Nobody taught me to code. I learned it the way I learned the trade: doing it over and over, watching people who knew more than me, and not trusting anything until I understood why it worked.
Flat rate pays on flagged hours, not on the hours you're at the shop. The shop keeps the record of what you flagged. Most techs keep nothing. So when a line goes missing from a check, it's your memory against their printout, and the printout wins.
I wanted my own record. I looked for something that did it and couldn't find anything built for how we actually work: on a phone, in the bay, between jobs, with dirty hands. So in April 2026 I started building one.
It started as a way to log my own ROs. Then I wanted to know if I was on pace for the period. Then I wanted to hold the stub up against it. Then came the timers, because waiting on parts and approvals is time nobody pays you for and nobody counts. Then the dispute pack, because a list of ROs on the desk gets a different answer than "I think I'm short."
Almost everything in here started as something I needed on a real day at work. If it's in the app, it's because a tech needed it.
What I won't bend on
- Your record is yours. Your shop can't see it. Nothing in it changes behind your back. You can download all of it any time and delete all of it any time.
- The real number, even when it's bad news. A number that looks good but hides a short check is worse than no number.
- Built for the bay. Phone first, big buttons, fast enough to log a job before the next car rolls in.
- Nothing you log is ever shown to an employer. Not now, not for a price, not ever.
Why I don't put my name on it
Because it doesn't matter. I'm not selling a personality; I'm one tech who got tired of the same problem you have. Everything on this site is the same thing you'd hear from me at the toolbox, just written down.
Where it's going
Book time is a guess somebody made in an office. Every RO logged here is a real job done by a real tech, and together they can show how long the work actually takes. That's True Time, and it only works because techs log real jobs as they happen. Read how it works →
If something's broken, or there's something you wish it did, tell me. Signed in, tap Report a bug or Request a feature at the bottom of any page, or email support@flatrateledger.com. Both come straight to me, and every one gets read.