10 Ways To Make Money With A Truck

Owning a pickup truck or box truck can be more valuable than you think. This versatile vehicle provides several ways for you to make money with a truck-based business on a full-time or part-time basis.

For starters, you can haul bulky items or carry plenty of tools that won’t fit in a standard car or minivan. 

Owning a trailer can also be helpful for several tasks. Here are some ways to make money with a truck and have a flexible work schedule.

1. Advertise on Your Truck

Wrapping your truck through Carvertise lets you earn from $100 to $500 monthly if you’re selected for a campaign. Your earning potential is the highest when you spend plenty of time in high-traffic areas that advertisers are targeting.

First, you will apply for campaigns and the platform covers all wrapping costs when you partner with a brand. 

Rideshare drivers and commuters are more likely to get accepted. So, this is a passive way to make money driving as you pursue other paid jobs. 

You will track your mileage to verify your driving activity and can anticipate receiving monthly payments by direct deposit. 

This can be a great way to make money while advertising for companies.

2. Charge Electric Scooters

If you live in the city, you have probably seen electric scooters and bikes for rent. Unfortunately, these motorized contraptions don’t recharge themselves. 

Additionally, they might be left unattended at a random street corner while not in use. 

Having a truck lets you place several scooters at a time into your bed to transport to a rental station. You also get paid to charge each unit before the scheduled dropoff time.

Bird and Lime are the two largest companies that can pay you for charging scooters. You will find local charging opportunities in the rental company’s app. 

Purchasing charging stations may be necessary and you must also factor electricity rates into your operating expenses. 

Most scooter pick ups happen after 9 pm and you can drop them off in the morning. As a result, it’s possible to make money outside regular working hours.

These are only two of the most popular side hustle apps.

3. Deliver Groceries

Delivering groceries can be a steady income stream in your community. Having a bigger vehicle lets you accept bulkier orders. It’s also possible to accept multiple batches and deliver to two or three customers at the same time.

Shopping at stores where you’re familiar with the product availability and aisle layout will improve your efficiency and hourly rate. Quick delivery speeds and positive customer ratings will help you qualify for more lucrative requests too.

Quick deliveries and accurate product selection will help you receive positive customer feedback and qualify for more lucrative order requests.

Instacart Shopper is the busiest app in most towns as you can shop at many supermarkets or discount stores. 

Like other delivery side hustles, you earn a base rate for accepting the order, mileage reimbursement and customer tips. 

You may also consider becoming a Gopuff driver as you pick up items from a warehouse. Further, drivers for this delivery service don’t have to spend time shopping the aisles as the order is ready for pickup at the designated time. 

4. Deliver Packages

Package delivery apps have become popular as society increasingly orders online and opts for home delivery. Having a truck or a large SUV provides the flexibility of delivering packages and potentially less competition than restaurant and grocery deliveries.

Amazon Flex lets you reserve a delivery block with a local fulfillment center and earn up to $25 per hour. Most delivery blocks last between two and four hours. Spots are available in over 100 cities nationwide.  

If you prefer more flexibility, UPS-owned Roadie lets you make local and long-distance deliveries.  The company will post delivery requests. As a driver, you can preview the guaranteed payout before accepting. 

According to the service, most local deliveries earn $13 per trip.

Additionally, UPS hires personal vehicle drivers on a seasonal basis during the holiday season. These positions start at $21 per hour, mileage reimbursement and receive weekly pay. 

You may prefer this option for a consistent schedule.  

5. Food Deliveries

Delivering for restaurants is one of the quickest tasks in many cities as you only have to pick up the order and drop it off at the customer’s front door. 

Other delivery side hustles can require shopping the store aisles and heavy lifting for similar pay of up to $25 per hour.

DoorDash is typically the busiest food delivery app in many large and small cities as they have many restaurant partners. Before accepting a delivery request, you can review your earning potential and keep 100% of the customer tips.

You may also consider Uber Eats which is another top contender in many markets. The platform recently acquired Postmates so there can be more delivery opportunities. 

There are several other apps that you can deliver for and earn competitive rates. You can join more than one as an independent contractor to see which one is the best for your neighborhood. 

In addition to comparing the delivery opportunities and potential pay, many of the best food delivery apps offer new driver bonuses. You will see the bonus opportunity for your local market when you apply.

Having a pickup truck and trailer can pay dividends by hauling away bulky items for cash. The extra cargo space also provides the capacity for disposing of large quantities at once.

Some of the materials to haul away for extra money include: 

You might advertise junk removal services on social media. Another possibility is acquiring abandoned storage units or homes that need cleaning out and you profit by selling items.

The opportunities vary by community and your pay potential depends on the item’s type and condition. Selling what you can on buy-and-sell apps like Facebook or OfferUp can bring in the most money. Since you have a truck, you can offer delivery and find buyers sooner.

7. Move Furniture and Large Appliances

Using your strength to move furniture and appliances can help you make money as you will most likely be cheaper than hiring a professional delivery service. 

You can find moving requests on Taskrabbit. As a Tasker on this platform, you can also complete other paid handyman services like furniture assembly, TV mounting and small home repairs. 

These side jobs can earn more than most home-based side hustles as they require more work and special skills. 

Offering a customer several services can help you make money by completing multiple tasks on the same trip instead of just hauling a single couch, for instance. It’s easy to start a side hustle stack to diversify your income streams.

8. Plow Snow

Plowing and snow removal are great examples of making money with a truck during winter months.

Advertising your services on Facebook Marketplace and by placing signs on busy roads are an affordable way to reach potential customers.  

Additionally, you can reach out to neighbors that may be single or older that could use your services.

During the winter months, firewood delivery along with plowing can be a lucrative side hustle. Odd jobs are a creative way to make money that other freelancers are likely to overlook as there can be irregular demand or there isn’t a dedicated side hustle app.  

9. Rent Out Your Truck

Carshare apps can help you make money when you’re not driving your truck. 

The app is pretty straight forward. Other drivers rent your truck for a short term. 

Depending on the platform and vehicle type, earning between $5,000 and $20,000 annually as a full-time rental is possible.

Turo is one of the most popular peer-to-peer car rental services as it’s available nationwide. Hosts can receive up to $750,000 in liability coverage, roadside assistance for guests and enjoy 24/7 host support. 

You can also list your vehicle on truck rental sites. Fetch is a leading option for advertising your pickup, cargo van or box truck. Renters can access your vehicle contactlessly and each active rental has up to $1 million in coverage.

10. Rideshare Apps

Driving people around as a rideshare driver is what many people imagine a gig economy job to be as it’s one of the original ideas. It’s still a viable way to earn additional spending money. 

Passengers may enjoy a full-size pickup or SUV for the extra legroom and a comfortable ride.  

Uber is a popular ride-sharing app in most places, whether you’re driving people to work, the airport or to an entertainment spot. Your income potential depends on the distance, current level of demand and customer tips.

You should also consider applying for Lyft which is another frequently used service. Its pay potential is similar to Uber but you can reach more potential riders that are loyal to a particular app.

Our Lyft vs. Uber comparison for drivers can help you pick which app to drive for first.

Are You Ready To Make Money With Your Truck?

There are multiple pickup truck side hustles you can pursue at once and make $100 a day or more. Delivering food, merchandise or people can be the easiest way to get started. 

If you have the strength, skills and equipment, hauling or towing big items can earn more.

Your truck can be one of the most valuable assets you own as you can provide many services that many car-based entrepreneurs cannot. 

These earning opportunities can be your unique advantage for securing consistent, high-paying work.