If you own a pickup truck, you can easily use it to make money. You can provide anything from snow removal to landscaping to delivery services. You can even rent out your roomy pickup truck and sit on your couch watching it work while you work.
There are many ways to make money for pickup truck owners like yourself, and each one has its pros and cons depending on your needs. We’re here to simplify your choices with 15 unique ideas from apps to full-time services, so you can choose what fits your preferences most.
Make Money With Apps (Active + Passive)
There are apps for virtually everything. They’re accessible, comfortable, and usually easy to use on the go. And yes, there are mobile apps you can use to make money with your truck. For convenience, we’ll divide our list of mobile apps into active income opportunities and passive ones.
Active Gig Apps
Active gigs require your full attention, including your time and effort. While this may deter you if you’re trying to find out how to make money with a pickup truck quickly, keep in mind that active gigs usually equal more money.
1. Dolly & GoShare: Help People Move Locally
With increased mobility on a global scale and the current preference to take our time deciding where we want to live, moving from one place to another has become the new norm. But that doesn’t make moving any easier.
Sure, there are specialized services that help move, but they often come with steep prices. With Dolly or GoShare, you could help people move furniture and boxes and earn extra cash per hour or per trip. For many, it’s $46–$52/hour on average, with top drivers hitting $70/hour during busy times .
2. Roadie: Deliver Oversized Retail Items
Just like moving in and out can be a hassle, transporting goods and large items like TVs, grills, or patio furniture can be a pain as well. Why not help people out and earn a little something on the side?
Roadie is another great app that connects you with stores. All you have to do is transport the items to designated locations and get paid $15–$60 per job, depending on distance and size.
3. LoadUp: Pre‑Booked Junk Removal Gigs
Spring cleaning is a wonderful thing when you can get rid of the stuff you don’t need. But when it comes to old couches, electronics, or mattresses, transporting these requires space, and that’s where your pickup truck could come in. Apps like LoadUp post all kinds of jobs related to junk removal and pay from $55 to $200.
4. Amazon Flex, DoorDash, Uber: Goods and Food Delivery
Next on the list of delivery activities to engage in with your pickup truck are bulk deliveries. These could be anything from bulk item orders to basic grocery deliveries. Whether you choose Amazon Flex, DoorDash, or Uber, all of these apps have established systems that conveniently take you through the entire process from sign-up to delivery.
As for pay, this highly depends on deliveries and loads, but just to put it into perspective, Amazon Flex pays $18–$25/hour.
Passive Income Apps
If you don’t want to pursue active income opportunities or you simply don’t have the time, passive income apps are just for you. Get your pickup truck to work for you without lifting more than a finger.
5. Turo & Fetch: Rent Your Truck
One of the easiest things to do if you want to earn extra money with your pickup truck, is to simply rent it. You can list your pickup truck on Facebook, Craigslist, or other local community platforms for daily or hourly rental. Many trucks rent for $40–$100+ per day. Fetch, for example, pays per hour or mileage.
6. Wrapify: Get Paid to Drive With Ad Wraps
Another great example of making your truck work for you is to place ad stickers on it. All you have to do is download Wrapify, sign up, complete your profile, and get offers.
Once you land a deal, you can simply wrap the ad on your pickup truck and continue on your daily tasks and drive as you usually do. The ad placement will earn you from $181 to $452 per month, depending on the brand deals, city, and routes.
7. Fluid Truck & Getaround: Rent to Local Businesses
For those with a tighter schedule who would like to rent out their truck only occasionally, short-term rentals can be just as lucrative. You can rent out your truck to landscapers, plumbers, various small businesses, or even independent contractors. To make this easier, you can use apps like Fluid Truck or Getaround, two popular peer-to-peer car-sharing apps.
Offer Local Pickup Truck Services
Mobile apps are great. They’re convenient and can connect us to different people in separate locations. The only drawbacks are that these apps charge a commission, so if you’re okay with operating locally, you can do that relatively easily yourself. Plus, you can set your own rates for these jobs.
8. Junk & Yard Waste Removal
If you live in a residential area, you could post on local forums and community centers about helping out with yard and junk clearing. Most of us have things we don’t need but either lack the time or the means to dispose of them.
Pickup truck owners can help neighbors with yard waste and other junk removal and earn an easy $100 per dump, which again depends on the load, distance, and used fuel.
9. Small Moving Jobs
While apps that help with connecting to people requiring transportation services are great, they can take time. In contrast, you can find immediate job openings locally and get paid for the job the same day. You can help move couches, washers, and get paid $40–$80 for small moves at least.
10. Furniture & Appliance Delivery
Modern marketing is doing wonders, especially in the impulsive purchases department. And you’d be surprised how often people buy large items without considering the transportation question.
Think furniture or electronics on flash sales. You can provide moving services for anywhere between $40 to $80 on average per trip.
11. Landscaping Material Transport
DIY projects are on the rise, but buying all the necessary equipment for one-time projects can be needlessly expensive. That includes landscaping services that help transport materials for local landscapers or homeowners engaged in home renovations. Offer convenient moving services for equal pay based on the mileage of the entire trip.
12. Seasonal Snow Plowing
Other ways to make money for pickup truck owners are to provide seasonal snow plowing services. While inconsistent and dependent on weather, this is nonetheless a great way to make money quickly. All you have to do is attach a plow to your truck and clear driveways or lots near your living area, especially if the area is further from major city centers.
Start a Small Business With Your Pickup
Helping independent contractors, companies, and neighbors is a great way to earn money. But you could also take it a step further and start your very own small business. Turn your side hustle into a scalable business that can run full-time.
13. Start a Hauling or Junk Removal Business
One of the most popular ways to utilize your pickup truck for business purposes is to start a small business for hauling or removing junk. We already talked about apps that connect people in need with those who can help remove the junk.
Why not remove that third party and start an LLC or sole proprietorship? You can begin small, take on only what you can handle, and build from there.
14. Get Into Hotshot Trucking
If you have a heavy-duty pickup truck, another side business idea would be to haul large equipment, like machinery. Transporting jobs like these typically charge per mile. So, let’s say your rate is $2.00 per mile and you drive 2000 miles per month. This would result in an easy $4000 per month!
15. Build a Recurring B2B Delivery Service
Last but not least, if you have more time on your hands, you can start a recurring B2B delivery service, working with local shops and services. Many smaller businesses don’t have enough internal resources, so they choose to source services like deliveries, and that’s exactly where you could come in.
Local shops and services, like florists, hardware stores, may need regular runs but lack staff. Offer weekly delivery for a fixed fee. Or, you could consider providing towing service assistance for cars, trucks, and boats at reduced prices compared to large towing companies.
Legal, Pricing & Setup Tips
Now, every business venture is unique and requires different strategies built on specific needs and goals. However, some pointers can help you get started.
- Licensing & insurance: Check city rules, as you may need commercial insurance as well as licensing.
- Pricing: Before doing anything, make sure to calculate your mileage to set accurate prices.
- Tools: Whatever your business focus, having straps, tarps, brooms, and GPS in your pickup truck can come in handy.
- Marketing: Use Facebook, Craigslist, or Flyers on neighborhood boards to get the word out about your services.
- Record keeping: Take extra care to at least start with a spreadsheet to track your time, clients, work details, and payments.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps
Slow and steady wins the race, and so is true when engaging in any new activity, especially a side hustle or a full-fledged business. Pick 1 or 2 ideas that fit your goals and desired availability, and try to map out future steps. It doesn’t matter if it’s offering landscaping services or snow plowing services, as long as it sounds interesting, go for it.
While you try different ideas and how they fit into your lifestyle, you can sign up for different apps or gigs to earn extra money and get hands-on experience. Once you get a better feel of what works for you and what doesn’t, start narrowing in on a single focus and expand from there!
Frequently Asked Questions
What pickup truck is best for side hustles?
The best pickup trucks for side hustles are mid to full-size trucks with open beds to accommodate bigger items to transport. So, if you want to provide moving services to make money, the size of your vehicle will determine how many items you can transport in a single haul.
Also, depending on the kind of side hustle you’re interested in, a heavy-duty pickup truck would suit towing services and hotshot trucking.
How much can you actually earn after expenses?
If you’re wondering how to make money with a pickup truck and what expenses to expect, the best thing to do is to start with jobs that charge per mile. This way, you’ll have a better understanding of how much you’ll earn versus how much fuel you use, leading to well-defined expenses.
Do I need a special license or CDL?
Whether or not you need a licence or a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) depends on the specific job, so you should definitely do some research on your end. However, to haul bulk freight (hotshot), you may need DOT (Department of Transportation) registration or commercial insurance.
Which app pays the most for pickup truck work?
Generally, GoShare and LoadUp tend to pay the highest per job. GoShare gig rate averages $46–$52/hour, and LoadUp jobs range $55–$200 per load. Keep in mind that these are only general estimates.
How can I find local clients without apps?
You can find local clients without apps by posting on Facebook Marketplace and in local Facebook groups, and while you’re at it, you could also list your services on Craigslist too. Print some flyers and leave them at busy spots like community boards, garden centers, or apartment lobbies. Finally, to attract attention fast, you could offer discount bundles like “two jobs for $120.”
