The Financial Operating System for Equipment Owner-Operators

TRUEHOUR is the trusted source equipment owners run their business on. It exists to reduce the uncertainty, cognitive load, and guesswork that cause owner-operators to underprice work — and to replace them with a defensible cost per hour grounded in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cost framework. The result: confident quoting, better margins, and decisions you can stand behind.

Why TRUEHOUR?

Four pillars. One operating system for equipment-based businesses.

The four pillars

What TRUEHOUR is built to do for you.

Each pillar names a real pain owner-operators face — then shows the shift TRUEHOUR makes possible.

Pillar 1 · Trusted Source

A methodology you can defend — not a number you made up.

The pain: Most owner-operators price work using gut feel, what the last guy charged, or whatever the customer seems willing to pay. None of that holds up when a job goes sideways or a banker asks how you set your rate.
The shift: TRUEHOUR grounds every cost in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Equipment Ownership & Operating Expense Schedule (EP 1110-1-8) — the same framework professional contractors have used for over 70 years.
The proof: Built on USACE EP 1110-1-8. Same cost categories the big firms have used for decades — finally on a phone you can pull out at the job site.

Pillar 2 · Reduce Uncertainty

Replace guessing with a defensible cost per hour.

The pain: When you don't know your true cost per hour, every quote is a gamble. You either lowball to win and lose money on the back end, or shoot high and watch the job go to someone else.
The shift: TRUEHOUR walks you through every cost category — owning, operating, overhead — so nothing gets missed. You finish with one number you can stand behind: this is what it costs me to run this machine for one hour.
The proof: Complete category coverage: depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, repairs, wear items, shop, admin, compliance — accounted for, not assumed.

Pillar 3 · Reduce Cognitive Load

One system instead of spreadsheets, memory, and gut feel.

The pain: The pieces of your business live in three places: a spreadsheet you update sometimes, your accountant's books, and your head. Pulling them together at quote time is exhausting — so you don't.
The shift: TRUEHOUR is one place. Your machine profile, costs, jobs, and benchmarks live together. The next time a quote comes in, the numbers are already there — you're deciding, not calculating.
The proof: Profile once. Update when reality changes. Quote in minutes instead of an evening at the kitchen table.

Pillar 4 · Price With Confidence

Quote without second-guessing — and keep more of what you earn.

The pain: The hidden cost of uncertainty isn't the jobs you lose. It's the jobs you took at the wrong price — the ones that ate your weekends, paid for fuel, and left nothing for you. Year after year, that's the difference between a business that funds your life and a job you bought yourself.
The shift: When your cost per hour is grounded in a trusted source and your overhead is fully accounted for, your quote isn't a guess — it's a number you can defend. You stop bleeding on the small jobs, you stop walking away from the right ones, and the math finally works in your favor.
The proof: Better margins. Fewer money-losing jobs. A business that actually pays you back — not one you keep alive out of pocket.

What is O&O Cost and Why Does It Matter?

O&O Cost (Owning & Operating Cost) is the total cost to own and run your equipment per hour. It includes:

Owning Costs

Depreciation
Interest / Financing
Insurance
Storage

Operating Costs

Fuel / Energy
Maintenance & Repairs
Tires / Tracks / Wear Items
Operator Labor (optional)

Without knowing your O&O cost, you can't set a profitable hourly rate. TRUEHOUR makes sure every category is accounted for — automatically.

Why Not Just Use a Spreadsheet?

Spreadsheets

Static — doesn't update when costs change
Easy to miss cost categories
No job tracking or comparison
No industry benchmarks

TRUEHOUR

Dynamic — adjusts as costs change
Guided flow covers every cost
Estimate vs. actual tracking
Compare to real industry data

How Do Your Costs Compare?

TRUEHOUR provides industry benchmarks based on aggregated, anonymous data from real equipment owners — the shared reference the equipment industry has never had in one place.

View Industry Benchmarks

Ready to run your business on TRUEHOUR?

Stop guessing. Start pricing with confidence. TRUEHOUR shows you exactly what it costs to run your equipment — hour by hour — so you can quote without second-guessing.

See What TRUEHOUR Can Do