Dolly

What: Dolly connects movers and those needing help moving in select U.S. cities, paying more to those with trucks.

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: 18+ (21+, if you’re a driver), able to pass a background check and lift 75 pounds or more. Drivers must also have auto insurance and a truck or van

Review:

Dolly connects people who need help moving with able-bodied side hustlers who are willing to pitch in. If you have a truck, van or trailer, you can qualify as a “helper” and 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.

Dolly provides customers with some insurance 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 hold drivers liable for damage. (You should still buy commercial liability coverage on your vehicle, however.)

Dolly pays movers once a week, on Friday, via PayPal.

Risks

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 job, make sure you have good health coverage. Also realize that there are substantial costs involved in 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 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. However, other moving platforms pay both drivers and helpers higher hourly rates.

Recommendations:

If helping people move is your thing, also check out Truxx and GoShare. If you have a bigger rig/trailer and don’t mind longer-hauls, also take a look at Citizen Shipper and uShip.

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. 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 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 your overhead into consideration. You supply your truck, fuel costs, maintenance on your vehicle, tolls, and all equipment. You’ll pay social security and taxes out of your own pocket. After all said and done, you’ll be lucky if you can make minimum wage.

8/20/2020