How can you turn your truck into a serious money-maker? Or at least offset your payment?
Five of ten cars sold in 2020 were pickup trucks. And if you own a Ford F-Series, you’re driving America’s best-selling truck!
But pickup trucks don’t come cheap — the average price of a new pickup truck sits at just over $38,000.
Maybe you paid that much or more for your truck, or are considering a new or used truck purchase. Between the sticker price, gas, insurance, and maintenance, owning a truck isn’t cheap.
That’s why I put together this list of the best ways to make money with a truck. It’s a machine built to work, and it’s time to turn it into a money-making tool!
1. Mattress and Furniture Returns
Have you ever seen the “100 night better sleep or your money back” mattress guarantees? It turns out 7% of those bed-in-box mattresses get returned.
The secret is the companies don’t really want those products back. So instead they partner with Sharetown, a “reverse logistics” company to pick them up and sell them on secondhand marketplaces.
Where the side hustle comes in is with you as a local Sharetown rep. I’ve connected with several reps reporting earning anywhere from $1500-4000 a month picking up and selling these gently-used items.
Truck and SUV owners can make $150-$250 per item, and they don’t have to pay for the inventory until it sells.
2. Furniture Flipping
Furniture flipping is another side hustle we’ve talked about before. The typical process might include:
- Sourcing a piece of furniture worth flipping on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, or in local buy/sell groups
- Picking it up (in your trusty pickup)
- Refinishing it
- Photographing it and listing it to be sold — at a profit
Ryan Cron reported earning $150-250 per flip and enjoyed the sweat equity of working with his hands. His advice was to start with simple items like dressers to practice your skills.
With an eye for what’s popular and some workshop space, this can be a great money-making hobby.
On top of that, it’s low risk. Start with one piece and see how you like it.
3. Moving Service
Joining or starting a moving service is another way you can make money with your truck.
Several startups help match people with trucks to those who need help moving. Here are a few worth a look.
Dolly
Dolly is always looking for Helpers, and pays up to $40 per hour if you have a pickup truck and can shift over 75 pounds.
Simply build your schedule by using the app to find and accept jobs.
What’s more, you even get to keep 100% of your customer tips.
Bellhop
Bellhop is similar to Dolly, but sets earning expectations lower at $21 per hour. (Not including tips and bonuses.)
Still, nothing’s stopping you from joining both services to fill out your schedule to earn more money.
And like Dolly, you find and accept jobs that work for your time schedule. In other words: it’s an easy side hustle if you don’t mind a bit of heavy lifting.
Lugg
Love to lug? Lugging with Lugg can help you to earn up to $2,500 per week if you have your own truck.
To become a Lugger, you just need to provide a few basic details, such as your age, location, and mobile number.
And as long as you can confidently lift up to 100 pounds by yourself, you’re good to go.
4. Deliver Items
Pickup trucks are just as good for delivering items as they are for moving. Here are a few services that will match you up with delivery gigs.
CitizenShipper
The good thing about CitizenShipper is that it asks you what you have the capacity to ship. Pets and animals to heavy equipment and freight — it’s up to you.
And with the average monthly earnings of CitizenShipper drivers sitting between $6,000 and $10,000, it’s a truck side hustle you should consider.
UShip
Delivery drivers are in demand. And uShip, the largest online transportation marketplace, is always looking to connect carriers to customers.
This is actually the service we used when moving from California to Washington. Where U-Haul failed us, uShip came through in the clutch!
With uShip, you simply list yourself and your truck to advertise your services. You can also use the marketplace to find customers who need something shipped and bid on their jobs.
By racking up positive feedback, you can also build a solid reputation and earn more customers in the process.
Roadie
Roadie is a little different. The UPS-owned site works a bit like a hitchhiking service… for delivery goods.
In other words, if you’re heading in the same direction as a parcel that needs delivering, Roadie pays you to take it and drop it off.
You don’t even need to drive a truck, though it’ll definitely help, since you’ll be able to deliver more.
It’s an innovative idea, and one that can earn you an average of $13 per trip. (More if you take on long-haul deliveries.)
Bungii
Sometimes you just want something delivered on the day. Businesses and customers use Bungii for that exact reason.
It’s a big promise, so Bungii welcomes reliable truck drivers like you — and pays up to $45 an hour.
You also get to create your schedule, giving you the choice of doing it full-time or as a high-paying side hustle.
Bungii does ask that you sport a 1997 truck or newer, however, along with the muscle to carry up to 125 pounds.
5. Snow Plowing
Snow removal is a great winter side hustle!
There are a few truck modifications to consider here: winter tires, auxiliary headlights, and, of course, a consumer snow plow that works with your truck.
You set your own rates, likely ranging from $20-100 per job. So this can be a worthwhile side hustle, especially if your state sees a lot of snow.
6. Rent Out Your Truck
If you own a truck, but don’t need it all the time, you may be able to rent it out to offset your cost of ownership or even turn a profit.
Fetch
According to Fetch, truck owners can earn $19,000 – $30,000 a year renting out their truck.
The company specializes in contactless rentals and handles all the insurance while your vehicle is out. Every renter is pre-verified to limit your risk.
Turo
Turo is the Internet’s largest car sharing marketplace, and it allows users to rent out a range of vehicles.
When I searched near me, I found full-size pickups listed from $100-140 per day to rent.
At those rates, it might make sense to let someone else drive your truck a few days a month!
Simply list your pickup truck and daily fees. Collect good reviews on Turo and you can even drive more profit.
Getaround
Getaround is another car sharing marketplace. The service is aimed at drivers who need a car at a moment’s notice, or just prefer renting over buying.
The site is used by more than 2,000,000 people in the US, so you already know it’s both legit and popular.
All you have to do is list your vehicle, location, and fees and wait for potential renters.
Getaround also makes truck rentals easy for side hustlers. There’s no key exchange, you get premium parking access, and pricing is automated so you can maximize current market rates.
GoShare
GoShare is for renting large vehicles for moving and delivery — along with you driving it. According to the site, you can earn between $52 and $68 per hour.
You have to provide your personal details and vehicle info before being accepted as a GoShare driver.
But if you don’t mind helping people or businesses move, it’s another truck side hustle to consider.
7. Advertise on Your Truck
Did you know that you can get paid to advertise stuff on your truck?
There are companies who will pay you for advertising, helping you earn up to $100 or more each month.
It’s not the most subtle way to drive around, but it’s by far one of the easiest ways to make money with your truck.
There are requirements, though, individually set by the company. This may include a specific truck age or newer, a certain paint job, and a minimum distance you need to drive each day.
8. Scrap Metal Recycling
Scrap metal is more profitable than you might realize. Dom Costa of Southern California reported earning an average of $400 a month doing this part time.
And with a truck that can shift scrap metal in large amounts, you could be on the track to some eye-catching side profit.
This is definitely a worthy side hustle to consider if you have better access to scrap metal than most. For example, if you work in construction or automobile repair.
Even clearing out your home or garage can result in finding a host of aluminum or copper scraps that will put your truck to good use.
A one-off payout is still a payout, after all.
9. Retail Pickups and Dropoffs
What happens when a customer wants to buy a heavy, bulky item at the store but can’t get it home? Stores like Homesense, HomeGoods, At Home, and American Standard have partnered with PICKUP to provide same-day deliveries.
All you need is a truck or van to be a PICKUP Delivery Pro. From there, you can earn an average of $45 per run. Customer tips are also yours to keep.
Like the above moving services, you’re your own boss at PICKUP. Set a part-time or full-time schedule by simply accepting the jobs you can do.
10. Provide a Junk Hauling Service
Could you set up your own junk hauling service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? This is another way to make money with a truck because people will pay you to help clear out their space.
Starting a junk hauling service is not as hard as you might think, especially if you already check off the first requirement: a decent-sized truck.
It’s a blue collar business that can earn $200 per load or more.
Alternatively, you could join LoadUp, the nation’s largest network of independent junk removal contractors.
For people who need to get rid of junk—from old furniture to used Christmas trees—LoadUp takes it all.
Loaders for LoadUp earn an average payout of between $55 and $200 per trip and up to $2,000 per week.
It all comes down to how many daily jobs you want to do. And depending on the location and number of junk items removed, this truck side hustle can mean serious earnings if you get productive.
11. Provide a Towing Service
We’re not talking about towing broken-down vehicles. Leave that to the rollback tow trucks with winches and hooks.
We’re talking about using your truck to earn money by towing RVs, boats, and cars.
There’s money to be made here as a side hustle, as people do need to move RVs, boats, and similar vehicles — especially when they kick the bucket and need dragging to the scrapyard.
Here’s another thing you might not know: most modern pickups can tow up to 13,000 pounds.
So if your pickup truck fits the bill, this is yet another way you can earn money by putting your truck to good use.
12. Start a Trucking Company
This one requires a slightly larger truck than what fits in your driveway, but it’s still an interesting idea.
I connected with Ericka Williams, who owns and operates a fleet of semi trucks out of Austin, Texas. She explained that a used Freightliner might cost $40,000, but can earn up to $1,000 a week in delivery fees.
That pencils out to a great return on investment and may be worth learning more about if you’re looking for a business idea to replace your day job.
13. Pallet Flipping
One of the most surprising side hustles I’ve come across is pallet flipping. In this business, you connect businesses that receive items on pallets with other companies that need the pallets to ship out their products.
It’s a simple “middle man” operation, but can be super profitable. For example, I connected with Varnie Sambola of Baltimore who reported earning $1,000 a day as a pallet reseller.
The course Varnie mentioned is offering Side Hustle Nation readers a special discount on his course through this link.
14. Flip Appliances and Other Large Items
Finally, being able to transport large items gives you an advantage over other flippers. Buy low and sell high is the name of the game, and you may be able to source undervalued inventory locally, like:
- Washers and dryers
- Cooktops
- Lawn equipment and tools
- Vending machines
- Industrial equipment
My friends Rob and Melissa Stephenson are pros at this, and earn thousands of dollars a month reselling their random finds.
If you love the thrill of the hunt, this can be a fun and profitable side hustle. Check out my interview with Rob or watch their free training to learn more.
Your Turn: How Will You Make Money with Your Truck?
As we’ve seen, there are lots of ways to make money with a truck. Which option is best for you depends on what type of truck you have, how much time you have available, and what your goals are.
The good news is you can start today with very little risk, and test out the strategies that excite you the most.