Can You Make Money Hauling Cars

If you're looking for extra cash and adopting a side hustle, there are many ways to utilize your truck and trailer.

Side hustles are extremely popular, with new ways to make extra money every day. Better yet, having a truck and trailer is an advantage, allowing you to haul large items that other people can't.

For instance, not everyone can create their own delivery services or towing service and be their own boss. Your pickup truck alone also has benefits, giving you more opportunities to make good money.

Read on to find out more on how to make money with a truck and trailer.

1. Start a Towing Service

A Young Woman Is On The Phone While A White Car Is Pulled Onto A Trailer

Having a pickup truck allows you to tow small boats, trailers, and more. If you have the right equipment, you can tow other vehicles.

Today, pickup trucks can tow between 5,000 pounds to 13,000 pounds, especially the best trucks for towing. The EPA states the average new vehicle today is just over 4,000 pounds, citing there is an opportunity for towing using your pickup truck.

However, you may have to contact your insurance company to let them know you'll start a towing company. Your insurance provider should explain the details and restrictions.

You can start with lighter loads that won't stress out your pickup truck. For instance, transporting small boats from homes to the dock and vice versa is lucrative, depending on your area.

People also sell their junk cars that may no longer work but need someone to transport them to the junkyard. It's a perfect opportunity to connect with local auto salvage yards to pick up damaged cars and tow them away.

If you aren't sure of your truck's towing power, do a quick search with your manufacturer to ensure your pickup truck can tow at least 5,000 pounds for best results.

You can use your VIN to determine your capacity by entering it into a manufacturer website, like Toyota. Some manufacturers also have guides, such as Ford, or information on their website on towing capacity.

2. Start or Join a Moving Service

Using your truck and trailer to transport large items, such as patios, desks, kitchen appliances, and more, is a booming business.

The industry is saturated with U-Haul and other companies in your area, but people appreciate availability. People will bypass calling moving companies to rent or book a reservation if you are ready to go.

Other individuals may also not be comfortable driving a U-Haul and transporting their items and want someone able and willing.

There are two options: start your own moving service, or join an existing company.

There are companies you can join to connect with customers to deliver their goods and get paid. For example, GoShare, Dolly, Burro, and Bungi provide opportunities to help others move.

Specific requirements must be met to work for each, although their going rates are lucrative.

For example, GoShare average rates are:

Pickup Truck: $46 to $52 per hour
Full-Sized Cargo Van: $63 – $73 per hour
Box Truck: $85 per hour
Courier (Cars, SUVs, Minivans): $36 to $42 per hour

Also, there are physical requirements, such as lifting 75 to 125 lbs, depending on which company you join.

3. Start a Snow Plowing Service

This image shows a Brown SUV with a snow plow attached driving down a snow covered, tree lined street. There is also a man using a manually operating snow plow

If you're in an environment with lots of snow during winter, consider a snow plowing service.

Add the snow plow attachment to your pickup truck and clear out front yards, back yards, walkways, or anywhere your truck fits.

You can provide snow plowing for your community, such as playgrounds, parks, recreational areas, and more. Waiting for local authorities to plow during heavy snow can be tiresome, which is why having locals ready to plow can help, with people prepared to pay for your services.

It is up to you how you want payment: per hour or based on the job. For instance, if a business wants its compound cleared out, you can work by the hour or when the job is complete. For residential areas, it may make more sense to go by the hour for more flexibility.

4. Hotshot Trucking

Delivering items in a time-sensitive manner with a truck is called hotshot trucking. It's popular, and not everyone can do it, which allows you to provide your services if you have the time.

It's described as having medium-duty trucks hauling items, whether it be a few miles away, another county, or across the country.

Hotshot trucking is still around because renting out a large rig to haul small or medium-sized items doesn't make sense for individuals or business owners. You essentially are your own boss, need the necessary equipment for hotshot trucking, and may need a CDL license.

Your state Department of Transportation may provide you with information if you need a CDL A or B license.

As an owner-operator of your truck, you will find that lots of commissions will come out using hotshot trucking, but there are many leads you can get to continue business and cover expenses.

Since hotshot trucking is unique, let's look at some of the pros and cons:

Pros:

Low startup costs
Short waiting time since loads are expedited
High income
Loads are primarily local or regional, which means more time at home

Cons:

Maintenance and costs as any other business
Demand be high one day, low the next
Must grow a steady client base

You can gather leads privately or through a hotshot board, such as:

uShip
Hot Shot Carrier
123Loadboard
Expedite Loads
Central Dispatch

You can receive payment weekly or monthly. If you do hotshot trucking, consider payment by the mile, such as $1.5 per mile. Insurance and maintenance expenses must be accounted for to avoid your trucking business going under, as hotshot trucking can provide constant hauling.

5. Deliver Food With Your Pickup Truck

There are several ways your truck can become a food delivery vessel. First, there are food delivery apps to join, such as DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, or Postmates. You can also work for more than one company at the same time!

Just sign up, ensure your truck meets the requirements, pass a background check, and you're ready to go. Bustling areas will see more opportunities but also more competition.

The downside to using food delivery apps is the constant driving around, which may cause wear and tear to your truck. If you have a gas guzzler, the opportunity cost may or may not be worth it. That's why privately delivering for catering companies may be more lucrative.

Catering involves large quantities of food that need timely deliveries. Using your truck and trailer to carry a large load can benefit local restaurants that offer catering near you. If you know someone with a standalone catering company who delivers daily to customers, you can offer your services as well.

6. Take Odd Jobs Through Gigs or Ads

Randomly throughout the day, people may realize they need someone with a pickup truck to haul items, such as moving a mattress. However, people may not want to rent trucks or contact a large company with high costs for a job that may take 30 minutes or an hour.

If you're looking for extra cash, consider taking odd jobs to help people move items from one destination to the next.

Places such as TaskRabbit, Craigslist, Upwork, and other gig websites may have opportunities available.

7. Provide Landscape Services with Truck and Trailer

A man wearing gloves kneels down to unroll a roll of new turf

Starting a landscaping business with your truck and trailer is a great way to earn good money.

The downside is having all of the right equipment, and it may become a full-time job as opposed to a side hustle.

For instance, you will need riding mowers, rakes, shovels, leaf blowers, earplugs, safety glasses, a water cooler, common yard tools, clippers, and more.

However, you will be your own boss, work your own hours, and be in complete control of your business. If your business expands, you can begin to hire employees.

You can provide different landscaping services, such as residential, commercial, small businesses, hospitality, parks, or anywhere that needs designing and cutting hedges. It may be best to concentrate on one niche, but you can explore which may be best for you and provide the most money.

Once you have a clientele, you can work for them once a month or quarterly. A landscaping business will require an LLC to reduce liability, marketing, business cards, and website to put yourself out there.

8. Put Ads on Your Truck and Trailer

Did you know you can earn money by putting advertising on your own truck and trailer?

Companies, such as Carvertise, allow you to earn between $100 to $300 a month by wrapping your vehicle in an advertisement. The sign-up process involves the following:

Fill out the driver application and answer which areas you drive around
Matched with a brand that likes your driving habits
Wrap the truck and earn a direct deposit every month
Unwrap your vehicle once the campaign ends

Carvertise also pays for the wrapping and unwrapping of your truck. There are no upfront costs, with opportunities to join campaigns near you.

Wrapify is another car advertising company with a similar process to Carvertise, although the sign-up process is more prolonged, requiring a background check. However, Wrapify offers higher monthly opportunities than Carvertise.

If you do not want to join a 3^rd party company, you can offer small businesses in your area advertising space on your truck and trailer. It is possible to create a contract and earn money locally with other business owners.

9. Provide Parade Transportation with Truck and Trailer

Parades are not often, but they do require transportation. Use your truck to haul others on an open-ended trailer or attach a parade float.

Participating in a parade can be fun and a great way to earn extra cash. You can have advertisements on your truck for more money, making the experience worthwhile. The advertisement can either be your own services or a paid ad from a 3^rd party or local business.

Parades tend to be for a few hours, although preparation may take longer.

10. Provide Foreclosure Cleanup Service

When homes are suddenly foreclosed, items need to be moved out of the house right away. As construction may occur if the new owners are sprucing up the home, there will be loads of lumber and other debris to transport.

You can use your truck and trailer to provide foreclosure cleanup services, hauling away broken appliances, furniture, mattresses, and more.

Speak with financial institutions, landlords, property managers, and real estate agents to find foreclosed homes, apartments, or even buildings that need clearing out. You will have to work with them as a private contractor, but they will provide you with excellent leads.

With businesses that unexpectedly shut down, there are auctions for the remaining electronics and products, which you will have to haul over for the liquidation process to begin.

Overall, foreclosure cleanup services are unique. Depending on the area, there may be less competition, which means for business for you!

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11. Provide Trash Removal Services

An image of black bags full of rubbish sitting on the sidewalk in a major city. The streets are lined with red brick buildings and yellow cabs drive past

Dirty jobs tend to have high demand that needs oversized trash hauling, perfect for a truck and trailer.

There are several ways to provide trash removal services:

Local businesses: Help business owners clean out their building or around the building, especially after construction work
Junkyards: Helping junkyards haul away trash and broken down cars can help you earn extra money
Beach or park cleanup: Volunteer programs tend to host cleanups around nature areas, and they will need a service to haul away trash bags or recycle
Residential: Spring cleaning can mean hauling away large unwanted items, requiring a larger vehicle such as a pickup truck with a trailer
Construction: After large construction projects, there will be a heap of junk, debris, and trash that needs to be removed promptly

Also, you become a private contractor for your local government to clean up streetways and government buildings.

12. Rent Out Your Truck and Trailer

Not everyone has a truck and trailer—but you do! If you do not use your truck and trailer often, it's a perfect opportunity to rent out, earning extra cash.

It can be challenging to rent out your truck, especially to strangers. Insurance will have to be top-notch in case of accidents or theft.

However, there are companies you can join that helps you find clients to rent out to, such as:

Turo: The largest car-sharing website that works in all states except New York. Turo provides you with liability insurance up to $1 million and pre-screens your potential clients. Depending on your vehicle depends on your pay. Pickup trucks can earn $650 to $1,500 monthly.
Getaround: A smaller company in select states, you can earn up to $800 a month renting out your truck.

You can set a daily amount if you want to rent your truck out on certain days or weeks instead of the whole month. If you do not use your pickup truck and trailer, this is the best way to earn extra cash with little effort.

13. Start Shipping Items With Your Truck and Trailer

Use your truck and trailer to begin shipping items to certain locations by working with 3^rd party companies.

Currently, two companies connect you with loads to ship while making extra money:

CitizenShipper : This service is a peer-to-peer network that supplies a platform to broker deals. Users will list items, and you can respond with a rate. The downside is paying 24.99 a month for this service, although there is a 3-month trial to test this platform.
Roadie : A shipping service that works with people and businesses, with more local and long-distance gigs. It is free to join but must pass specific requirements before using their service. Roadie states you can make between $8 to $50 per gig, with long-distanced gigs up to $650.

Like most jobs, consider the monthly expenses with gas and maintenance if you were to begin shipping daily.

14. Deliver Packages Privately or With a Company

Different from shipping, you can deliver packages straight to the door of homes or businesses.

You can form your own service to deliver packages, although choosing a 3^rd party to receive business may be a better option for constant business. If you want to be your owner-operator, you must become a private contractor with local companies.

Amazon Flex currently allows you to deliver packages on their behalf. This service is only available in select areas but is quickly expanding. Transporting packages can be lucrative, as it's a booming business with customers wanting their items on a tight schedule.

15. Deliver Products for Local Small Businesses

Depending on the small business, they may need you to deliver products to people or commercial companies.

For instance, a medical company that creates motorized walkers for seniors needs to transport their product to people's homes. With a truck and trailer, you can load up multiple products, deliver them in one route that will save the business time, and create more profit for you.

The best way to begin a private transportation business for other small business products is to start an LLC, get your expenses and insurance in order, and team up with business owners, becoming a private contractor.

Related: Funding Retirement with Real Estate

16. Buy and Resell Items Using Your Truck

Because you have a much larger vessel than most people, you can haul large items from the thrift store or garage sales and sell them for cash.

There are various online marketplaces on Facebook, Craigslist, eBay, or even sell it used on Amazon. If you wanted, you can create your own online thrift store using Shopify or any e-commerce platform and sell items you find.

Vintage products are sought after and booming, including souvenirs and clothing from Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

Choose three days out of the week to begin thrift hunting in stores, yard sales, anywhere you can find bargains. Consider vintage clothing, especially in sports, which can go for hundreds of dollars if you find the rare item.

Gather all of your products, clothing, memorabilia, and take high-quality photos of them. Upload them to your store or any online marketplace.

You can advertise your store, create a YouTube channel, Facebook page, or any social media to display your findings. After, if people like what they see, they'll buy it. Begin shipping out these items after printing labels, and drop them off at the post office, UPS, or FedEx.

Using your truck and trailer allows you to transport loads of products from various locations to sift through and begin selling.

17. Storage Unit Cleanup Service

Storage units are loaded with items that need transporting out if someone doesn't pay on time. They are filled with appliances, collectibles, and sometimes rare memorabilia.

There is a business to bid on storage units after owners abandon their goods, allowing people to clean out the locker. Using a truck and trailer to help people transport these products from the unit to their home is a great way to earn extra cash.

If you're interested in bidding on a locker and choose to clean out the unit yourself, you can resell the items for more money.

Overall, storage unit cleanup is a unique side hustle that can be very rewarding.

Related: 3 Income Streams in Retirement

Conclusion

There you have it! Multiple ways on how to make money with a truck and trailer. Many of these opportunities can turn into full-time businesses where you are your own boss or a profitable side hustle.

Whether it's creating delivery or removal services for extra cash, explore and choose the right niche for you.

Other opportunities can snowball into more profit, such as reselling, where you collect items from thrift stores and yard sales, ultimately selling online on your own marketplace or through a platform.

If you choose to help small businesses in your area, whether it's delivering for catering companies or transporting medical supplies, you can become a regular amongst the community. As a result, your business will grow with endless clients.

The easiest way to begin earning extra cash is to get started today!