Underground Moving

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We were more flexible on long distance rates. Those jobs were easier—mostly driving—and so profitable we didn't want to lose them. We'd ask for thirty cents a mile (forty cents for two men) round trip plus tolls, and haggle down from there. A three hundred mile run might net us $80 for a full day's work, but many customers told us that price was reasonable—if not absurdly low—compared to the rates charged by professional movers.

"All terms cash, no checks, no credit." We got damn tired of repeating that, but it was necessary. In the city, unfortunately, you have to be very cautious about accepting personal checks from strangers. By insisting on immediate cash payment we avoided the hassles of billing by mail, bouncing checks and incriminating records for the tax men. We'd make a rough estimate of what each assignment might cost, then ask the customer to have at least that much cash on hand to cover it.

TRUCK, EQUIPMENT, LABOR:

The only major equipment you need to set yourself up in the moving business is some sort of small truck or van, and if you shop around you'll probably be able to find a usable vehicle for a few hundred dollars. Our '57 VW bus, which we bought originally to use as a camper, cost $300. For an additional $450, we had Volkswagen mechanics install a guaranteed rebuilt engine. Although our initial investment was repaid many times over, you should be able to get a much better deal.

Moving furniture is hard on a vehicle, but we kept maintenance costs down by doing our own repairs. John Muir's HOW TO KELP YOUR VOLKSWAGEN ALIVE (which you can order through MOTHER) taught us everything we needed to know, from doing tune-ups to adjusting brakes to engine overhauls. Extra large tires on the rear wheels helped support heavy loads with less wear on the bus.

We were constantly amazed at how much we could fit into that little van . . . from sofas to double beds to small pianos to 2000 pounds of filled file cabinets to our own mattress and Coleman stove when we just had to get away to the hills for the weekend. VW's are easy to maintain and park on crowded city streets, and they're wonderfully cheap on gas (ours got 27 miles per gallon on long runs).

The small doors on the old bus, however, did present a problem in loading and unloading. After 1964, VW enlarged the back door . . . and after '68, the bus itself was made a foot longer with larger sliding doors. These changes make a big difference in loading capacity. American-made vans (Chevy, Dodge, etc.) are more expensive to buy and operate than VW's, but they have wider doors and a lot more space inside.

If you want to operate on a larger scale, you might buy a used mail truck or United Parcel van (see "Keep on Truckin"' in MOTHER NO. 8). Or you could, as one of our friends did, put plywood sides and top on a pickup or flatbed truck. With such vehicles, however, you might be forced to get commercial plates in some states . . . and that means higher registration fees, insurance, tolls and restricted access to some highways. Larger loading capacity would justify higher rates than ours, but you should be careful not to price yourself out of business. Whatever the size of your truck, measure every dimension and keep the figures posted over your phone.

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MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN'

Wanda Urbanska

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