Why just drive when you can drive and earn? If you’re looking for inspiration to make a living using ONLY your cargo van, you’re in the right place!
When starting a business, we can put ideas off just by thinking about the huge amounts of money we need to spend on resources, but if you already have a cargo van, you’re making cash with what you already have!
If you already enjoy driving your cargo van, you’ll probably love these business ideas, because you’d be surprised how many ways there are for you to make money from your cargo van. From delivering packages to party planning, and everything in between!
So read ahead and get inspired by our list of 12 Ways to Make Money with Your Cargo Van!
Table of Contents
Food Delivery
What’s the first thing you do when you’re feeling too lazy to cook or go out eating? Sign into a food app and order your favorite meal more than likely. The rise of Uber Eats, Doordash, and other similar apps, has increased demand for food delivery drivers, so why not be one yourself?
There’s a lot to love about working for companies like these, they pay you an hourly rate, allow you to collect tips, and connect you to restaurants and customers that demand your delivery services. But if you prefer to drive for only one restaurant instead of driving around picking up orders here and there, consider working for local restaurants that like to hire their own driver, such as pizza chains.
In the United States, working as a food delivery driver can pocket you up to $84,000 a year. This obviously depends on things such as tips and where you live, but regardless, it’s definitely a sum that you can’t underestimate!
Rent Your Van Out
We get it, the idea of letting other people use your precious van might make you feel uncomfortable. But think about the easy cash you can make just by sitting there and doing nothing!
People might want to rent a big vehicle to transport large items like furniture, or they might just want it for a family vacation. Either way, renting it out can make you a decent amount of cash!
The safest way to rent out a cargo van is through reputable platforms like HyreCar, which allow you to list your cargo van for rent.
HyreCar thoroughly vets all potential renters, and you can even meet them beforehand to vet them yourself. If you’re happy, your van will be rented, and you can get up to 85% of the trip price into your pocket!
Choose from a variety of insurance options to protect your van in the case of an accident. The higher the quality of the insurance you add, the lower your percentage of the trip’s price will be.
Another great rental website is Turo. To ensure the protection of your vehicle, Turo also vets its renters and provides insurance options. It’s as simple as putting your cargo van up for rent, agreeing on a rental, getting paid, and sitting back until the renter returns it!
Both rental platforms provide an average monthly earning of more than $700. So you can pay off debts and afford a dream vacation by ONLY renting your cargo van! Nice deal, huh?
Mobile Billboard
Unless you mind wraps and stickers all over your van, using it for advertising is one of the easiest sources of passive income you can tap into right NOW!
So many advertisers are seeking to hire someone to do their branding for them. You’ll get to use your vehicle as you normally do, but the only difference is that you’re going to display adverts and get some cash in the bank while you’re at it as you might have seen many taxi drivers do.
Sounds easy, right? It is! You can easily reach out to companies that are interested in branding your van like Wrapify.
By using it, you can earn up to $452 a month to fully wrap your van, which is good cash for a side hustle, since you can still drive your van to the grocery and pick your kids up from school as you normally would, so why not do that in a way that pays your bills?
And the best thing about this is that you can even combine it with other business ideas, such as using it as a towing or hauling vehicle.
And in case you were wondering, your van’s paint is completely unaffected.
Towing Service
You can even earn some extra cash by using your cargo van to tow trailers, boats, cars, or anything that needs moving. So, if you think your van has the strength it takes, you can use it to make some extra bucks!
To do so, you’ll need two pieces of basic towing equipment: a tow cable and a tow hitch. You might also need something like a sandbag, an emergency kit, or other additional stuff. So, make sure to check your local regulations to know about the equipment you should have as a tow service.
Permits and a licence may be also required besides the equipment. Contact your local county to get the required documents to start providing towing services.
Now that everything is set, here’s how to actually start earning money:
Start by offering your service to local businesses in the area, and don’t just stop there, advertise your towing service on platforms like Facebook and Craigslist.
Look for potential customers that may need your help moving items. This includes people who have plans to move soon, boat owners, and owners of any other heavy items.
Unfortunately, parking spaces are usually allocated for only specific residents, but that’s good news for you, as you can make some cash by towing away the vehicles of whoever parks illegally or overstays!
And before you feel bad about towing someone’s car away, remember that they had likely already known that it was risky to park in a spot they shouldn’t. Not only that, but they could also be harming the person who paid for this parking spot – you’re only bringing justice and getting rid of offending vehicles!
Contacting car repair businesses is another great way to find a towing job.
Many people out there are in need of towing services. Don’t miss the opportunity and put your name out there, whether by online advertisement or by simply leaving your business cards at local businesses!
Hauling Business
One person’s trash, another person’s treasure?
Delivering products to customers isn’t the only way to make money with a cargo van, but disposing of their trash is also a very good way to do that!
In fact, starting a junk removal business can make you an hourly pay of $32. Not bad!
Besides the amazing earning potential, you’re also free to set your own schedule and work whenever you desire!
Here’s another great reason to start a hauling business: you don’t even need qualifications! No college degree, no special license, no training. JUST you and your van!
Whether you’re looking for full-time, part-time, or just seasonal work, junk removal service is always needed, but you just have to fish around!
Amazon Flex Driver
According to Amazon Flex, you can earn an average of $18-$25 per hour by making package deliveries for them.
Amazon Flex simply gives car and van owners the opportunity to put their vehicles to good use.
Being an Amazon Flex Driver will allow you to choose your own schedule, as well as your working hours – you just pick which hours you’re free to work at and simply get paid to drive!
Your payment will vary based on demand, location, and of course, tips.
You can also entertain yourself between pickups and deliveries by listening to music or podcasts to make your job much more fun!
Work As A Delivery Driver For GoShare
If you’re looking for a van job, and you want to be your own boss and make your own work schedule, you might want to try GoShare.
GoShare connects businesses and individuals who own a car, van, or truck for on-demand delivery.
The way it works is super simple: when a job is available, you get a delivery alert, and you’re free either to accept the job or not. If you accept it, finish the job and you’ll receive your cash in four days!
Weekly payment can be as high as $1200 for top delivery drivers. Which is $62,400 per year!
Your pay will vary based on the type of vehicle, but the good news is, almost any vehicle can work with GoShare – cargo vans, minivans, pickup trucks, cars, box trucks, and SUVs.
In a nutshell, if you have one of these vehicles, are at least 18, have appropriate insurance, and pass their background checks, you’re part of a platform that has over 8,000 drivers across the US!
Caterer
Catering companies need your cargo van! Here’s why…
Caterers may hire you as a van driver to transport their cooking utensils, ingredients, chairs, tables and related items. And carrying their items without them needing a lot of vehicles will reduce the cost, which eventually passes on to the client. A win-win!
Party Planning
The large space in a cargo van is perfect for party planning companies. They’ll want a van to move their supplies, like blow up bouncers, chairs, tables, and decorations.
So don’t be hesitant to reach out to party planning companies in your area and offer your services. This can bring you decent returns!
Fall Yard Cleanup
Can you transform the fallen leaves in the Fall into money? Of course, you can!
With Fall comes tons and tons of falling leaves in the backyards of folks who don’t have time or energy to clean them up. Do it for them with the help of your cargo van, and they’ll pay you for it!
Starting this business might only be beneficial in the fall, but it still is a great side hustle.
Food Truck
Flipping your cargo van over into a food truck can prove to be a profitable investment. A food truck can earn you up to $200,000 a year, depending on things like the kind of food you offer, your location, and your working hours.
Turning a van into a food truck should only be left to professionals (unless you want your business to literally go up in flames!) If you don’t have the skill, make sure to hire skilled professionals to do the conversion process for you.
After setting everything up in the cargo van, it’s time to plan about what food you want to serve and how you’re going to brand your business. You need to come up with a catchy brand name and decide whether you’ll use wraps, online marketing, or better yet, both. We can already smell your delicious cooking!
As great as it sounds, running a food business isn’t for everyone. If, however, you manage to do it properly, you’ll be rewarded with great returns, plus the fun you have serving people mouth-watering treats!
Sell it!
Although some can’t imagine selling their vans, for others, it’s an ideal way to turn their cargo van into cash, literally!
Vanlife has gotten increasingly popular in the past few years, so many vanlifers will be more than willing to buy your cargo van.
However, there’s a lot of people out there who want to indulge in that lifestyle but don’t have much time or ability to transform their vans themselves. That’s why there’s a big market that offers vanlifers ready-made vanlife vans.
VanlifeTrader is a platform where vanlife vans and camper vans are sold for a wide variety of prices. Now, if you’re handy enough to turn your basic cargo van into a van lifer’s dream, give this one a go!
Bottom Line
If you’ve got a cargo van, there are plenty of ways out there to make money with it, and we’ve just given you a list of these ways on a silver platter. Whether through delivery driving, hauling, towing, or advertising, cargo vans can make you a satisfying sum of money, if you know how to use them!
Now, get up and hit the ground running, and start making money with your cargo van!