My ‘trade plate’ side hustle earns me hundreds every week – all you need is a driver’s licence but they are 3 problems
A DRIVER has revealed how they make hundreds every week using a “trade plate” side hustle.
Chris, from Trade Plate Travels, explained how you can make easy money using just you driver’s licence.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he explained that he spends his spare days working as a trade plate driver for a dealership.
These are drivers who are hired by car dealers to collect and deliver the cars that the business buys and sells.
Dealerships buy from each other all the time, as well as picking up stock from private sellers and auctions across the country.
And while large franchises might have their own dedicated driver, plenty rely on freelance contractors to get their motors from A to B.
Chris said: “I deliver and collect vehicles all across the UK.
“I collect the vehicle, take it for a quick test drive…we transfer the money online.
“Once that’s done…I will drive it back to my house and park it in my garage overnight.
“The next morning I’ll take it to the dealership and head off on my next delivery.”
According to Chris, trade plate drivers are either paid an hourly rate or a per-mile fee.
The latter is more flexible, meaning you can be rewarded more accurately for longer journeys, but can also mean you miss out on money if you spend extra time sitting in traffic.
For reference, he took a trip from Hampshire down to Weston-super-Mare to pick up a van and came away with £114 for the day’s work.
Plus all his expenses are covered, including train tickets to get to the pickup and petrol money.
However, there are a couple of issues that you may want to consider before jumping on board.
He went on: “I love trade plate driving.
“You have the freedom to work when you want…and take days off when you want.
“The flip side to that is that you’re not going to get paid when you do have a day off.
“No holiday pay, no sick pay.”
He also pointed out that, while it’s a great way to earn extra cash, it is still relatively low pay for long hours so wouldn’t be sustainable as a full-time role.
Finally, you are reliant on public transport and the road network to do your job, so “one missed train or one bad traffic jam” can throw out your whole schedule.
And if you have to get up early for your day job the next morning, you could find yourself squeezed for sleep by delays.
Nonetheless, Chris still highly recommended trade plate driving, especially for those who want to get out there and see a bit more of the nation and get paid while doing so.