Fifth report finds that labor rates continue to rise by more than $4 annually
Nashville, TN – Fullbay, the turn-key platform that improves the operational efficiency of heavy-duty repair shops, in collaboration with the ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council, has published and released its fifth annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report, providing businesses and shop owners of the commercial repair industry with the latest insights, trends, and benchmarks to help them run their shops more efficiently.
Heavy-duty repair shops around the country reported a 14.3% increase in their total number of employees, according to the latest 2024-2025 report from Fullbay. Additionally, 45% of shops reported assessing their labor rates once per year, while 46% reported that their labor rate is in line with their competitors.
“The passion that goes into putting this report together mirrors our company mission: to support heavy-duty repair shops in becoming more efficient and profitable while ensuring the safety of our roads,” said Patrick McKittrick, CEO of Fullbay. “This fifth annual report marries data surveyed from our industry partners and peers, with real-world data from shops using Fullbay. The combination offers a valuable resource for shop owners and managers to compare their shop’s performance and metrics with their colleagues. This objective, unbiased collection of data is designed to benefit the industry as a whole and continue to drive progress forward.”
The report offers extensive insights and data, such as:
- Labor rates continue to rise by more than $4 annually, with a $9 jump since 2023 (from $125 to $134)
- Only 66% of shops surveyed offer health benefits to their technicians, a possible factor that makes hiring techs difficult
- Small shops reported the highest number of monthly completed hours, with an average of 114 hours
- The average total parts cost and revenue of the shops surveyed was $195 and $246, respectively, resulting in a total margin of 21%
- 36% of shops reported they do not offer apprenticeships programs, while 33% do
- Shops reported a 7.2% increase in cost for mobile repair labor
- According to technician respondents, technician pay increased 7.4% year-over-year between 2023 and 2024 and 3.4% between 2024 and 2025, bringing the average hourly rate to $30
- The use of VMRS codes within shops is increasing, with 22% of shops reporting their use, a noticeable increase from the year prior
- 31% of shop owners reported not paying themselves a salary
“We are excited to host another informative event as TMC continues its legacy of providing meaningful thought leadership and education aimed to enhance maintenance, sustainability, and technology practices among the heavy-duty repair community,” said TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell. “This annual report is an invaluable resource for shop owners across the industry, offering an insightful baseline for making important and informed decisions that will advance shop practices and benefit employees.”
The data in Fullbay’s report was generated through the individual survey responses of nearly 1,000 industry professionals in the freight, logistics, and repair industries along with real-world shop data. This year, the number of shops that were analyzed was significantly larger than those analyzed in previous years, and in turn, impacted some studies’ year-over-year results. The majority of shops sampled in the report are located in the United States and Canada, with limited participation from New Zealand and Australia. Sampled shops are anonymized with the exception of data based on role, geography, and industry.
The 2025 report is available for free download here. Fullbay retains the rights to update the digital report as new findings and datapoints emerge. Please use the digital link for the most recent version of the report.