How To Make Money with A Cargo Van – 19 Ways to Earn the Most Out of a Cargo Van Business

Last updated on September 21st, 2024 at 10:28 am

 

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve just landed on how to make money with a cargo van but good you’re here. And if it’s what you’ve been looking for just continue reading through in case you want to get thoroughly covered with cargo van business ideas.

There’re different ways in which you can monetize a cargo van for a living. A Cargo van business? Yes, it sounds local but can change your life by making a decent income.

Though, like any other business, you need to know how to come up with a viable idea with best practices that work. Realistically, you’ll also have to apply strategies that will make the business legal and successful.

What Is a Cargo Van Business?

The cargo van and cargo van business are two different things that we need to differentiate. A cargo van is a type of van that contains no passenger seats in the back and the space available can be used to carry loads.

A cargo van business is where the van is used in the transportation of packages and other loads to make money for a living. It’s fit for carrying loads far and nearby and available in different sizes depending on the type of business.

Compared to some other business transport means, for cargo van jobs you don’t need a commercial driver’s license to get started.

Strategies To Use in Setting Up a Successful Cargo Van Business

How can I start up a cargo van business? It’s not as hard as most people think, a cargo van business is like most businesses where you need to go through a process.

Yes, setting up a business is a process and there’re required steps that need to be followed to do things right. And for a business to be very well recognized needs to be legal and formal as below.

• Business Entity

The business needs to be legally recognized as an entity that transacts business such that it gets liability protection say as a limited liability company.

• Business Name Selection

You need to get a name for your cargo van business such that it can be identified from its competitors. If you’re not yet decided about the business name consult platforms like Shopify to get a name.

• Create A Business Plan

You must develop a business plan to guide you in how you’re going to run the business in an informed manner. With a business plan properly structured it gets easier to achieve the goals of a business since it’s a guiding tool.

• Design A Business Website

Today a business without a website is missing out on a lot, the world has gone digital. A business website exposes the business to the rest of the world.

19 Ways to Make Money with A Cargo Van

A cargo van business is like any other business with values whereby you need to do things correctly to be a success. Whether you want to make deliveries or transport loads, a cargo van is a better option for running the side hustle not forgetting best practices.

What about cargo van gas costs? Sure, in case you’re making deliveries with busy companies, gas costs may be a challenge.

How much can a cargo van operator make, right? A cargo van can make money depending on the kind of business you’re doing and how well you apply yourself to it.

1. Rent Out the Cargo Van

To make money with a cargo van you not only have to actively involve yourself in using it. Still, you can earn by just renting it out to someone who might be willing and ready to use it at a cost.

In case you want convenience earning without any hassles then let somebody use it. When you have a busy schedule yet you’re strapped with cash but in possession of a cargo van why not rent it out?

The best part, you don’t have to personally hunt around people to rent it but there are platforms like fetch where you can list it to be found by anyone interested.

What’s required of you is just listing your van and then waiting for payments since the listing is controlled by the platform.

With fetch you can surely make some good money over the year say about $13,500 to $27000 a year according to research done on the platform. Usually, the pay may depend on the type of cargo van that you could be having and the demand.

It can surely earn you a passive income when you rent out to the right people more so using trusted platforms like fetch. Your van is safe with fetch since it’s insured and connected with a fetch device for convenience to users.

There’re other platforms where you can list your cargo van to increase your client traffic like Getaround and Turo. Renting out a cargo van will make you thousands of dollars when you get to a platform that has traffic.

And people are out there looking for cargo vans to rent to transport items. Like with other platforms, fetch also charges its users for using the platform.

Do you have a cargo van doing a lot of nothing at home or you’re planning to have one to make you money? Renting it out earns you passively throughout the year.

2. Mobile Billboard

Turning your cargo van into a mobile advertisement is a great way to monetize it for an income. Connect with companies that want to make advertisements for their businesses using vehicles.

Though the vehicle will be filled with branding, since you want the money that’s not an issue after all it doesn’t affect the mechanical condition of the car. In case you want better pay you need to compare local advertisers with companies.

Some companies in the ads business include wrapify which pays well so far, most people are using it. Companies like wrapify pay up to $250 per month when you accept wrapping your car with ads.

Even though the van is wrapped with ads you can still use it for some other things given they don’t interfere with advertisements.

What about the paint on your car? No worries, the paint on the car is not affected by ads wraps.

If you’re ready to become a mobile board to earn using a cargo van sign up with wrapify a wrap ads business.

3. GoShare

Actively involve yourself for a better hourly pay side hustle making deliveries with GoShare. There’re lots of delivery opportunities on this platform in different sections say Business to Business Logistics (B2B), home and office moves, and courier services.

I don’t know about you but it’s up to you to decide which service type works best for you to supplement your earnings. With a cargo van on GoShare, you can expect to earn about $61.92 per hour which is some good money.

Besides cargo vans, even other types of vehicles that are fit to deliver can work on the platform but the earnings differ. Drivers on GoShare earn up to $5000 per month though it depends on the prevailing market conditions.

Also, the platform is flexible hence you can schedule deliveries as you wish. And surely, you can get paid well with a cargo van when you connect to platforms such as GoShare.

You can only get access to GoShare if you’re residing in the United States. To get approval on the platform you must be an adult and the vehicle has to undergo a thorough inspection.

4. Towing Service

A cargo van can be used to provide towing services to make money. But you need to put into consideration the capacity of the van such that it tows what it can with a hitch.

Carrying out towing services is a great way to diversify income sources with a cargo van. And the immediate clients should be around you like sailors with boats, truck drivers, car parks, and garages.

Look around for clients to benefit from the business and ensure to comply with towing and hauling laws. Instead of putting the cargo van at home, why not get started with a towing service business to earn?

5. Haul Junk

Many people are out there ready to pay for hauling services at any cost where it’s required. Yes, and you might be wondering whether it’s worth giving a shot but haul junk is for real.

It requires when you’re residing around cities where people pay others to haul junk to dumping grounds. Getting clients would be hard to find in the first place but a platform like Craigslist is a great odd job marketplace to use.

Determine how much to charge depending on the demand for the service in the market. With haul junk service there’re items that you may not completely dump and pick them up for repair then sell them at a fee. That sounds cool, right?

eBay and Facebook marketplace are great places to sell such items in case you’re looking for market.

6. Make Food Deliveries

There are many food delivery apps available online all around the world hence the high demand for drivers. Some of the most common delivery services include UberEats, Instacart, and DoorDash as of now.

The best part, first of all, is you receive hourly pay but there’re other offers like bonuses and tips that increase your earnings during busy times. Depending on where you’re you can get started making deliveries from stores to clients by getting approval through your App.

With a cargo van, you can work with both food and grocery delivery services since it can carry quite several items.

If you want convenience at work you can stick with food delivery because grocery delivery requires you to go shopping in stores. Therefore, another great way to make money with a cargo van is making food deliveries.

7. Roadie

Sign up with the Roadie platform to deliver packages to people to get paid. This platform accepts both short and long-distance deliveries hence you could go for whatever pays at that moment.

Roadies deliver several items which include furniture, groceries, Art pieces, electronics, and more. Roadie works almost the same way as GoShare and it shows all the specifications of the items that you’re going to deliver.

You’re aware of how much you’re going to get paid depending on the type of item. Local deliveries may earn up to $50 per delivery whereas long-haul deliveries may earn up to $600 per delivery.

Then we can say that your payment depends on the type of delivery you’re going to make whether local or long haul. At least when you can’t go for a long haul there’s another alternative for making local deliveries.

Roadie is one of the highest-paying services, when you register your cargo van you have nothing to lose. If you’re staying in the United States and now you know about Roadie yet you want to make money with a cargo van, what are you waiting for to get started?

8. Moving Services

you make money moving people far and nearby as scheduled using your van. You can transport people and luggage at the same time to and from different locations depending on the size of the cargo van.

The van can do a lot of things in the line of transport so long as it’s in good condition. And the good thing about it is that it can carry several people in one go who can pay a reasonable amount of money.

If the business is quite challenging you can join platforms like Lugg to get connected to clients that would want moving services. Registering with Lugg will expose your business to the rest of the world hence getting more connected.

The platform claims that users are making up to $10,000 a month with their cargo vans. Sounds like a lot of money, right? Truth is Lugg drivers earn a lot which is above minimum wage.

Lugg may not be available in some locations but still moving people around your city is an option. Other platforms that would work like Lugg are Nextdoor and Facebook marketplace.

Using online platforms would require patience before getting some clients, starting with friends and family members.

9. Make Deliveries with Amazon

Amazon Flex partner program accepts anyone with a vehicle and a smartphone to make deliveries. All you need to do is sign up to get approval to get started taking orders to get paid.

The cargo van is among the requirements that qualify you for the delivery partner program as long as you’re an adult. But compared to other delivery services, flex is not yet available in many cities though in the process of expanding.

How to get started with Amazon Flex? First and foremost, you must sign up with Flex to get approval to begin scheduling blocks between 4 to 6 hours.

Start collecting packages from Amazon centers to deliver to clients to earn. Using your cargo van to make deliveries for amazon flex is another way to put it to good use.

10. Mobile Pet Business

Most people don’t have the time to move their pets to stores but with a mobile pet business, you’re making life easier. You need to be a pet lover to successfully manage pets for cash.

A cargo van is spacious enough for a mobile pet business, so why not get started operating with the available equipment? Clients will be at their homes comfortably waiting for your service to handle their pets to you saving them the hassles of moving to pet stores.

Truth is, nowadays people want convenience and with a mobile pet business you’re solving a massive problem. Ensure that you provide the best service to beat your competitors since you’re not alone in this business.

And clients will of course look for the best service provider to get value for money for the service. Therefore, getting started with the right equipment used in grooming pets and a cargo van will make money.

11. List VanLife Ready on Airbnb

Another great way to monetize your cargo van to make money is listing VanLife on Airbnb. Usually, they are known as van life-ready cargo vans and are well equipped, convenient for anyone ready to enjoy at a cost.

Surely, some people list their vans on Airbnb making hundreds of dollars a single night. Van life ready applies in different parts of the world hence you can get started from wherever you’re.

But ensure to put terms and conditions of use such that it’s kept in good condition to stay in business say distance to be covered and geographical coverage. Last but not least, van life ready works best in places where there’re lots of tourists

12. Mobile Pressure Wash

Start a mobile pressure wash business with a cargo van because some people have very busy schedules and are ready to pay for the service. Cleaning surfaces and buildings for some people it’s hard that’s why they look out for service providers.

And everyone would like to keep his or her home and commercial buildings clean, you just keep them well equipped and ready to serve. If you get access to quality equipment like pressure washers, more to that would be acquiring other skills on the job.

A cargo van is fit for the business and it can very well transport all the equipment that you have to use on the job.

13. Pick Up Scrap Metal

Do you know that there’s money in selling scrap metals in case you can collect it in plenty? Here you’re your Boss after all when you collect metal it’s you to decide when to sell it off to get paid.

Collecting scrap metal, you don’t have to invest in money it’s only gas fees and maintenance then you’re good to go. However, you need to know where the market is and the right time to deliver to earn.

The scrap metal business is very flexible in that you can decide to side hustle elsewhere after work. And getting scrap metals isn’t that hard since many people have them in their compounds willing to give them out for free.

If you’re to succeed in this business look for scrap metals that have market like stainless steel and copper. What you needn’t forget is to take note of, the prices of metal types since they are quoted differently.

A cargo van is fit for the side hustle because it can carry heavy loads, and variety and moves long distances to where they are available.

14. Mobile Florist Business

Become a mobile florist around your city since the van can carry a variety at the same time on order. Some places are surely lacking such a service and in case you’re in that city why not get started?

It’s a paying gig when you put in the work and look for clients willing to pay for the service. And if you can deliver a variety of quality nice looking flowers to people’s homes on order you can get referrals hence expanding your customer base.

People want to surprise their loved ones on special days like during festive seasons and birthdays. A mobile delivery service would then make money on such beautiful days when people want to show love.

To succeed in this business, ensure to make deliveries on time and provide quality from a dependable source. A cargo van is big enough to accommodate variety which means you can make delivery to different people on time.

I don’t know what you’re waiting to get started when you have a cargo van!

15. Deliver For Retail Stores

Consider making deliveries for small stores to customers to get paid. A cargo van is just perfect for this business since it’s very safe for certain items like electronic appliances, hardware equipment, and more.

And retailers would also want you to collect their items from suppliers hence you’re earning from retailers and end users.

It’s not hard at all, talk to different retailers and tell them about your business to get connections. Some would buy your idea and others mayn’t but with those interested in the service it’s a good start.

16. Put Up a Mobile Coffee Shop

You can’t run out of ideas for your cargo van to generate an income yet you can also get into the mobile coffee business. It’s you to decide when and where to do it, after all, it gives you the freedom to work things out your way.

Like any other kind of business, you need to offer quality compared to your competitors in business. Put up a mobile coffee shop there’s a ready market wherever you’re, just do things correctly, and don’t forget the legal side of the business.

People want coffee but you need to know the type of coffee that the majority in your locality prefers say traditional coffee or espresso drinks. You need to provide what people want and not what you’re passionate about using the right equipment if you’re to make money.

17. Clothe Vending

A cargo van can also be used to sell clothes moving to different places if not limited by the law. You need to put in some capital but also your quality old clothes can be sold that way than giving them out for free.

With clothe vending you don’t have to sell the best brands since your clients are mostly common people. To get started there’s no need to be a fashion expert in this business anyone can do clothes vending given he or she has a cargo van and some capital.

18. Landscaping Service Business

It’s hard moving equipment to where you’re going to work from but with a cargo van, it gets easier with transport. Mobile landscaping service is a profitable business when you put in the work and people are ready to pay for the service.

A lawnmower, scissors, slashers, and more, very well fit in a cargo van, and in case of any other equipment available no worries cargo vans are spacious.

Landscaping service is among the businesses that won’t cost you a lot as long as you have the machines available. The side hustle needs some skills but with a cargo van available you’re at least a step to providing service.

19. Mobile Motor Vehicle Repair

If you’re a motor mechanic you could bring about convenience by proving mobile auto repairs to people. It’s not that common in most places that’s why when you put it up, you’re most likely to make money fast.

Normally cars get stuck by the roadsides and they need mechanical attention. Usually when cars break down garages could be found in distant places but with mobile auto repairs, the struggle is under control.

Reliability of the service is key in that when clients need your services, you’re available on time.

FAQs On How To Make Money With a Cargo Van

• How Much Can a Cargo Van Business Earn?

The amount of money you’re to earn depends on the type of job that you’re doing using the cargo van. But most cargo van jobs pay per mile though others also side hustle into the pay per hour.

On a lower end cargo van drivers make $25 per hour to $75 per hour on a higher end.

• Which Is the Best Cargo Van Side Hustle?

A good side hustle will meet your needs at the end of the day. Every side hustle on the list is good but the way you do it matters a lot.

And also, you need to deliver service with best practices that work such that there’s customer satisfaction to get paid.

Wrapping It Up On How To Make Money With a Cargo Van

Making money with a cargo van is that simple and when you correctly apply yourself, you’ll get paid. If any legal procedures need to be followed wherever you’re please do to keep in business.