If you’ve got a truck and some muscle, you can earn more than $30 per hour with moving jobs. And sometimes you can earn a lot more — $50 to $100+ per hour — if you have a truck or van.
No truck? No problem. Even “assistants” and “helpers,” who sign on as extra muscle, can earn $30 to $50 hourly, according to an analysis of 10 moving platforms reviewed on SideHusl.com.
Peak season for moving is spring and summer. That has moving platforms actively recruiting drivers.
Strength required
What you need to participate is a clean record — both driving and criminal — and the ability to lift 50 – to 75-pounds. If you aim to drive your own car, van or truck, you’ll also need to submit to a vehicle inspection and provide documents proving your vehicle is licensed and insured. Other requirements vary by the site.
Background, license and car inspections take a few weeks to complete — and even longer when there is an influx of candidates. This why moving platforms are already seeking side hustlers for spring. It could take as much as a month to get approved before you can accept your first gig.
Earn more than $30 per hour
Dozens of websites can help you find moving work, but they’re not all alike. Some specialize in local moves, while others are geared to longer-hauls. Additionally, where most moving jobs are well paid, a few sites offer stingy wages. Beware, too, that some of these sites misrepresent how much you’ll get paid by assuming you’ll receive generous tips. Tips, of course, are never guaranteed.
Here’s a look at 10 moving platforms reviewed and rated on SideHusl. The platforms are listed in order of best to worst, ranked by their respective Husl$cores. (Husl$cores are a one-to-five rating reflecting how well a platform performs for workers. The higher the score the better.) Platforms with the same rating are listed alphabetically. Naturally, a big portion of the score involves how much you earn. With all of the top-rated sites, you can expect to earn more than $30 per hour.
Citizen Shipper ($$$$)
Citizen Shipper matches people who need help moving pets or possessions with the drivers who are willing and able to do it. Unlike some local moving services, this site specializes in long-haul moves and is ideal for those with bigger trucks and/or trailers.
The site doesn’t set your hourly rate of pay, nor does it charge you a commission. You set your own rate and collect payment in person at the time of delivery. So, if you don’t earn more than $30 per hour, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
Citizen Shipper makes money by adding a commission onto the customer’s bill and by charging movers a $25 monthly subscription. But you have a three-month free trial period before that first subscription payment is due, which provides plenty of time to see if the site’s marketing muscle is worth the cost.
Another attractive feature: Citizen Shipper automatically creates a “stack” of up to five other potential deliveries that are between the driver’s current location and the accepted destination. That makes it simple to fill empty space in your truck — and make more money — with additional on-the-way deliveries.
GoShare ($$$$)
GoShare promises hourly wages between $51 and $222. Your wage depends on the type of vehicle you drive. Drivers of passenger cars, SUVs and mini-vans earn the least; large pick-ups and full-sized cargo vans earn $116. Those with box trucks earn as much as $222 per hour.
Don’t have a vehicle to use? You can sign up to assist at this site and earn an average of $39 per hour. Drivers and their assistants also keep 100% of their tips.
There are two caveats. Drivers need to pay for their own background check before getting approved at this site. In most parts of the country, the background check costs $45. But if you happen to live in New York, you pay $150. This fee is not refundable, so don’t sign up until you’ve read the rules and are confident that you qualify.
Secondly, the site has insurance but can hold drivers responsible for the deductible if items are damaged during shipping. The deductible is high — $1,000. So, take care or buy your own commercial damage insurance coverage.
Jiffy on Demand ($$$$)
JiffyOnDemand connects consumers needing a variety of household tasks with the side hustlers able to do it. The site sets the payment schedule for 17 different tasks, including lawn care, electrical and plumbing work, furniture assembly, appliance repair and, of course, moving and delivery.
In the moving category, JiffyOnDemand requires that any move involve at least two movers and be booked for a minimum time period. Based on the rates charged for that move in Chicago, the movers would be billed out at $62 per hour and take home a minimum of $50, after the site’s 12% to 18% commission. Commissions vary based on the city and the size of the job. The bigger the job, the more of the payment you get to keep.
Jiffy is currently available in just four cities — Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Ottawa.
uShip ($$$$)
uShip connects movers with people who are trying to ship things, from furniture to pets, locally or nationwide. The site works much like competitor, Citizen Shipper, in that movers are encouraged to sign up and fill their trucks with additional on-the-way deliveries. At both sites, movers bid on jobs, setting their own rate of pay. Clients determine which bid they’ll accept.
uShip collects payment on the shipper’s behalf and releases the money as soon as the shipper marks “delivered” on the app. The site is generally user friendly, but penalizes drivers if they cancel too many jobs or cancel at the last minute.
Dolly ($$$)
Dolly has two tiers for workers. If you own a truck, van or trailer, you can qualify as a “helper” and earn $30 per hour or more. If you just have a strong back and the means to get to and from jobs, you can be a “hand” and earn $15 plus tips. The app works well, but you can earn higher hourly wages elsewhere.
HireAHelper ($$$)
HireAHelper allows movers to list their labor-only services for loading and unloading trucks, as well as more comprehensive moves. Although movers are expected to maintain their own insurance coverage for both liability, workers compensation and damage to customer goods, the site has automatic coverage for minor damages. Customers may also buy more comprehensive coverage.
Movers bid on jobs, setting their own rates. Each job generally must be for a minimum of two movers for two hours, so you should figure on signing up with a buddy and sharing the expense of the truck. The site will impose a fee of $100 per order, plus 10% of any amount over $500. In other words, if you bid $500, you’ll take home $400.
Be sure to factor the site’s fees into your proposal. The $100 minimum site fee makes HireAHelper a tough sell for small moves.
Bellhops (HuslScore: $$)
Bellhops advertises itself as a great option for college students, maintaining that you’ll earn $21 per hour helping people move during the summer months. But this pay estimate includes tips. The real pay is considerably lower. And Bellhops requires you to lift as much as 100 pounds, which is considerably more than most other sites.
*Updated 2/21/2023
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