trucks/techs in field: 4
Work days per truck per year: 250
Expected drive time reduction from optimization (%): 25%

Your results

Total route cost per truck per day

$175.09

Fuel + drive-time wages + vehicle wear

Of which: fuel$18.59

Of which: drive-time wages (NOT billable)$114.00

Of which: vehicle wear/maintenance$42.50

Cost per stop$29.18

Annual cost across full fleet$175,094

Annual savings from route optimization$43,773

Annual drive hours freed up (= billable hours gained)750 hrs

Daily savings per truck$43.77

Where the money goes

Drive-time wages$11465%
Fuel$1911%
Vehicle wear$4324%

Where this number comes from

The IRS standard mileage rate is $0.67 per mile (2026), which folds in fuel, maintenance, and depreciation. It is a useful proxy for the true cost of every mile your trucks drive, not just gas.

IRS standard mileage rate, 2026

Cut drive time on every route

Smarfle's Route Optimization re-orders stops via Google Directions to minimize total drive time. Typical 20-30% reduction = thousands per truck per year + hours of recovered billable time.

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How this calculation works

Drive time is the silent killer of field service margins. Most owners account for fuel ($25-40/day) but ignore the much bigger cost: drive-time wages. Per-truck-per-day cost breakdown: - Fuel: miles / MPG x fuel price - Drive-time wages: drive hours x loaded hourly cost (paid time, NOT billable) - Vehicle wear: miles x cost per mile (depreciation + maintenance + tires) A typical truck driving 85 miles/day with 3 hours of drive time at $38/hr loaded = $30 fuel + $114 wages + $43 wear = $187/day. Across 4 trucks x 250 work days = $187,000/year. Drive-time wages alone are $114,000/year of paid-but-not-billable time. Route optimization (Smarfle uses Google's Directions API) typically cuts 20-30% of drive time by re-ordering stops to minimize total miles. A 25% reduction on the example above saves $46/truck/day = ~$46K/year across 4 trucks. AND frees up ~750 hours/year of billable time (3 trucks x 0.75 hr saved x 250 days), which at $100/hr effective billout = another $75K in revenue capacity. The "hours freed" line is often more valuable than the cost savings: those hours can convert to additional billable work without adding staff.

Real scenarios

Find the persona closest to yours, then click to load those numbers into the calculator.

HVAC owner, 4-truck fleet

85 mi/day, 3 hours drive, $38 loaded labor, $3.50 fuel.

Per truck: $187/day, $46,750/year. Across 4 trucks: $187K. Route opt at 25% saves ~$47K/year + 750 billable hrs gained.

Lawn care, busy season

12 stops/day, 110 mi (residential routes are dense).

Drive time eats massive % of the day. 30% optimization = $14K/year fleet savings + 1,050 hours of additional crew capacity.

Solo electrical contractor

1 truck, 4 stops/day, owner drives.

Without paid driver wages, fuel + wear is $50/day. Annual ~$12.5K. Route optimization saves $2.5K + 150 hrs of owner time freed.

Smarfle

Run this in your business, not just in a calculator

These Smarfle features close the loop on what this tool surfaces. Built for local service businesses, used by HVAC, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, lawn care, and 40+ other trades.

Feature

Route Optimization

Google Directions integration auto-orders stops to minimize total drive time. Re-runs in seconds when a job is added/removed.

Learn more

Feature

Dispatch Board

Kanban view of every tech's day. Drag-drop to rebalance routes. See over/under-utilized trucks instantly.

Learn more

Feature

Time Tracking

Auto-track drive time vs on-site time per WO. Surfaces the real ratio so you know where the leverage is.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

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