Making money with a cargo van? It might sound a little bit crazy. If you are looking to make a little money on the side or expand your business, using a cargo van might be the answer you are looking for.
There are many ways to make extra cash, and if you own a van or truck, you might as well put it to good use. Whether you want to buy one and rent it out or use it for your business, the opportunities are endless.
In this blog post, we will discuss proven ways to make money with a cargo van!
Table of Contents
Hauling services
You can earn money from people trying to unload stuff they have accumulated at their home or business. This is a great way to make some side cash on the weekends or look for something fun and different to do.
Hauling services are also a great way to get your foot in the door for larger businesses. You can start by helping small businesses and then move up from there as more opportunities arise!
You can also use your van to help folks around your neighborhood. It seems like people always have “stuff” they need to get rid of. Whether it’s a trip to the dump or donating clothing or furniture to a thrift shop, people need a way to haul household items away.
Yet another example is a friend of mine who bought a spa. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a way of hauling it, so he hired someone on Craigslist who offered to haul services.
Offer moving services
Let’s face it, moving sucks. It takes time and muscle. But, if you are willing, you can make some decent money helping other people move.
If you own a cargo van, offer your moving services. You can find lots of potential customers at places like Facebook or Craigslist to get started. In addition, many moving companies will hire you as one of their helpers.
Look into the regulations for your local area before you offer moving services. You need to make sure you are following the rules for moving household goods.
You will also need to invest in some moving equipment, like straps, moving pads, etc.
Sell snacks at sporting events
A cargo van can be a great way to sell snacks at sporting events. You can carry products and set them up anywhere, which means you might not need a designated spot.
This is especially helpful if you are looking for an easy side hustle. But, of course, you might need a permit or a license, so you might need to check the local regulations or get permission from the venue.
You can also haul tables and chairs, so you can have a place for folks to take a load off while they eat snacks. This could be an excellent gig for things like youth sporting events, etc. Check and see what the rules are in your local area before you set up shop.
Rent out the cargo van
If you don’t want to use your vehicle for business but still like making money with a cargo van, rent it out! You can do this and earn some cash.
You can rent your cargo van out for a day, an hour, or even just 15 minutes. This is the perfect way to make money on something sitting in your driveway that isn’t being used. Of course, you might have some investment costs upfront, like licensing and permits, but it’s worth looking into.
With sites like Uber and Lyft, you are spending your time driving people around. If you rent your van out, you can use your time for other things while turning over the keys.
Use services like Getaround or Turo. If you have a cargo van that isn’t being used, why not get paid for it? These sites will connect you with people who need to rent a van.
You can set your own pricing, and you might be able to rent it on the weekends or evenings. Even if you use the van for your own personal or business use, you can still make money while it would otherwise sit idle.
Food delivery
You may be surprised by how much money you can earn with a cargo van. Food delivery services like Uber Eats are on the rise, and people all over need someone to deliver food for them.
With a cargo van, you might be able to take on larger jobs like catering. How about delivering food to events like weddings? You could make some great money while you are having fun and doing something fun and different.
Delivery for local small businesses
Small businesses are on the rise. As a result, you can make money with your cargo van by delivering their products to local customers who want them. You could do this as an independent businessperson or through services like Uber Eats or Grubhub.
Many businesses don’t have the time or money to make deliveries, and you could offer them an excellent service by delivering products for them.
Businesses like appliance shops or furniture stores could use a cargo van to do home deliveries. They have large items that are not easy to transport.
This is a great way to use your cargo van for business purposes, as well as earn some extra income!
You could help people with small deliveries in their area that they would not be able to do themselves or even offer more time-sensitive courier services on the side.
Do a little research and see if businesses in your area could use a delivery service. You could share how valuable it would be to their customers if they offered a delivery service.
You can add value to their business by delivering products to customer’s homes.
Start a landscaping business
Many people who own homes need a landscaping service. However, some people don’t want to do their own yard work or don’t have the necessary tools. Other people don’t have the knowledge to maintain their yard.
There are always people who need their lawns mowed, or gardens tended to. You can do the dirty work for them.
With a cargo van, you can offer a landscaping service of your own. Of course, you will need to have the proper licenses and permits, but by having a cargo van, you can haul the necessary equipment, like a lawnmower, leafblower, shovels, rakes, etc.
A landscaping business is a great way to use a cargo van to earn money. Take the headache of operating power tools away for many people, and help them keep their yards in tip-top shape.
Junk removal
If you have a cargo van, then you might as well use it to make some money. For example, you could haul junk around for people and businesses looking for someone to remove unwanted items from their property.
Most people (and businesses too) have a habit of collecting more stuff than they need or use. This means there is an opportunity for you to put your cargo van to good use and help people clean out their unwanted items.
You can charge by the pound or hour, depending on your pricing structure. If this sounds like something that interests you, get in touch with companies that might need junk removal services. In addition, you can post your services on platforms like Craiglist or Facebook Marketplace.
Use your cargo van for towing services
Towing is a great way to make money with your cargo van or truck. You can tow vehicles, boats, or other large objects from one location to another. Towing offers many opportunities for you as a driver to make money.
If you have a cargo van and a trailer hitch, you can be a towing service provider. You could offer your services to private individuals or through an established business.
You can try offering your towing services to auto shops. For example, if a customer has a broken-down vehicle that needs repair, you can tow the car to the shop.
Another option is to offer your services to office buildings and apartment complexes with assigned parking spots. If someone parks in a spot that doesn’t belong to them, they might need to be towed.
Before you offer towing services, make sure you follow any regulations in your local area. You will also need some equipment, like straps, cables, cones, etc.
Towing is a great way to make money with your cargo van.
GoShare is an on-demand delivery service. It is one of the many ways to use your cargo van to make extra money.
GoShare operates in many large cities and offers deliveries, hauling, and moving services.
There are some requirements to get set up, like a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, etc. But once you are cleared, you are good to go.
How do you make money with GoShare? Easy.
- Check if your vehicle qualifies
- You get delivery alerts
- Accept the deliveries you want
- Work
- Get paid
Delivery requests come in through the app. You decide which deliveries you want to accept. Then, do the work and get paid.
You have the freedom to work when you want to, making GoShare an excellent side hustle.
Drive for Amazon Flex
Amazon Flex is a way to make money driving a cargo van. Amazon Flex drivers are independent contractors who deliver packages in their own vehicles on behalf of Amazon. They choose the hours they want to work and make extra money driving for Amazon.
Becoming an Amazon Flex driver is easy! All you need is your own car (or truck) with a valid license and insurance. Of course, you will also need a smartphone for this gig.
If you are saving for something big or just want some extra cash, Amazon Flex drivers earn about $18-25 per hour. Of course, this depends on where you live and other factors like tips and how long it takes to complete deliveries.
Amazon Flex offers a way to make money driving for Amazon. Check to see if Amazon Flex is offered in your area.
The best part about working with Amazon is you can choose when you work. Amazon pays in hourly blocks, so you know how much you will earn and how long the block is before you sign up.
Get paid to help people move
Moving is no fun, but if you are up for the challenge, people are willing to pay for the use of your cargo van. If they are willing to pay, you can drive the truck and get paid for moving people’s stuff.
You can charge by the pound, hour, how many miles you drive, or a flat rate per hour depending on what works best for you. Help people move or rent your van to folks in the market for a short-term rental vehicle.
Whether it’s across town or down the street, people need help moving all the time. You could list your service on Craigslist or other local platforms.
Here are some ideas for making money by helping people move.
Provide the truck and driver with no help required – find customers who need to be moved but don’t want or can’t do it themselves like elderly folks, apartment complexes, etc.
Help load and unload the truck – provide basic labor services to help people move their stuff.
Be a driver with full service – if you really want more of a challenge, offer your cargo van for long-distance moves or moving heavy furniture from one location to another.
Moving is hard work, but it can be worth it financially.
House cleaning
Housekeeping is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to start a home-based business. There are several options for getting started, including starting with just part-time hours, doing house cleaning services on weekends only or evenings, and so forth.
With a cargo van, you have plenty of room for all the cleaning supplies you need to haul with you. You could even hire someone to help you clean larger homes or local businesses.
It’s important to find reliable cleaners who have experience working with customers in their home or office and other employees that will help out. You could also start small by doing just one-time jobs like move-out cleaning services for apartments or rental homes.
Housekeeping can be an easy way to start making money with your cargo van. You can start small as part-time hours or weekends-only to get started.
Handyman services
After you’ve mastered the art of making deliveries, it’s time to move onto more lucrative side hustles. Assuming you have the skills, one way to make money with a cargo van is by offering handyman services in your area.
Whether this means painting houses, installing fences and windows, or doing home repairs like carpentry work or plumbing—you can take on many jobs with the help of your cargo van.
The best way to get started is by asking around and meeting new people in your area. Word of mouth referrals can be helpful because you’ll know the quality work that each person does.
A good handyman can make decent money if they have the skills and are willing to work hard. If you’re good with a hammer, screwdriver, drill, or paintbrush—you can use your cargo van to start making some serious cash.
Pressure washing
Pressure washing is one of the easiest ways to make money with a cargo van. It doesn’t require any special skills, just some elbow grease and an ability to follow directions for cleaning different types of surfaces like porches, sidewalks, decks, or siding on homes.
You can hire yourself out as a full-service pressure washer by listing your service on Craigslist or other local platforms. An excellent method to drum up some business is by reaching out to realtors.
Anyone selling a home might need to get their home, sidewalk, driveway, etc., pressure washed to improve the curb appeal.
With a cargo van, you can easily haul your pressure washer from job to job. Pressure washing is a pretty low-stress way to earn extra cash, and your van will get you where you need to go.
Help students move
Moving can be a stressful time for students. From figuring out how to get the right boxes and packing materials, to actually moving everything in one piece—students are often overwhelmed by their new living situation.
If you have some free time on weekends or during the weekdays after work, you could offer your services like help with loading up your cargo van to help students move.
You can offer your help with heavy lifting and carrying things like furniture, loading up boxes, or packing materials.
As a student-mover, you’ll be on the front lines of helping new students get settled in their dorms or apartments. Usually, after they move in, students are overwhelmed by how much stuff they have and how to store it.
You can offer your help by packing up their things for them, so they have a place to start unpacking and organizing once the move is complete. You could also offer self-storage services if you’re in an area with available space that’s close enough for students to drive or bike there on their own.
Advertise!
By now, you’re probably starting to see how powerful of a tool your cargo van can be when it comes to making money. There are many different ways that you could use your van for more than just deliveries and doing odd jobs around town.
If you’re really looking for an opportunity with more of a competitive edge, there are tons of sites online that will let businesses post their ads on vehicles.
You can use your van as an advertising space available for rent to sell anything from meals to furniture. You could even offer your cargo van as an advertising space for businesses in the area that need a mobile billboard on wheels!
Some companies will wrap your vehicle with a company’s signage, and you can offer this to the companies in your area. As long as you don’t mind ads on your cargo van, you can score some serious cash.
Use a company like Wrapify to help you find the right match. It’ll take some work to get your vehicle wrapped, but once it’s done—you can start making serious bank off of advertising space!
Factors to consider
The idea of owning a cargo van for business purposes is not something that you want to take lightly. There are many considerations and factors when it comes to purchasing, maintaining, and using one.
If you’re considering getting into the commercial vehicle industry or thinking about an investment opportunity in this area of transportation, we hope these tips will be helpful!
Insurance: Just like a car, you’ll need to purchase insurance on your cargo van before you can use it for business or personal purposes.
If the vehicle is used exclusively for commercial use, then there are more likely than not times that other drivers will be using it too. You need to be covered in case of an accident. You will want to check with your insurance company about the terms before you start using your cargo van to make money.
Permits: Make sure you have appropriate permits before you start using your cargo van to make money.
The permits may vary depending on the type of use, what you’re transporting with it, and which state(s) you’ll be traveling in. Check different states’ requirements before turning your cargo van into a cash cow.
Conclusion
With a cargo van, you can do just about anything! You could use it for moving and storage. It would make an excellent food truck or mobile office. Or maybe you’re looking to invest in your own business?
The opportunities to make money with a cargo van are numerous. You need to know what you’re doing and research the regulations in your local area.
Share some ideas on how YOU might make money with a cargo van below!
If you are looking for other ways to build sustainable income check out this article.
