Start a Junk Removal Business

Load Economics Worksheet

Companion to the lessons "The honest money" and "The money system and the slow season."

1. Per-job P&L (one row per job, the day it happens)

LineWorked example ($700 full trailer, mid-market)Job 1Job 2Job 3
Invoice total$700   
Disposal: tonnage x facility rate (national average $62.28/ton; example: 1.5 t = ~$93)-$93-$ -$ -$ 
Surcharges by count (mattress $10-35 typical; tires a few dollars to $20; example: mattress $30 + 2 tires ~$15)-$45-$ -$ -$ 
Fuel (example: 40 loaded miles = ~$20)-$20-$ -$ -$ 
Insurance day-rate (GL $55/mo over 22 working days = $2.50)-$2.50-$ -$ -$ 
Marketing / lead cost (LSA average ~$48)-$48-$ -$ -$ 
Helper cost -$ -$ -$ 
Net after direct costs~$490 (70%)   
Truck repair reserve skim (15%)-$105-$ -$ -$ 
Pays you (before self-employment tax)~$390   

Worked example from "The honest money" (derived arithmetic; every input has its own claims row). Weight rule for heavy debris (shingles, drywall, concrete, dirt): disposal estimate x 2-3, plus labor. The failure behind most money stories is confusing gross with net: a thousand-dollar job with two tons of mixed debris, a paid lead, and a helper can leave less than $300.

2. The four-bucket split calculator

Give every dollar a job the day it lands. Transfer set the day the payment clears, tax bucket in a separate account at a separate bank so moving it back requires intent.

BucketSharePurposeThis month $
Operating~60%Your pay, fuel, supplies, insurance 
Tax~25%Self-employment and income; this is not your money 
Truck reserve~15%Tires, brakes, transmission; breakdowns are a when 
GrowthleftoverTrailer, tools, ads, the box truck someday 

Month deposited: $  x 60% = operating $    x 25% = tax $    x 15% = truck reserve $

3. Season check

Demand runs hottest spring through early fall and thins when the holidays arrive. Planning frame: discount expected off-season revenue sharply, then see if the business still pays you. If the math only works in June: bank the season, change what you sell in winter (estate cleanouts, storage lien clear-outs, office clear-outs, foreclosure and rental turnovers, pre-listing cleanouts), or pair the truck with a counter-seasonal lane. Spend October building the winter pipeline, not trusting momentum.