Junk Hauling Business: Dump Trailer or Box Truck?

The vehicle is the biggest decision in a junk hauling business. It sets your startup cost, how many jobs you can do in a day, how much time you spend at the dump and how professional you look in a customer's driveway. Here is how the four common setups compare.

1. Pickup truck alone

• Holds: about 2 to 3 cubic yards, a quarter of a full load
• Cost: $0 if you own one
• Good for: single items, small jobs, testing the business on weekends

A pickup gets you started, but most jobs need two or three trips, and every trip to the dump has a minimum fee. Almost every owner moves on quickly.

2. Pickup plus dump trailer

• Holds: 10 to 16 cubic yards depending on trailer length and side height. A 14 foot trailer with 4 foot sides holds about 14 yards
• Cost: $6,000 to $12,000 new for the trailer, $4,000 to $8,000 used
• Unload time: 5 to 10 minutes. You tip it
• Good for: most new companies

The dump trailer is the most common setup for new junk removal companies, and for good reason. It holds a real load, it tips at the dump so you are not unloading by hand, and you can drop it at a big cleanout and come back for it. The tradeoffs: you need a truck that can tow it loaded (check the towing capacity and the trailer's gross weight), backing into tight driveways takes practice, and some HOAs and condos do not love trailers.

Tip: get a trailer with a ramp or barn doors and side extensions. You will load more by walking items in than by lifting them over the side.

3. Box truck

• Holds: 15 to 20 cubic yards for a 14 to 16 foot box
• Cost: $20,000 to $45,000 used
• Unload time: 20 to 40 minutes by hand
• Good for: furniture-heavy work, rain, apartment and office cleanouts

A box truck keeps loads dry and hidden, looks like a big company and has the most space per trip. But you unload it by hand at the dump, which on a three job day can add an hour or more. Many dumps also make you unload on the floor instead of driving up to a pit. Some owners add a liftgate or a ramp; very few box trucks dump.

4. Stake bed or dump body truck

• Holds: 12 to 18 cubic yards with high sides
• Cost: $25,000 to $60,000 used
• Unload time: 5 to 10 minutes with a dump body, longer without
• Good for: debris, yard waste and mixed loads

A dump body truck with high sides is the classic hauler: one vehicle, tips at the dump, handles heavy material. It costs more up front, and heavy material on a small truck can overload it fast. Check the payload rating before you buy.

How to choose

Ask yourself four questions:

1. What do I already own? If your pickup can tow 10,000 pounds, a dump trailer is the obvious first step
2. What will I haul most? Furniture and household junk: trailer or box truck. Debris and yard waste: dump trailer or dump body
3. How far is the dump? If it is 30 minutes away, a bigger box saves trips. If it is close, fast unloading matters more
4. Where do I park it? Some cities and HOAs restrict commercial trucks and trailers at home

For most new companies, a pickup plus a 14 foot dump trailer is the best balance of cost, capacity and speed. Our junk removal business startup cost guide has the full budget.

Weight is the hidden limit

Every vehicle has a payload limit, and junk is deceptively heavy. A full trailer of furniture might weigh a ton. A half trailer of wet shingles or concrete can weigh three. Overloading damages your truck, your tires and your brakes, and it can earn you a ticket at a weigh station. Know your numbers and price heavy material separately. See junk removal dump fees.

Making it look professional

• Letter it. Your name, phone number and website on both sides and the back
• Keep it clean. A tarped, tidy load says "careful with your house"
• Straps and tarps every load. Required by law in most states, and an unsecured load is a fine and a liability

Price the vehicle into every load

Whatever you choose, its cost lives in your prices. A $30,000 truck over five years is $500 a month before insurance and fuel. Spread it across your jobs and make sure your load prices cover it. Our guide on how much to charge for junk removal shows how.

Then fill it

The best truck in the world loses money parked. Once you have a way to haul, the next thing is a steady flow of calls: a junk removal website that shows load prices, a Google profile full of reviews and a phone that always gets answered.