Bulk bag soil delivery

Landscapers, garden designers, small builders and homeowners with raised beds or lawn projects.

You sell by the bag or load at a price above your buying cost plus fuel and time. Repeat orders from trade customers are the steadiest income.

• Confident driving a loaded vehicle
• Knowing soil types and what each is used for
• Reliable timekeeping and customer service

• Vehicle payload limits: soil is heavy, so check your vehicle's legal weight limit before you buy
• Whether you need an operator's licence for heavier vehicles, check with the DVSA
• Hire and reward insurance, goods in transit cover and public liability insurance
• Soil from building sites can count as waste, so buy from reputable sources and check waste carrier registration rules with the Environment Agency (or SEPA, NRW or NIEA)
• Poor quality soil with stones, weeds or contamination leads to complaints, so ask suppliers for test information

Startup costs are typically around £3,000 to £15,000, depending on your vehicle, how much soil you buy in and your insurance. These are estimates, so check your vehicle's legal payload and get insurance quotes before budgeting.

Monthly revenue is typically around £1,500 to £7,500, depending on how many landscapers, builders and homeowners you serve and your delivery load sizes. This is revenue rather than profit, and soil and fuel costs come out of it.

Check your vehicle's legal weight limit, whether you need an operator's licence from the DVSA, and hire and reward, goods in transit and public liability insurance. Also check waste carrier registration rules with the Environment Agency, SEPA, NRW or NIEA.