How To Make Money With A Cargo Van – 10+ Best Ideas
Maybe you've used a cargo van to move in the past. Or, perhaps you know someone who makes large deliveries with their van to make extra cash.
Whatever the case, there comes a point in time where a cargo van is extremely useful to have. This also means there are plenty of business ideas and side hustles you can start with this vehicle class.
So, if you have an old cargo van sitting in your driveway and you're wondering: how can I make money with my cargo van, this is absolutely the post for you.
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The Best Cargo Van Business Ideas
Since cargo vans are larger, they're excellent vehicles for gigs like helping people move or making large deliveries. They can also be excellent rental vehicles or help you start a new business.
So, with this in mind, let's look at some of the best ways to make money with a cargo van you can use to increase your monthly income.
Out of all the ways to make money with a cargo van, working with GoShare has one of the higher hourly earning potential. In fact, you can earn over $50 per hour just by driving and delivering with your cargo van.
GoShare is an on-demand delivery platform that lets you make money with several types of services, including:
- Last Mile Delivery
- LTL Shipments (Less Than Load)
- B2B Logistics
- Home & Office Moves
- Junk Hauling
- Courier Service
So, in short, you can make money as a GoShare driver by delivering packages for local businesses, helping people move, or just being someone's courier for a specific task.
What I like about GoShare is that it states hourly earning averages for different types of vehicle classes. According to GoShare, cargo vans earn approximately $63 to $71 per hour on average.
GoShare says top drivers earn $1,200 per week, but remember, like other gig apps, how much you earn depends on the size of your market and how many delivery requests you get.
Even so, GoShare lets you set your own hours and only accept deliveries you're interested in. And, with the high pay, it's a great way to get paid to drive if you have a cargo van.
2. Start Your Own Cargo Van Business
There are so many cargo van business ideas you can use to make extra money. Some of my favorite ideas include:
- Mobile pet grooming
- Catering
- Cleaning businesses
- Cargo van renovations and sale
- Courier services for local businesses
- Junk removal
- Moving help
- P2P delivery
- Mobile car washing
- Pressure washer business
- Taxi company
- Tour company
At the end of the day, there are plenty of business ideas that require a cargo van to transport goods and provide a service.
For example, I recently met a woman who raises farm-raised chickens and sells them at farmer's markets and to local restaurants. A cargo van is essential to her for deliveries, and this is just one personal example I know!
3. Sell Vanlife-Ready Vehicles
Alright, this is a bit of a weird way to make money with cargo vans, but I think it's a pretty cool niche idea for a small business.
Vanlife has been all the rage over the past few years, and a lot of vanlifers buy their own vans and then convert them themselves.
But, there's also a market for selling ready-to-go vanlifer vans to people who just want to live that lifestyle but don't have the time or skills to transform a van themselves.
VanlifeTrader is one example of a website where people sell vanlife vans and camper vans, and some of the vans are going for $75,000 or more.
Now, I personally don't know much about how to transform a cargo van into a vanlifer's dream. But if you're handy and like working on these sorts of projects, you could try flipping a basic cargo van into a vanlifer van!
4. Roadie
Like GoShare, Roadie is another on-demand delivery platform that lets you make extra cash for delivering packages to people.
However, unlike GoShare, Roadie focuses on both local and long-distance deliveries, so the platform is quite flexible.
Additionally, examples of common things Roadie drivers deliver include:
- Art
- Animals
- Appliances
- Furniture
- Groceries
- Home moves
- Small packages
- Vehicles
You get to accept the gigs you take just like GoShare. Gigs also show the total mileage, pay, size of items you're delivering, number of items you're delivering, and weight, so you know what you're getting yourself into.
According to Roadie, your earnings vary quite a bit depending on the type of gig. But you can make up to $650 for long-haul deliveries and $8 to $60 for local ones.
The fact you can earn $650 for long-distance drives makes Roadie one of the highest paying apps in the delivery space. And even $60 for a local delivery is a nice amount of extra cash.
5. Become An Airbnb Cargo Van Host
While it might surprise you, another way you can make money with your cargo van is to list it on Airbnb. That's right: some people are getting creative and listing their vanlife-ready cargo vans on Airbnb!
Here's an example of one I found in South Africa. The host is renting out their Sprinter Campervan for about $110 USD per night.
The host also has plenty of rules for the van, including a 200km per day limit and $0.50 overage cost per extra kilometer. So, you can protect yourself against risks like renters driving thousands of kilometers on your cargo van.
If you live in an area where hiking and vanlifing is popular, this could be an awesome cargo van business idea to test out.
6. Haul Stuff For People
Hauling stuff and junk removal are two other super easy ways you can start making money. This type of odd job is very popular in big cities. After all, many people would rather pay someone to haul their junk rather than take it to the dump themselves.
So, you can charge people a flat rate for taking junk to the dump for them. Alternatively, you can try picking up things like appliances or furniture, repairing them a bit, and then flipping them for a profit.
This is more of a DIY side hustle idea, but you can always try selling goods you find on the Facebook Marketplace or with selling apps like eBay or Mercari.
You can post your junk hauling services on Craigslist or other online odd job marketplaces to find your first clients!
Extra Reading – The Best Apps That Pay You Money Instantly.
7. Rent Out Your Cargo Van
If you don't have a lot of extra time on your hands, you can always try renting out your cargo van to earn passive income.
Vehicles are a popular thing you can rent for profit, especially with how the sharing economy has grown in popularity.
Platforms like Turo and Getaround let you list your vehicle so people can rent it out in your city and make money on autopilot. And, the great news is that cargo vans can fetch a premium since people often rent them for moves or transporting large packages.
Of course, you need to factor in platform fees, depreciation, and taxes into your total profits.
But, if your cargo van is currently collecting dust in your garage or a storage lot, renting it out could be the most effective way to boost your monthly income.
Extra Reading – The Best Equipment To Buy And Make Money.
8. Help People Move
Nobody likes moving. So, it's no surprise that you can make a decent amount of cash by helping people do it.
This is also one excellent cargo van business idea. After all, moving is expensive and cargo vans have enough storage capacity to help people out, so they're generally willing to pay a premium for your vehicle and some heavy lifting.
One way to get paid to help people move with your cargo van is to sign up for Lugg, an on-demand moving platform that connects movers and customers.
Lugg works if you have a truck or cargo van, and the company states you can earn up to $2,500 per week. In fact, according to Indeed, Lugg drivers earn around $35 per hour on average, so this is a great way to make a few hundred bucks in a single shift when you have the time.
And, if Lugg isn't popular in your area, you can still make money with your cargo van by offering moving help. For starters, you can post your services on websites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor.
It might take more time to find your own business versus using a platform like Lugg, but then you have the freedom to charge what you want, get paid in cash, and probably earn more in the long run.
9. Deliver For Amazon Flex
As an Amazon Flex driver, you get to deliver Amazon.com packages and grocery orders to people in your city. Plus, you earn up to $18 to $25 per hour!
And, a cargo van is an excellent delivery vehicle for this type of work since you have room to store all of the Amazon packages you'll be delivering during one of your shifts.
Life on the job as an Amazon Flex driver is also pretty straightforward. In a nutshell, you:
- Sign up for Amazon Flex
- Schedule yourself for “blocks,” Amazon's name for delivery shifts (blocks are normally 4 to 6 hours)
- Pick up packages from an Amazon fulfillment center
- Deliver packages to people in your city
- Get paid
There are plenty of ways to make money with Amazon, but in terms of using a cargo van, being an Amazon Flex driver is your best bet. Also note that you can try gigs like Instacart and Shipt if you have a cargo van since this vehicle is useful for delivering large grocery orders.
10. Start A Private Tour Company
Another easy way to make money with a cargo van is to offer private tours to people. And this is an especially lucrative idea if you live in a popular tourist destination or near one.
When I was in Thailand, this is what so many people were doing. They all owned decent cargo vans or luxury sprinter vans with nice, comfortable interiors. These drivers were essentially luxury taxis, and you could rent their services for an entire day or a few hours to check out different attractions.
If you start this business, you can also make it more low-maintenance by hiring drivers and then focusing on marketing and getting more bookings.
11. Try P2P Delivery Gigs
Peer-to-peer delivery jobs pay you for delivering packages to other people.
GoShare and Roadie are basically P2P delivery platforms, but they both focus on gigs like moving or transporting furniture. In contrast, a lot of P2P delivery companies focus on more specialized types of deliveries, like pets or fragile goods.
CitizenShipper is a perfect example of this, and the company mostly focuses on long-distance pet delivery.
CitizenShipper uses a bidding system, so when someone posts a request, you submit a quote and compete with other delivery drivers for the business.
Pet delivery also pays very well. Here are some examples of current gigs on CitizenShipper:
- Earn $900 for driving a 40lb dog from Oregon to Illinois
- Earn $800 for driving a 75lb dog from Michigan to Arizona
- Earn $500 for driving a 15lb dog from Washington to Florida
Obviously, these are some long-distance deliveries, but if you already drive for work frequently or have a road trip coming up, you can make some extra cash on the side by also bringing a furry friend along.
Tips For Starting Your Cargo Van Business
1. Track Your Mileage
Business miles are often tax-deductible, and the 2023 IRS business mileage rate is $0.625 per mile. So, if you start driving your cargo van to make money, you need to track all of your mileage so you can claim as many of them as possible.
You can do this manually, but you can also use mileage tracking apps like Everlance to do it automatically.
You should also track your vehicle expenses like oil changes, repairs, and factor in overall depreciation into your earnings.
Ultimately, this is the only way to get a true understanding of your profit margin, so don't neglect this basic bookkeeping!
2. Save Money On Gas
If you put a lot of miles on your cargo van, you should leverage things like fuel reward programs and a cash-back credit card to earn rewards whenever you're at the pump.
Additionally, you can also use various reward apps to earn PayPal cash and gift cards when you spend money on fuel.
Some popular apps that let you earn rewards for gas spending include:
Upside is the best app in this space and lets you save up to $0.25 per gallon at thousands of gas stations across the United States.
3. Outsource Help
If you decide to start a small business with your cargo van, one thing to consider is how you can scale your business through outsourcing.
For example, if you start helping small businesses in your area with their deliveries, you can try hiring a part-time delivery driver or someone you know to make the deliveries for you.
Then, you can spend more time focusing on getting more recurring business and new clients, or even expanding your operation with another vehicle!
Extra Reading – The Best Businesses That Run Themselves.
How Much Money Can You Make With A Cargo Van?
How much money you can make with your cargo van depends on the type of service you offer and how much business you can get. Some businesses can create a full-time income, whereas others are just part-time side gigs.
For example, if you earn $50 per hour with GoShare but only get a gig or two per week, you're probably looking at a few hundred dollars per month.
But, if you take on more serious work like driving for a P2P delivery app or starting your own business with a cargo van, you can potentially earn thousands of dollars per month.
So, in short, the earning potential for a cargo van is quite high, but you need to have enough business to work a full work week.
Is A Cargo Van A Good Investment?
A cargo van can be a good investment if it helps you launch a profitable business or service more customers so you earn more money. However, Cargo vans can easily cost $25,000 to $40,000, so buying a new cargo van to start a business or side hustle is a serious investment.
Additionally, if you buy new, your cargo van loses so much value the second you drive it off the lot.
In my opinion, I'd try making money with a cargo van if I already owned one. But I wouldn't buy one outright to start a new side hustle since it's a serious amount of cash to spend.
Extra Reading – How To Make $50 Per Day.
How Can I Make Money With A Sprinter Van?
Some of the best ways to make money with a sprinter van include offering driving tours, delivering packages for people, and starting businesses like airport/taxi shuttle services. Luxury sprinter vans can be especially lucrative since tour guides often use them to host group tours in popular destinations.
Final Thoughts
I hope my post on how to make money with your cargo van helps you find the right money-making idea for you.
As mentioned, as long as you track your income and expenses accurately, you can see if your cargo van side hustle is profitable and worth your time.
Cargo van businesses have a high earning potential because of the specialized tasks they can help with, so don't be afraid to charge a premium for whatever service you end up offering.
Extra Reading:
- 20+ Jobs That Pay $5,000 Per Month.
- Best Apps Like TaskRabbit.
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