Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/683064
4 // OWNER OPERATOR // JUNE 2016 Feature Story Owner-operator niche: Household good hauling offers big bucks for big work By Deanne Winslett Household moving isn't for everyone, but it's not just because of the heavy lifting. Hav- ing 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 secre- tary, 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 anecdotal re- ports AMSA hears, many owner-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 mov- ing business than there is in freight, but you earn it," says Mark Pettigrew of Booneville, Miss., who's leased to Bekins Van Lines. Pet- tigrew, 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 manage your money and you're not business-smart, it will break you fast." Graham says household movers need a meticulous work ethic and, because they're working not with lumpers but with families, good customer relations. A driver may spend a week packing boxes, itemizing every box and piece of furniture, and loading – then another week unloading. "You spend a lot of time in the trailer and in people's homes," even more than time in the truck, he says. Household movers usually spend more time preparing to load, loading, and unloading than they do driving