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Counter sales spike and labor rates increase for heavy-duty repair shops

Shops around the country reported up to a 40% increase in counter sales, while labor rates went up approximately $10 per hour

Phoenix—Fullbay, in partnership with ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council and MOTOR, has released its fourth annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report, providing business management insights and analyzed user data for the commercial vehicle repair industry.

Heavy-duty repair shops around the country reported up to a 40% increase in counter sales, according to the latest 2023-2024 report from Fullbay. Additionally, labor rates went up approximately $10 per hour. Both of these findings are in comparison to the 2022-2023 data.

Key findings include:

  • 45% of respondents reported between 21%-40% increases of counter sales from 2022 to 2023.
  • Labor rates increased 9% across the country in 2023—that equates to a roughly $10 per hour increase.
  • Over 40% of respondents reported a net profit between 11% and 20%.
  • 18% of shops surveyed were pulling in between $1 to $2 million each year, while 12% reported revenue between $250,001 and $500,000.
  • 25% of technicians indicated they worked at only three shops throughout the course of their entire career.

Average Parts Markup and Margin

Fullbay found the West leads the way in parts markups (34%), with the Southwest close behind at 33%. Margins had a slightly wider range, landing between 20% and 25% in the United States and Canada.


Do You Allow Customers to Bring Their Own Parts?

Twenty percent of shops allow customers to bring their own parts. A large portion, however (27%), won’t provide any warranty on those parts when they’re used. Fourteen percent said no, customers cannot bring their own parts.


Does Your Shop Offer Counter Sales?

A strong 74% of respondents told Fullbay they offered counter sales — selling a part that doesn’t require labor — to customers. Only 9% said their customers were not interested in such a service.


Have Your Counter Sales Increased or Decreased in the Last Year?


Median Monthly Technician Salaries By Region

The lowest median is in the Southeast ($52,000) and the highest median in the Northeast ($73,000). Meanwhile, the median for all technician salaries in the U.S. is $50,000.


Fullbay’s report data is drawn from individual survey responses and real-world shop data. More than 1,000 individuals from the commercial freight, logistics, and repair industries completed the survey, while shops across North America, Australia and New Zealand were sampled for authentic shop data. Those surveyed were a combination of both customers and non-customers of Fullbay, while all sampled data went through data masking.

The 2024 report is available for free download here

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