iiiiiiitttttttttttt

I could only bill for the time I was there and the pay per mile was abysmal.

This is one of the best changes going from IT to the trades. My billable hours now start the moment I get in my work van at home and end the moment I get out of my van at home. Our time is billed the same regardless of if it's drive time or time on site. If a customer hundreds of miles away wants me on their site at 1AM to fix their screwup then I am more than happy spending hours just driving, listening to podcasts, and making double time after hours pay the whole way.

I recently had a job where I had to drive 3 hours to a customer site and the only work I wound up having to do there was make a phonecall to their building automation person which the customer could have done on their own.

Customers who can't follow basic instructions went from being the bane of my existance to being the most lucrative and relaxing part of my job.