Fullbay: Repair shop sales and labor rates rose in 2023

A report by the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC), in partnership with Fullbay, shows that heavy-duty repair shops around the U.S. reported up to a 40% increase in counter sales last year when compared to 2022. At the same time, labor rates went up approximately $10 per hour, according to the groups’ fourth annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report.

Some of the key findings in Fullbay’s report 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 – roughly a $10 per hour increase;

Over 40% of respondents reported a net profit between 11% and 20%;

18% of shops surveyed earned between $1M to $2M each year, while 12% reported revenue between $250,001 and $500,000; and

25% of technicians indicated they worked at only three shops throughout the course of their entire career.

Fullbay says its report data is drawn from individual survey responses and real-world shop data. The company says it surveyed more than 1,000 individuals from the commercial freight, logistics and repair industries, while shops across North America, Australia and New Zealand were sampled for authentic shop data. Fullbay adds that survey respondents were a combination of both customers and non-customers of Fullbay, and all sampled data went through data masking.

“This all-encompassing report serves as a valuable resource for shop owners and managers, enabling them to benchmark their shop’s key metrics against counterparts nationwide,” said said Patrick McKittrick, Fullbay chief executive officer. “We take pride in providing transparent and unbiased data, supporting our industry partners and peers in their consideration of heavy-duty vehicle maintenance best practices.”

“There is no shortage of challenges repair shops face, and this annual report is an excellent tool for individuals of all sectors within the industry to use as a guide when faced with those particular challenges on a daily basis,” said TMC executive director Robert Braswell.