Find out what your moving company actually nets per job after labor, fuel, materials, and overhead — not just what you billed.
Billing $900 per move feels strong until you add up the crew's hours, diesel, insurance, and packing materials — and find the margin sitting at 9%. Jobs Per Week and Average Job Value set the top line, but underneath that number sit labor costs, vehicle and fuel expense, materials, overhead, and marketing — each one chipping away at what actually lands in the bank. This calculator models all of them together and returns monthly gross revenue, margin percentage, and profit per job so you know where each move lands after every cost is covered.
The tool is built around the inputs you already track: jobs per week, working weeks per month, average job value, materials cost percentage, and monthly fixed expenses. Plug in your real numbers and the model tells you whether you are operating at 20% margin or 5%, and exactly which cost line is the culprit if the answer is the latter.
The cost structure of a moving job
Every move has two types of costs: variable and fixed. Variable costs scale with jobs — materials used, movers' hourly pay for that job, and fuel consumed. Fixed costs — dispatch overhead, insurance, marketing, and vehicle maintenance — are on the clock whether you move one family or twenty. The calculator separates Materials Cost as a percentage of revenue, then takes Labor, Vehicle/Fuel, Overhead, and Marketing as flat monthly dollars.
For a typical local moving company running 8 jobs per week at $900 average, gross revenue is about $31,000 per month. Materials at 5% pulls out $1,550. If monthly labor is $5,000, fuel $1,200, overhead $3,500, and marketing $500, total expenses are roughly $11,750. Net profit is $19,250 and margin is about 62%. That is a healthy moving company. Lower that average job value to $650 and the picture changes fast.
Profit margin targets and what drives them
The tool flags three margin zones: below 15% is thin and vulnerable to one slow week; 15–25% is workable but tight; above 25% is healthy. Moving companies with strong local reputations and recurring corporate relocation accounts often land at 30–40%, because fixed overhead is spread across high-value, reliable job volume. Owner-operators relying on seasonal consumer moves tend to cluster in the 15–25% band.
The lever that moves margin fastest is average job value. Raising your average from $900 to $1,000 per job across 34 monthly jobs (8 per week) adds $3,400 in pure revenue with no change in fixed costs. The calculator quantifies that — run the base scenario, then change only the Average Job Value field and watch net profit and margin respond.
Vehicle and fuel costs: the hidden margin drain
Fuel, truck maintenance, and insurance are unique to moving companies in a way that most service businesses do not face. A truck doing 400 miles per week burns real money. At current diesel prices, plus maintenance reserves and commercial vehicle insurance, monthly vehicle cost for a single truck often runs $1,200–$2,000. The tool's Monthly Vehicle/Fuel field makes this explicit so owners do not accidentally leave it lumped into vague overhead.
Tracking vehicle cost per job is worth doing. If your monthly vehicle expense is $1,400 and you do 34 jobs per month, each job costs $41 in vehicle expense alone. That number matters when you are quoting a $350 local job versus a $900 interstate move. The calculator computes it automatically in the revenue breakdown view.
Using the pricing impact view to test rate changes
The Pricing Impact Analysis tab in the tool models what happens to your profit when average job value changes. This is the most direct way to evaluate a rate increase before you implement it. If your current average is $900 and you raise minimum booking prices to push the average to $1,050, the calculator shows you the resulting profit at your current job volume versus what you would need if some clients push back and volume drops.
The trade-off is real: charging more per job may mean fewer jobs from price-sensitive customers, but the net profit impact depends entirely on how elastic your market is. Operators in markets with low competition can often absorb a 15% rate increase with minimal volume loss. The tool lets you model the break-even conversion rate — how many fewer jobs you can afford to take before the higher rate stops paying off.
Building a 12-month revenue projection
The Revenue Projections view compounds month-over-month job volume at a conservative growth rate and shows both gross revenue and net profit as a line chart through the year. For a business doing 34 jobs per month in January, this projects to roughly 42 jobs per month by December at a 3% monthly growth rate. The gap between the revenue and profit lines is your total cost structure.
If you are planning to add a second truck mid-year, model that by raising monthly overhead to include the additional vehicle cost and monthly labor for a second crew. Run the new scenario and compare the net profit trajectory. The cost increase is visible immediately, and you can see how many additional monthly jobs are needed before the second truck pays for itself. Know your breakeven before you commit to the lease.
How to use it
- Enter Jobs Per Week and Working Weeks Per Month to set your baseline job volume.
- Set Average Job Value to your real average across all job sizes — include tips and fuel surcharges if you collect them.
- Set Materials/Parts Cost (%) to the percentage of job revenue that covers packing materials, boxes, and supplies.
- Enter Monthly Labor Cost, Monthly Vehicle/Fuel, Monthly Overhead, and Monthly Marketing as flat dollar amounts.
- Read Profit Per Job and Profit Margin, then open the Pricing Impact tab to test average job value changes.
Who it's for
- Owner adding a second truck — Raises monthly labor and vehicle/fuel costs, increases weekly jobs from 8 to 14, and checks whether the net profit increase justifies the new monthly fixed cost before signing a vehicle lease.
- Solo operator setting minimum job price — Uses the per-job profit figure to identify that $350 local jobs under 2 hours are barely covering fuel and time, then raises minimum booking to $500.
- Company owner preparing for slow season — Reduces jobs per week to the expected winter low of 4 and finds the monthly overhead that must be cut to stay profitable at reduced volume.
- Operator comparing corporate vs consumer revenue — Models corporate relocation accounts at $1,400 average job value with more predictable volume versus $750 consumer jobs, comparing net profit per scenario to decide where to focus sales effort.
Key terms
- Profit per job
- Net monthly profit divided by total monthly jobs. The most direct way to compare revenue efficiency across different pricing strategies and job mix changes.
- Materials cost percentage
- The share of job revenue spent on packing supplies, boxes, and consumables. Moving companies typically run 2–10%, depending on whether materials are bundled or charged separately.
- Vehicle/fuel expense
- Monthly cost of operating the truck fleet: diesel or gasoline, commercial vehicle insurance, routine maintenance, and any lease payments. Tracked separately from overhead because it scales with job volume.
- Profit margin
- Net profit as a percentage of gross revenue. Industry-healthy moving companies generally target 25–35% after all expenses including owner compensation.
Frequently asked questions
What should I include in Monthly Labor Cost?
All wages paid to movers and drivers — hourly pay, overtime, and any payroll taxes you cover. Do not include your own owner's draw unless you are working jobs yourself; if you are on the truck, load your pay rate as well. Leaving owner pay out of the labor field inflates the margin number.
What is a realistic materials cost percentage for a moving company?
Materials cost for a moving company typically runs 0–10% of job revenue. If you charge separately for boxes and packing materials, it can be 0–3%. If you include packing in a flat job price, it may reach 8–12%. Use whatever percentage matches how your jobs are actually quoted and what you spend on supplies per month.
Is 20% profit margin good for a moving company?
It is workable but not cushioned. Moving companies that reinvest in fleet maintenance and can weather a slow week without payroll stress tend to run above 25%. Below 15%, a single no-show or breakdown week can create cash flow problems. The tool's benchmark recommendation fires at 20% to flag the gap.
How do I model seasonal variation?
Change Jobs Per Week to your off-season minimum and watch how net profit responds with fixed costs unchanged. Summer peaks with maximum jobs show healthy margins; slow winter months may go negative if you cannot reduce variable costs fast enough. Running both scenarios shows you the annual cash flow range.
Does this work for long-distance interstate moves?
Yes — set a higher Average Job Value to reflect multi-day interstate rates ($1,500–$3,000+) and raise Monthly Vehicle/Fuel to account for long-haul fuel consumption. The model is job-based, not distance-based, so it works for any mix of local and long-distance volume as long as your average job value reflects the true mix. Build your full cost model here, free, and walk into your next pricing or hiring decision with the numbers behind you.