Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/649008
48 | Overdrive | March 2016 H ousehold moving isn't for every- one, but it's not just because of the heavy lifting. Having to hire helpers, securing an odd mix of fragile freight and maintaining high-touch customer relationships are requirements that make it far more specialized than typical dry van hauling. "It's just all the responsibilities," says Andy Cowsky of St. Petersburg, Fla., who's leased to Atlas Van Lines. "You have to be a secretary, you have to be a truck driver, you have to be a babysitter." Household goods moving is done almost exclusively by owner-operators. Those who master the skill set can make good money, says Scott Michael, chief executive of the American Moving & Storage Association. Michael says that based on anecdot- al reports AMSA hears, many own- er-operators average about $80,000 to $100,000 a year in net income. Some drivers gross as much as $500,000, but employing helpers drives up expenses. "There's so much more money in the moving business than there is in freight, but you earn it," says Mark Pettigrew of Booneville, Miss., who's leased to Bekins Van Lines. Pettigrew, who drives a 2016 Kenworth W900, earned a net income of about $170,000 in 2014. "It could be very lucrative if you're smart with your money and you can manage your money," says John Graham of Martinsburg, W.Va., who's leased to National Van Lines. "If you don't man- age your money and you're not busi- ness-smart, it will break you fast." Graham says household movers need a meticulous work ethic and, because they're working not with lumpers but Moving up Household goods: Big bucks for big work BY DEANNE WINSLETT 48 | Overdrive | March 2016 Household movers usually spend more time preparing to load, loading and unloading than they do driving. Todd Dills