Make Money With Your Truck Year Round: 14 Creative Ways

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If you’re looking for ways to use your free time to make money, your truck can become an invaluable tool for it. There are so many ways you can use your vehicle to generate income. Since you already have the vehicle, you won't need to spend much more, making this an ideal way to generate some supplemental income.

Here are some of the best ways to make money with your truck.

1. Reselling Items for Profit

Your truck is an excellent way to carry a lot at once. Use that to your advantage.

Go to garage sales where you know you can get good deals on things.

It doesn’t matter if they’re smaller items or furniture. From there, you have many options as to how to resell them. Popular options include:

• Facebook Marketplace
• Craigslist
• eBay

Making the most money from reselling will require general knowledge of various things' average market value. For example, a collectible could be worth very little to someone getting rid of it, and a lot more for someone who collects.

Technology can make it easy for you to do research on the market value. A quick search can get you relevant data on how much people might be willing to pay for whatever it is you're wanting to flip.

Use your free time to scour for bargains, and you may end up with a nice profit. Some people even have careers devoted to this type of work.

The main reason why flipping items is valuable is that some people just want to get rid of things and don't care or don't know what it's true value is.

Through experience and research, you’ll find out what’s valuable and what people are looking for.

Here are some items that can be quite profitable.

• Old video games
• Trading cards
• Old CDs
• Electronics
• Musical instruments
• Bicycles
• Tools

2. Scrap Metal

Another way for you to take advantage of your truck’s carrying capacity is by selling scrap metal. Selling scrap metal can fetch hundreds of dollars if you gather enough.

Here are a few ideas:

• Old electronics and appliances: Sometimes people list appliances on Facebook that they're looking to get rid of. A local dump might also be a good place to look. Load up your truck and bring it to a company that will buy the scrap metal from you.
• Broken down cars: If you have a broken-down car or know someone who does, you might be able to get usable scrap to sell.

You’ll have to be a little resourceful doing these things. For example, you can make an ad in your town's Facebook group stating that you will haul away junk that others have no need for.

3. Advertise On Your Truck

Getting advertising on your truck is a simple way to earn money without requiring too much effort. A company will pay you cash to place ads on your vehicle while you drive around.

Here are a few companies to check out:

• Carvertise: Carvertise will pay between $450-$1500 per campaign. While this is mostly targeted at rideshare drivers (those on Uber, Lyft, etc.) their website lists that everyday commuting drivers are eligible as well. You may also be eligible for perks or discounts depending on the specific campaign.
• Wrapify: Wrapify has multiple different options depending on how much of your truck the ad covers. Full coverage can earn you up to $452 per month, while their other options will earn you a maximum of $280 a month. This is just an estimate, however — you may be able to earn more or less depending on how many miles you drive within the company’s specified campaign zone.

These ads are easy to place and remove. They won’t affect your vehicle’s paint job or exterior. Combine this with other methods and get even more income as you’re taking advantage of multiple opportunities at once.

4. Deliver Things

Working as a delivery truck driver with your vehicle can be another way to make money with your truck. You’ll want to commit a set number of hours each week to make a steady income.

One of the most popular options is to deliver food. Delivering food is generally fairly easy, and there are often customers ordering at all times of the day. You’ll also be able to keep 100% of the tips you make. Here are some companies to consider:

• Instacart
• Doordash
• Postmates
• GrubHub
• Uber Eats

In general, to drive for these places, you’ll need a valid driver's license. You’ll also need a smartphone and auto insurance. Some may require a background check as well.

Each of them has its own payment system, so you’ll have to do a bit of research before deciding. You’ll get paid depending on how much and how far you deliver. These companies are flexible, and you can set your own schedule. This makes it perfect for fitting into odd hours when you aren’t at work.

5. Drive People Around

An alternative to delivery would be to sign up with a ridesharing company. Use your free time working with companies such as Lyft or Uber.

Similar to food delivery, this will require you to pay some of the money towards gas, but you can earn a fair share of money driving people around. Lyft drivers report an average pay of $24 per hour, according to USAToday.

However, dedicating your efforts solely into ridesharing may not be the best use of your truck. One strategy you can use is to combine ridesharing with your other work.

6. Towing

Towing requires having an upfront investment, as you’ll need your truck to safely be able to tow other cars. A towing service can tow vehicles, boats, trailers, and more.

Finding work towing is made easier by advertising your services locally. That way if someone breaks down, they know they can call you for assistance. This can also work well if you partner with local mechanics.

Be sure to research how many towing services are in your area to make sure that you'll have a good chance of finding clients. Too many towing services may mean that it may be more difficult to find work.

7. Moving

A truck can be invaluable when moving furniture and other large things. Some people want to save, so instead of hiring professional moving trucks or vans, they look to independent moving services. There’s frequently a demand for this type of work.

You also have control over your schedule and you can charge what you feel is fair.

An alternative to advertising your services is to work with a company like GoShare.

GoShare works similar to Uber or Lyft but focuses more on moving services. It’s a quick way to get a steady stream of customers. They are not available to all locations, so be sure to check if this is something that'll work in your area.

To get an idea of how much money you can make, here are the average rates per vehicle:

• Standard pickup: $46-52 per hour
• Large pickup or cargo van: $63-71 per hour
• Box trucks: $85 per hour on average

During months where moving is popular, generally warmer months, you could be earning a lot in a day.

Here are other places where you can make money with your truck:

• Dolly
• Bungii
• Turo
• Getaround
• CitizenShipper
• Roadie

8. Become a Local Business Partner

Instead of using services like GrubHub or Uber, you can opt to stay local. Talk with businesses in your area and see if some are looking for a truck to use. You can build relationships and earn more as you can negotiate your terms. Many local businesses consider hiring a pickup truck driver for many reasons, such as transporting goods.

Because of this, there are also plenty of opportunities. It will require doing a bit of leg work at first. You’ll also make some calls and scour listings. If you manage to land a job, however, the pay-off will usually be worth the time.

9. Rent Out Your Truck

If you’re not the type to use your truck often, renting it out may be an option.

There are many apps where you can register and advertise your truck. These apps handle insurance and the transactions, They’ll also do most of the paperwork, so you'll focus on having your truck ready to be rented.

Some reasons why someone might rent your truck include:

• Special events
• Moving
• Road trips
• Transporting things from a home improvement store

One website to rent your truck out on is Turo.

10. Junk Removal Service

Sometimes, households and businesses need a way to remove things from their property.

Some may be moving, and others may be renovating. They’ll often leave their junk behind that needs to be removed.

This gives you the opportunity to haul their junk away in exchange for payment.

Since you can carry a lot in the back of your truck, you can make a small business out of hauling things for people to a local dump or junkyard.

If you have a scrap metal business, you can also keep some of these things to sell for additional money.

11. Landscaping Service

Homeowners and some businesses need to maintain their lawns.

They may need extra mulch or new plants to decorate.

This leaves a business opportunity for you as your clients can purchase lawn goods and have you pick them up with your truck and then optionally lay the mulch.

You can expect to earn $50 to $100 per hour to pick up and deliver and an additional $40 per hour to lay everything.

12. Snow Plowing

If you live in an area with snow, then plowing becomes a lucrative option. Even if it’s only during the winter, there's good money to be made with snow plowing.

Many homeowners don't want to worry about shoveling their driveway before going to work for the day. It's often easier for them to hire someone with a plow to take care of things.

You’ll want to invest in a snow plow. These can cost anywhere from $500 to $1500, depending on the brand and quality.

It's typical to charge up to $75 per hour to plow driveways. You can add more to your services like shoveling or salting to earn more money while you're at your client's home.

Consider going to commercial properties and getting in touch with the owners. Additionally, placing an ad locally will help attract potential clients.

13. Roadside Assistance Provider

If you’re looking to be on the road often but don’t want to do transport, then finding work as a roadside assistance provider can be an option. Services like Urgently offer people the opportunity to get help if they’re stuck on the road with:

• A flat tire
• Dead battery
• No gas
• Locked out

Urgently works like services such as Uber, where you are part of a network. You’ll get notified if anyone near your area needs help, and you can respond to them. It allows people to get the help they need without waiting hours for traditional services.

You can help bring cars to a mechanic or a gas station, acting similar to a towing service. You can help jump-start their car or transport them to a local shop.

Urgently works well as supplementary income and can even be a primary form of income if there’s a lot of demand in your area.

14. Hot Shot Trucking

Another option that pays well has more challenges attached to it. Hot shot trucking is all about delivering items that have a time limit or deadline imposed on them. The pay is higher, but you’ll have to deal with the pressure of transporting your items on time. These are usually short distances compared to other truck routes, but it’s not for everyone.

If you are interested, you might have to check if you need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) before you can start operating in the area.

Wrapping It Up

In this article, we discussed 14 ways to make money with your truck. You can choose which fits best for you or even combine them to make more money.

Build relationships along the way so that you can expand your network and get more clients.

While not every job may work as expected the first time, your experience will help you refine your approach. You can start learning from others who’ve been doing it for longer.