Andy Thompson started his hauling company seven years ago as a way to supplement his full-time job working for the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works trash collection.

A typical day for him starts at 5:30 a.m., working for the city, then around 2:30 p.m. he’s off to complete work orders through Andy’s Hauling.

Why would a homeowner need to hire a hauler?

Homeowners use haulers for lots of reasons. The most common job is clearing out a garage, basement or attic that's been filling up with stuff for years. People also call because they've just moved into a house and they have too much stuff to put out for the trash pickup.

We also get calls for debris from yard projects - like tearing down a deck or storage shed. Right now, we get a lot of calls to clean out foreclosed homes for banks. In some of the homes, people just leave everything - furniture, clothing, lamps, appliances.

A lot of times it's all destroyed, but if it's in good condition, I try to make sure it goes somewhere it will be used. I take everything else to Ray's Trash.

How do you charge for hauling?

It's really important to call around to make sure you're getting a good price. People are often at their wits' end when they call – they just want their stuff gone right then, regardless of price. They don't want to wait for their trash service's heavy pickup day or take the time to call around and get other prices.

Most people have everything in a pile ready to go when we get there, so my price is a flat rate of $110 per load for a full-size pickup truck bed, or $220 per load for a 16-foot trailer.

Is the there anything you won't haul away?

The city only takes household items, and if you have a large item, you have to wait for heavy trash pickup day, which is usually once a month. A/C units or refrigerators require a special pickup from the city because of the Freon in them. I'll take anything, anytime.

What's the strangest thing you've ever hauled?

The strangest thing I've hauled away are prosthetic arms and legs. I've run across a few; people get new ones and just throw the old ones out. I also had a guy call me to pick up 500 titanium golf club heads. They were made incorrectly and he didn't want someone to get them out of the trash and try to use them.

I tell people if it's a brainless, grunt work job, call me. The most important things to know are to shop around, find out where your stuff is going and check for a license number on the truck.