What: Work helping people move
Expected pay: $15 to $30 per hour, plus tips
Husl$core: $$$$
Commissions & Fees: NA
Where: Select U.S. cities, including Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston
Requirements: vary based on whether you’re a “Helper” — the person with a truck; or a “Hand” — the lower-paid person, who helps move stuff. Helpers must be at least 21 years old, have a valid drivers license and auto insurance, have a pickup truck, van or trailer; have a smart phone; be able to pass a background check; and be willing and able to lift and carry bulky items that weigh 75 pounds or more. You’ll also need a bank account where Dolly can direct-deposit your pay. Hands must be at least 18 years of age, able to pass a background check, willing and able to lift heavy items (75 pounds or more), have a valid drivers license and transportation to get to work, as well as a bank account to receive direct deposits. There are also positions for “Assistants,” who must pass a background check.
Review: Dolly is an app that connects people who need help moving with strong-bodied side hustlers who are willing to pitch in. If you have a truck, van or trailer, you can qualify as a helper earn $30 or more per hour. If you just have a strong back and the transportation to get you to and from jobs, you can be a hand and earn $15 plus tips. The site also allows helpers to have “assistants.” However, they get no additional pay. They’re essentially sharing the pay of the helper, who presumably requested the assistant, according to a spokesman for Dolly.
The site provides customers with some coverage for items that are damaged or broken in transit, which appears to protect the workers. Kudos for that since some of the other moving sites, such as GoShare, actually hold drivers liable for damage. (You should still buy commercial liability coverage on your vehicle, however.) The downside? You are an independent contractor and not covered by worker’s compensation insurance. Since moving heavy objects makes you more prone to injury than your average Joe, make sure you have good health coverage. And, realize that there are substantial costs to operating your truck (mileage, wear & tear, additional insurance, to name a few). And when you are moving people’s possessions, you may also want to invest in straps and other equipment to secure your cargo. The deal with assistants is also a little strange, since an unaffiliated assistant would otherwise be called a “hand” on this site and get his or her own pay.
That said, workers always get the ability to see the proposed pay before accepting a job, which makes this opportunity appear better than average for the right person. If helping people move is your thing, also check out Truxx, BuddyTruk and HitchIt.
What their users say:
I would like to see Dolly continue to grow as it’s been an easy way for us to get some extra income. The biggest bonus? My husband has lost 20lbs since last summer and credits the moving and lifting he’s been doing on his Dolly’s.
(from Glassdoor)
As of the end of last summer – early fall of 2016, they decided to literally start giving away their services on the app and now all posted jobs are now as low as $18.00 per job including: your hard labor, use of your truck, fuel / mileage costs etc…They have now started to post Dollys for a two person job, for as little as $19.00 and this amount includes 2 people, the use of your truck, tolls, fuel / mileage etc… so you end up not just doing the job for free, but also having to actually pay money out of your pocket to keep operating. requested jobs posted, but the pay is ridiculously low, compared to jobs listed from last year, which were more in line with what the job entailed and what the job was paying.
Keep in mind that the $30 per hour doesn’t take into consideration, your overhead, like use of your truck, fuel costs, maintenance on your vehicle, tolls, all equipment that you have to supply, such as plastic wrap, blankets, hand dollys, tape, straps etc… social security and taxes taken out that you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket, so after all said and done, you’ll be lucky if you can make minimum wage, but as a 1099 independent contractor, you’ll be lucky to not loose money and barely break even.
