12 Passive Income Ideas for Truck Drivers [2024]

Updated: February 22nd, 2024

12 Passive Income Ideas for Truck Drivers [2024]

Are you a truck driver looking to supplement your income? Or maybe you have a different day job and consider truck driving a part-time side hustle? Whatever your situation is, you’re no different than many others in the world today.

There are many ways for truck drivers to earn passive income. I’ll quickly highlight just a few of those here before moving on to the ‘extra job’ ideas. It’s important to note that most passive income ideas require investing time or money upfront to create passive income streams.

In this blog post, I will share some ideas for how Truck Drivers can make passive income. Stay tuned for tips on how to get started!

1. Start a niche blog

A niche blog that focuses on the trucking industry can be an excellent source of passive income for truck drivers. By sharing their expertise and experience, truck drivers can attract a loyal following and monetize their blog through ads, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing.

Starting a niche blog can be a great way to engage with a passionate online community by sharing your expertise on a specific topic.

The first step is to identify a profitable and underserved niche, such as fashion, video games, film reviews, cooking, and more.

Find your niche and create unique and informative content, such as articles, commentary, news, how-to guides, top product lists, convention coverage, video interviews, and spotlights.

To monetize your blog, gain visibility and followers, provide affiliate links, grow a YouTube channel, collaborate with relevant brands, and speak at events.

To succeed in niche blogging, you need to have a passion for your topic, create engaging content, and regularly engage with your followers.

How much you can make: $200 — $100,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

How I Built Starter Story

Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and $500,000 in annual revenue, and offers frameworks for growing your own site.

About
Pat started Starter Story over 6 years ago
Revenue
Pat grew the business to $91K/month
Costs
It cost Pat $100 to start the business
Read by 53,753 founders

2. Start an affiliate marketing business

Affiliate marketing is a popular way to earn passive income by promoting other people's products. As truck drivers, they can leverage their expertise to promote products related to the trucking industry and earn a commission on each sale made through their unique affiliate link.

Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.

To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.

How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 55 days (?)

My Affiliate Marketing Business Earns $500K/Year Profit [No Employees]

This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

About
Spencer started Buildapreneur over 6 years ago
Revenue
Spencer grew the business to $80K/month
Read by 22,694 founders

3. Start a YouTube channel

A YouTube channel that covers the trucking industry can be a great source of passive income for truck drivers. By creating engaging videos that showcase their driving skills, truck drivers can attract a large following and monetize their channel through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.

How much you can make: $13,000/month

How A Young Entrepreneur From Nigeria Started A Profitable Blog

This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.

About
Emenike started Entrepreneur Business Blog over 7 years ago
Revenue
Emenike grew the business to $13K/month
Read by 10,862 founders

4. Start a travel agency

A travel agency that specializes in transportation services for the trucking industry can be a lucrative source of passive income for truck drivers. By partnering with other trucking companies, they can offer comprehensive travel packages that include transportation, lodging, and other amenities.

Are you a passionate traveler with entrepreneurial skills? Then starting a travel agency can be a great career choice for you.

As a travel agency, you'll be responsible for linking travelers to providers of all the travel and tourism-related services such as accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, tour guides, local adventure, etc.

Starting an online travel agency is a lot easier than you might think. You'll need to perform market research, get a few necessary certifications (such as your IATA number), study competition, build a website, and do proper marketing.

To maximize earnings, negotiate discounts from the industry service providers, and charge travelers within the market rate.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $114,200,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

How I Started A $2K/Month Side Hustle Selling Vacations

Marissa Daniels runs a successful travel agency, Spread Your Wings Travel, that hit $100,000 in sales within a year of launch and provides payment plan options for its all-inclusive vacations, and she hopes to help 100 families supplement their income through the business.

About
Marissa started Spread Your Wings Travel Agency about 5 years ago
Revenue
Marissa grew the business to $7K/month
Costs
It cost Marissa $200 to start the business
Read by 17,118 founders

5. Start a podcasting business

A podcast that covers the trucking industry can be an excellent source of passive income for truck drivers. By interviewing industry experts and sharing their own experiences, truck drivers can attract a loyal following and monetize their podcast through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.

Podcasting businesses often start as a hobby. You publish a few episodes and posts, and soon you will start getting engagements from interested parties.

However, to earn money from your podcasting business, you need to put a lot of effort and time into producing quality shows that address your audience's concerns.

To grow your podcast business, ensure regular publishing, which brings better growth, more listeners to your channel, and a higher income.

Here is a list of steps to help you transition the podcast from a hobby to a full-time podcast business:

  • Ensure a focused effort and adjust the tone of each podcast episode
  • Make podcasting your priority
  • Focus on building
  • Grow a mailing list
  • Aim at building a trusted brand
  • Develop a long-term growth and marketing plan

How much you can make: $5,000 — $349,983/month

How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

Empire Flippers: $20M/Year Helping People Buy And Sell Websites

Empire Flippers is a thought leader in brokering online business deals, having brokered over $50 million worth of deals and grown their pool of potential buyers by hundreds every month through a focus on content marketing and middle-of-funnel content.

About
Justin started Empire Flippers almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Justin grew the business to $350K/month
Read by 9,597 founders

6. Start a dropshipping business

Dropshipping is a popular way to earn passive income by selling products online without holding inventory. As truck drivers, they can leverage their expertise to sell products related to the trucking industry, such as accessories and tools, and earn a profit on each sale.

Dropshipping is a business model where you sell products to customers without holding inventory.

Instead, when a customer makes a purchase, you buy the product from a third-party supplier, who then ships it directly to the customer.

To start a dropshipping business on a budget, choose a niche or category of products you want to sell.

Next, set up an online store using platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce. Then, find reliable suppliers from platforms like AliExpress, list their products on your store, and focus on marketing and customer service to grow your business.

Remember to carefully manage your expenses and monitor your profit margins to ensure profitability.

How much you can make: $6,000 — $3,000,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 10 hours/week

How I Started A $100K/Month Business Mentoring Dropshipping Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Kamil Sattar has developed multiple six-figure drop shipping businesses, and his company, e-commerce mentoring, specializes in helping others create their own successful companies, with favorite platforms including using Shopify and apps such as Loox reviews and SMSBump.

About
Kamil started E-commerce Mentoring about 7 years ago
Revenue
Kamil grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Kamil $1000 to start the business
Read by 24,250 founders

7. Start a food truck

A food truck that specializes in catering to the trucking industry can be a great source of passive income for truck drivers. By setting up at truck stops and rest areas, they can attract hungry truckers and earn a profit on each sale.

Food trucks are a highly profitable business that offers customers a variety of meal options out of a mobile truck. This basically operates inside a large vehicle equipped with kitchen and food products. Starting a food truck is a dream for many people, but it's more challenging than it looks. To make it work, you need the ideal location and menu.

To start a food truck business in a particular city, it is mandatory to check what kind of food trucks are already operating, identify a gap, and bring in some new experiences. Then, with the right plan and the right approach, you can be on your way to starting your own food truck empire.

How much you can make: $29,166 — $61,650,000/month

How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How I Took Food Trucks Corporate And Built A $18M Business

Food Fleet grew over 160% in just one year and managed over 20 million in sales for its clients, securing multiple contracts with the likes of Sodexo, Levy Restaurants and more, due to its understanding of catering client needs and its advanced turnkey and design services.

About
Jeffrey started Food Fleet about 12 years ago
Revenue
Jeffrey grew the business to $1.5M/month
Read by 14,560 founders

8. Start a travel consulting business

Truck drivers may make a good living through passive income by starting a travel consulting company that specialises in transportation services for the trucking sector. They may offer complete vacation packages and profit from each transaction by utilising their contacts and industry knowledge.

Many people dream of traveling the world. Starting a travel consulting business is an excellent way to make a passive income, explore different parts of the world, and help others do the same.

As a travel consultant, you will provide advice to clients on various aspects of travel, including destinations, airfare, accommodations, and activities.

The objective is to assist tourists and travelers in planning personalized vacations, offer travel advice, and provide end-to-end travel arrangements for a fee.

By making use of industry knowledge and relationships with hotels, airlines, and destination experts, travel consultants can save their clients time and effort in designing their dream trips.

How much you can make: $14,167 — $1,500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

How We Started The $35M/Year Dubai's Leading Tour Operator

Rayna Tours and Travels, founded by Kamlesh Ramchandani and Manoj Tulsani, began its journey as a small travel counter inside a Dubai hotel, and has now grown into one of the UAE’s leading destination management companies with earnings exceeding $40 million per year.

About
Manoj started Rayna Tours over 18 years ago
Revenue
Manoj grew the business to $500K/month
Read by 6,639 founders

9. Start a stock trading business

Investing in stocks can be a good source of passive income for truck drivers who are interested in finance. They can use their downtime on the road to research stocks and make informed investment decisions that generate returns.

Stock trading typically allows one to profit by buying and selling securities. However, profitability in stock trading relies on timing the market, different risk factors, and stock mispricing.

There is no minimum amount you need to trade in the stock market. You can begin with as low as $500 and add it as you earn and save more money.

How much you can make: $830,000 — $833,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)

Teri Ijeoma Of Trade and Travel On How She Created A Million Dollar Business

Trade and Travel, an online trading course, made over $10M in 2020 and generated more than $45M in lifetime sales, with founder Teri Ijeoma using platforms such as Teachable, Convert Kit, Calendly, and Instagram to grow her business and reach a global audience.

About
Teri started Trade And Travel almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Teri grew the business to $833K/month
Read by 646 founders

10. Start an explainer video business

An explainer video business that focuses on the trucking industry can be an excellent source of passive income for truck drivers. By creating engaging and informative videos that explain different aspects of the trucking industry, they can attract a large following and monetize their content through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales. Truck drivers can also leverage their expertise to provide unique insights and perspectives in their videos.

An explainer video is a short online marketing video used to explain a company's product or service. Marketers place the explainer videos on the website landing page or product pages to illustrate how the product or service works to their target audience.

Different types of explainer videos include:

  • Live-action explainer videos
  • Live streams on social media
  • Animated explainer videos
  • Whiteboard explainer videos

To create an explainer video, you need a video script and voiceover. You can use an explainer video editing software to add characters, music, and sound effects to the explainer video.

How much you can make: $10,000 — $180,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)

How I Created A $10K/Month Company That Makes Animated Explainer Videos

Italian entrepreneur Marco Gatti shares how he started Whiteboard.ee, a video marketing company that creates personalized animated videos, with a focus on doodle whiteboard animation, and currently invoices about $10,000 per month, having recently expanded internationally.

About
Marco started Mediatopsolution OU about 6 years ago
Revenue
Marco grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 6,894 founders

11. Start an aftermarket car parts business

An aftermarket car parts business that specializes in the trucking industry can be a lucrative source of passive income for truck drivers. By partnering with manufacturers and wholesalers, they can sell high-quality parts and earn a profit on each sale. They can also leverage their knowledge and experience as truck drivers to provide recommendations and advice to their customers.

The aftermarket car parts business is a lucrative opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs with a passion for cars and a desire to run their own businesses. This business idea involves selling aftermarket car parts, spare parts that the original vehicle manufacturer does not manufacture. These parts are typically used to repair or upgrade vehicles and can be found in various styles and brands.

To run an aftermarket car parts business, you will need to have a solid understanding of the car industry and the available types of parts. You will also need a good business plan, including a marketing strategy and a financial plan. You may need to invest in inventory, storage space, and a website or online store to sell your products.

There are several benefits to running an aftermarket car parts business. One of the biggest benefits is the potential for high profits, as car owners are often willing to pay a premium for quality aftermarket parts. This type of business can be run from various locations, including a physical storefront or online.

If you have a passion for cars and a desire to run your own business, the aftermarket car parts business may be the perfect opportunity. With the proper knowledge, planning, and marketing strategy, you can build a successful and profitable business in this exciting industry.

How much you can make: $45,000 — $325,000/month

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

How I Started A $12K/Month Aftermarket Vehicle Accessories

This case study follows an inspiring 22-year-old entrepreneur who started an eCommerce store for aftermarket vehicle accessories, making 5x the amount of money he used to make per month, and generated over $90,000 in sales last year.

About
Mitchel started Adrenaline Offroad over 6 years ago
Revenue
Mitchel grew the business to $45K/month
Read by 18,167 founders

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you build passive income as a truck driver?

Yes, truck drivers can build passive income through various means such as investing in stocks or real estate, creating an online course or blog related to the trucking industry, or renting out a truck or trailer. However, it requires initial effort and investment to set up the passive income stream.

How to make passive income as a truck driver?

Truck drivers can make passive income by investing in dividend-paying stocks or real estate, creating a blog or online course on trucking, or renting out their truck or trailer. Another option is to invest in a trucking company or a freight brokerage firm, which can provide passive income opportunities for those who have capital to invest.

Is passive income for a truck driver truly passive?

While passive income streams for a truck driver require effort to set up initially, they can become truly passive over time. For example, investing in dividend-paying stocks or real estate can generate income without any active involvement. However, some passive income streams, such as renting out a truck or trailer, may require occasional maintenance or repairs, but still, it's less effort compared to driving a truck full-time.

Conclusion

Online passive income is an excellent option if you are a Truck Drivers looking for ways to make some extra money. Several options are available, and many of them can be started with little to no investment.

Do your research, find something that interests you, and get started! You may be surprised at how quickly those extra dollars start adding up. What have you got to lose?

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.