Quoting Removals: Pricing Crew, Hours and Travel Properly

You've probably noticed it: you quote a job based on gut feeling, get the crew on-site, and realise halfway through that you're not covering labour or fuel. Or you over-quote and lose the job to a competitor who's done the maths better.

Removist software isn't a luxury—it's the difference between guessing and actually knowing whether a job will make money before you commit the crew.

Why Flat-Rate Quoting Costs You Money

Most removalists start with a simple model: $X per room, $Y per hour, or a fixed "standard move." The problem is almost no two moves are standard.

Real variables that change every job:

• Crew size (1–4 people, or more)
• Travel distance and time
• Number of stories or access difficulty
• Packing labour required
• Insurance and vehicle wear

If you charge $1,200 for a move expecting 4 hours with two crew, but the site is an hour away and access is tight, you've just lost $300+ to travel deadtime and extra labour. Over a year, this adds up to thousands.

Good removalist software builds quotes bottom-up: crew cost + travel cost + vehicle cost + margin. Not guesswork.

What to Look for in Removalist Software Quoting

1. Crew Time and Size Options

The software should let you define:

• Hourly rate per crew member (varies by seniority)
• Minimum job duration (e.g., 2 hours minimum)
• Crew size options (2-person, 3-person, specialist packing team)

When a customer requests a quote, you pick crew size and estimated hours. The software calculates labour cost instantly. Some tools let you create templates ("standard 3-bedroom house" = 3.5 hours, 2 crew) to speed this up.

Honest trade-off: More granular settings = more accurate quotes but longer setup time initially. Worth it if you do 20+ moves per month.

2. Travel Distance and Fuel Cost

Removal jobs aren't local—you might quote Sydney metro to Central Coast, or Melbourne CBD to Geelong. Travel time and fuel are real costs.

Good removalist software:

• Integrates with Google Maps to calculate distance
• Lets you set a fuel cost per km (or per litre + consumption rate)
• Adds travel time to the job duration (so the crew schedule reflects it)
• Can charge travel as a line item or fold it into labour

Example: Job is 45 km away. At $1.80/litre and 9L/100km, that's ~$7.30 fuel cost each way. Software calculates it automatically instead of you eyeballing it and hoping.

3. Vehicle and Equipment Costs

Some removalist software lets you assign a vehicle to each quote (truck, van, moving equipment rental) and factor in depreciation or hire cost.

If you own a 6-tonne truck, that's a real monthly cost. Dividing it across jobs means each move should contribute to that overhead. Software that tracks this prevents you from accepting jobs that don't.

4. Multi-Day and Complex Job Handling

Many moves take 2–3 days or require storage. Your quote needs to reflect that.

Look for software that:

• Lets you add multiple days to a single job estimate
• Calculates storage fees if applicable
• Holds crew availability across those days (so you don't double-book)
• Generates a quote that's clear to the customer (Day 1, Day 2, storage: $X each)

How Removalist Software Protects You on Deposits and Cancellations

Quoting is half the battle. Protecting revenue is the other half.

Good removalist software includes:

Deposit collection:

• Charge a percentage (e.g., 25%) or fixed amount at quote stage
• Integrates with payment gateways (Stripe, Square) so deposit is collected instantly
• Sends an invoice and deposit link automatically
• Tracks which jobs are confirmed vs. pending

Cancellation and no-show rules:

• Define your policy clearly in the software (e.g., "Cancel 7+ days: full refund. Cancel 3–6 days: 50% retained. Cancel within 3 days or no-show: 100% retained.")
• When a customer cancels, the software applies the rule automatically
• No arguments, no awkward conversations—it's stated upfront

Most removalists lose 8–12% of bookings to no-shows or last-minute cancellations. A $3,000 move? That's $240–360 per incident. Deposits stop people treating your calendar like a suggestion.

Comparing Removalist Software: Key Questions

When you're evaluating tools, ask:

1. Can I customise crew rates and crew sizes? (Not all tools let you do this.)
2. Does it calculate distance and fuel, or do I enter travel manually? (Auto is faster; manual is slower but sometimes more accurate for complex routes.)
3. Can I set and enforce cancellation policies? Or is it just a booking tool?
4. Can it generate a job card for the crew on the day? (Shows them the breakdown, access notes, customer contact.)
5. Does it sync with my calendar or staff rosters? (So you know if crew are booked 2-day moves and can't take another job.)
6. What does it cost per month, and is there a commission per booking? (Australian removalist software ranges from ~$15–$50/month flat fee, no commission. Avoid platforms that take 10–15% per booking—that's money out of your margin.)

Real-World Example

Say you run a 4-person removalist team in Brisbane. You quote:

• Job A: Local move, 3 hours, 2 crew = (2 × $45/hr × 3) + $30 fuel = $300 labour + $30 fuel = $330
• Job B: 60 km move, 4 hours, 3 crew + travel = (3 × $45/hr × 4) + $60 fuel = $540 labour + $60 fuel = $600
• Job C: 2-day regional move, 8 hours each day, 4 crew, 80 km = (4 × $45/hr × 16) + $90 fuel = $2,880 labour + $90 fuel = $2,970

Without software, you might quote A at $350 (break even), B at $600 (spot on by luck), and C at $2,500 (undercut yourself by $470). Over 100 jobs per year, that's tens of thousands in lost margin.

With removalist software that calculates crew + travel automatically, every quote reflects reality. You price confidently, customers see value, crew time is accounted for, and deposits are collected upfront.

Next Steps

1. Audit your last 20 quotes. Did you actually make money, or is it fuzzy?
2. List your real crew rates, vehicle costs, and average travel per job.
3. Look for removalist software with built-in quoting that lets you set these variables. (Trimsy, for example, lets you define crew size, hourly rates, and fuel costs; quotes calculate automatically and sync with your roster so you can't over-book.)
4. Start with one week of accurate quotes. Compare profit to your old method. The difference will pay for the software in one month.

Quoting by crew and travel isn't complicated—it's just maths. Software makes the maths automatic, so you can focus on moving houses, not calculating spreadsheets.