I’m an independent mobile mechanic in South Texas. I run a fully loaded service van with $50k+ in tools/equipment and carry commercial auto, general liability and garage keepers insurance. I’m currently at $125/hr and have been operating independently full time for almost 2 years.
I use ALLDATA for Shop Manager Pro and repair information, DocuSign for authorizations and residential/commercial service agreements, and have several Net30 vendors. Every vehicle gets a documented check-in including pictures of all four sides, close-ups of existing damage when applicable, and a digital inspection sheet. I also use disposable seat covers, steering wheel covers and floor protection.
My background is primarily diesel, medium/heavy duty and fleet work, although most of my current customer base is gas automotive. I spent about 7 years working fleet on refuse trucks and hold Heil Gold Tech/master hydraulics certification. Altogether I have 10+ years in the industry.
These days I work on a little bit of everything — automotive, diesel, RVs, trailers, boats, golf carts, etc. I also do advanced electrical/diagnostics, some key programming and ECU/module programming using licensed OE software.
What I’m really curious about is how many other guys here are operating mobile full time and treating it like an actual shop on wheels.
What problems do you guys struggle with the most? Pricing? Customers comparing you to side-work mechanics? Parts sourcing? Scheduling? Insurance? Comebacks? Getting paid? Scaling while staying solo?
I’ve been on TikTok probably way too much and one thing I keep noticing is that mobile mechanics tend to get lumped together. There’s a huge difference between someone doing side work out of a toolbox and someone carrying insurance, professional software, tooling, subscriptions, service information and the equipment necessary to actually diagnose and repair vehicles properly.
My goal has always been to provide dealership/shop-level service at the customer’s doorstep without dealership pricing — particularly in professionalism, documentation, cleanliness and diagnostic capability.
Long post, but I don’t really have many other independent mobile guys to talk shop/business with, so I figured I’d start a thread here. Interested to hear how everyone else is running their operation and what’s working or not working for you.