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When should you hire your next technician?

The break-even math, the utilization signal, and the revenue you are leaving on the table right now. Hire too early and you bleed margin. Hire too late and you lose jobs to competitors.

Your team today

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// HIRE SIGNAL · 72% UTILIZATION
Start interviewing

You are approaching capacity. The best technicians take 30-60 days to hire and 30-60 days to train. Start the process now to avoid turning away work.

// UNUSED CAPACITY
37 jobs/mo
at current utilization
// REVENUE FLOOR
$104K/mo
leaving on the table
// BREAK EVEN
1 months
new tech pays for itself
// YEAR 1 ROI
368%
on fully-loaded cost
// NEW TECH · REVENUE PROJECTION
AT 70% UTILIZATION
$86K
monthly revenue
GROSS MARGIN CONTRIBUTION
$33K
at 38% gross margin
// NET MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION AFTER COST
+$26K
Utilization rulebook

When to hire. The 4 zones.

Under 65%
Not yet

Your current team has more capacity. Fix lead flow and dispatch efficiency before adding headcount. A new hire at 65% utilization loses money.

65 – 74%
Start interviewing

You are approaching capacity. The best technicians take 30-60 days to hire and 30-60 days to train. Start the process now to avoid turning away work.

75 – 84%
Hire now

You are at the threshold. Utilization above 80% means you are turning down or deferring work. Every week you wait is revenue you do not recover.

85%+
Overdue

You needed this hire 6-8 weeks ago. You are actively losing jobs to competitors and burning out your existing team. Move immediately.

True cost of a hire

What a new tech actually costs.

Most operators underestimate by 30-40%. Here is where the costs live.

Base salary
Annual
$48K
$72K
Payroll taxes + benefits
16-25% of salary
$10K
$18K
Vehicle (lease or payments)
Annual
$6K
$14K
Tools and equipment
First-year setup
$3K
$8K
Insurance rider
Annual add-on
$1K
$4K
Onboarding + lost productivity
First 60 days
$2K
$6K
Total first-year cost
$70K
$122K
// YOUR HIRING ANALYSIS

Get the full break-even model as a PDF.

Break-even timeline, first-year ROI, utilization analysis, and a pre-hire checklist. In your inbox.

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Questions

About hiring timing.

Raise utilization before you hire.

Command optimizes dispatch routing, eliminates no-shows, and reduces windshield time. Most operators find 5-10 utilization points before needing the next hire.