Windshield Time

Glossary

Windshield time is non-productive travel time between properties, job sites, or supply sources in multifamily operations.

Definition

Windshield time is non-productive time staff spend driving between properties, job sites, or supply sources instead of completing work. In multifamily operations, it often affects mobile maintenance, leasing, inspections, and turns when teams cover multiple or scattered locations. It is a scheduling and coverage-model issue, not a measure of worker effort.

Example

A maintenance technician completes a work order at one community, drives 25 minutes to a sister property for an HVAC repair, then drives 20 minutes to pick up a part before returning for a unit turn. Those 45 minutes are windshield time because they consume paid hours without completing repairs or make-ready tasks.

Why It Matters?

Windshield time reduces the amount of technician capacity available for work orders, turns, and resident-facing service. For operations leaders, tracking it helps improve dispatching, geographic coverage, parts planning, and route sequencing so teams spend more time completing work and less time in transit.

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