What is that empty truck costing you?
An unfilled tech seat costs its weekly gross profit plus the overtime covering it, for every week it stays open. Set the sliders to your shop and see the number. No email gate, no tricks; the math speaks for itself.
$16,800
- Lost gross profit
- $14,400
- Overtime covering the board
- $2,400
- Against a flat placement fee
- $7,500-9,000 once
Overtime recovers some of those lost calls, but this math also excludes churned maintenance agreements, slower response times, and the jobs you stopped quoting, which usually cost far more than the overlap saves.
Close the gapAbout this calculator
How do I estimate weekly revenue per tech?
Take last quarter’s service revenue and divide by the number of revenue-producing techs and by 13 weeks. Most residential service techs on the Gulf Coast produce between $3,000 and $8,000 a week depending on trade and ticket mix.
Why count overtime in the cost?
Because an open seat does not make the calls disappear; it makes your remaining techs cover them at time and a half, and burns them toward their own resignation. Overtime is the visible cash cost of the vacancy; attrition risk is the invisible one.
Is this calculator trying to sell me?
It is trying to make the decision honest. If your number comes out below the cost of a search, you should not hire a recruiter, and we will say the same on a call. Most operators who run it find the vacancy costs several times any fee.