Price junk removal in fractions of your truck, then test each fraction against what the job really costs: disposal, labor on site, the trip to the dump and the truck. In the example below a half-truck load costs $266 to do and $370 to sell, leaving $74 profit. But if the same half truck is dense stuff like tile and wet wood, the disposal bill alone eats most of that profit. All figures are illustrative; your dump fees, labor rates and truck size will differ. The method is what carries over.
Price in fractions of a truck
Customers can picture "a quarter of a truck." They can't picture cubic yards. Most operators quote a quarter, half, three-quarter or full truck, and a customer can see the truck while you load. Decide what a full truck means for you (a 16 cubic yard box, for example) and print the fractions on your quote. A single-item price, like a couch, is a separate line for small jobs.
Disposal fees and why weight matters
Disposal is the cost people forget. Transfer stations and landfills often charge by weight, usually a rate per ton with a minimum per trip, though some charge by the load or the cubic yard. Find the rate for every facility you use, ask whether the minimum applies, and ask about extra fees for mattresses, tires, appliances and other items.
In this example the dump charges $90 a ton and a full truck of ordinary household junk weighs about 1.6 tons. So a half truck weighs 0.8 ton and costs $72 to dump. But a half truck of concrete, tile, roofing or wet lumber can weigh 1.4 tons or more, which is $126 for the same space in the truck. The truck looks the same and the cost isn't. That's why weight-heavy materials get their own price.
Labor and drive time
Assume a two-person crew costing $22 an hour each with payroll costs. On a half-truck job they spend 2 hours on site, which is 4 labor hours, $88. Then the trip: 30 minutes to the job, 40 minutes to the dump and back to the yard, 20 minutes to unload, 1.5 hours for two people, $66 of labor that no customer sees. Truck costs (fuel, maintenance, insurance) are $40 for about 40 miles at $1.00 a mile.
Surcharges for heavy and regulated items
- Mattresses and box springs: many places charge a recycling or disposal fee, or restrict landfill disposal. Charge a per-item fee that covers the actual cost and the handling.
- Appliances with refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners): refrigerant must be removed by certified technicians in the US, and disposal sites often require proof or charge a fee. Ask your site what it needs.
- Tires, electronics, paint and chemicals: many facilities won't take them or charge a fee. Hazardous items like pesticides, solvents or asbestos materials shouldn't go in your truck at all unless you are licensed for them.
- Heavy materials (concrete, dirt, shingles, brick): price by weight or load, not by the fraction of the truck.
- Stairs, long carries, basements and attics: add a labor charge. They slow a crew by 25 percent or more.
Rules on what you may haul and where you may dump vary by state and county. Check yours before you quote, and keep dump receipts. This is general information, not legal advice.
A half-truck job P&L
A fictional crew, Redhill Hauling, prices a half-truck load of furniture and bags at $370. Here is the job.
- Disposal: 0.8 ton x $90 = $72.
- On-site labor: 4 labor hours x $22 = $88.
- Drive and dump labor: 1.5 hours x 2 people x $22 = $66.
- Truck: $40.
- Direct cost: $266.
- Marketing and admin at 8 percent of the price: $29.60.
- Profit: $370 - $266 - $29.60 = $74.40, about 20 percent.
How to set the price: direct cost divided by (1 minus the 8 percent overhead minus the 20 percent profit you want), so $266 / 0.72 = $369, rounded to $370. Now run the same job with dense material at 1.4 tons: disposal is $126, direct cost $320, overhead $29.60, profit $20.40, about 5 percent. One heavy job in four at that margin takes about a fifth of your profit. So quote heavy-material jobs by weight or add a surcharge.
The same build for the other fractions: a quarter truck (0.4 ton, 1 hour on site) costs $186 direct and prices at $260. A three-quarter load (1.2 tons, 3 hours) costs $346 and prices at $480. A full truck (1.6 tons, 4 hours) costs $426 and prices at $590. Notice the quarter truck: the trip and the drive are fixed, so small loads are the least profitable per dollar, and your minimum should reflect that.
Photo estimates and minimums
Ask for three photos before quoting: a wide shot, a close-up of the heaviest item and the route from the pile to the driveway. Give a range ("$370 to $480, depending on what's in the garage") and confirm on arrival, before you load. Set a minimum visit that covers one trip, in this example about $125, and say it. For how to answer the request fast, see how to reply to a quote request, and how to write a quote for a service for the format.
Pricing the dump-trailer and cleanout jobs
A whole-house cleanout is several loads over a day or two. Quote it as a number of truckloads plus a labor line for sorting, and ask about donations, which cut weight and cost. If you bring in a dump trailer, price the rental or your own trailer by the day and the load. Add a line for an extra dump trip, because a long day with three trips costs more than three separate half-truck visits. For flat versus hourly pricing choices, see hourly rate versus flat fee and how to price your services.
Pricing is half the business; the other half is the phone ringing. Getting customers for a junk removal business covers that, and the same cost-first method is applied to lawn mowing routes and pressure washing.
Rocketship finds the buyers, such as property managers, realtors and estate attorneys who send cleanout work, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required.