Small-load soil delivery with a dump trailer

Homeowners with raised beds or lawn projects, small landscapers, gardeners and handymen.

You charge per cubic yard delivered, plus a delivery fee by distance. Your margin is the gap between the yard's price and your delivered price.

• Safe towing and driving
• Estimating how much soil a job needs
• Reliable scheduling and customer service

• General liability and commercial auto insurance, since personal auto policies often exclude business hauling
• Towing capacity, trailer weight limits and your state's trailer registration rules
• Check your state or city for any business license or sales tax rules on soil sales
• Wet soil is much heavier than dry, so don't overload
• Quality varies, so check the soil you buy for rocks, debris or contamination

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on whether you already own a suitable pickup, the dump trailer you buy, insurance and your first soil purchases.

Monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $7,000, depending on how many loads you deliver each week, your prices and the hours you put in. Wet soil is heavier, so avoid overloading.

Check that your insurance covers business hauling, since personal auto policies often exclude it. Also check towing capacity, weight limits and your state's trailer registration rules, plus any business license or sales tax rules on soil sales.