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How HaulHQ works: the two workflows
HaulHQ runs two different businesses. Junk removal is quoted. Dumpster rental is booked. Almost every setup mistake comes from mixing them up.
Before anything else, one idea. HaulHQ supports two kinds of work, and they run in opposite directions. Almost everything that confuses people during setup comes from applying one workflow to the other.
Junk removal
is quoted
- 1A customer describes a pile of stuff.
- 2You give a price -- instantly from load size, or as a written estimate.
- 3A human closes the deal. Most junk jobs are won on a phone call or a text.
- 4The job is scheduled and hauled.
Dumpster rental
is booked
- 1A customer picks a container size and dates.
- 2They check out themselves. Price and availability are known up front.
- 3You deliver the container.
- 4You pick it up when the rental ends.
The one sentence to remember
Junk removal is quoted. Dumpster rental is booked. Dumpsters are never added to a quote form, and junk is never sold through the booking widget.
Why this matters more than it sounds
The two workflows use different settings screens, different shortcodes, and different pages on your website. If you are building a dumpster rental site and you start in Settings > Quote Form, you are in the junk removal workflow and nothing you do there will affect your dumpster pages. It is the only screen in the product with the word "form" in it, which is why people find it first.
Which one are you?
You may be both. HaulHQ calls these verticals, and you picked yours during onboarding. Everything in the product -- menus, settings, shortcodes -- is filtered by that choice.
| If you... | You are | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Haul away junk with a truck and trailer | Junk removal | The quote workflow |
| Drop off containers and collect them later | Dumpster rental | The booking workflow |
| Both | Both | Read both. They do not overlap as much as you would expect. |
The things that are shared
Some parts of HaulHQ do not care which workflow you are in: your customer list, payments and invoicing, reviews, your photo gallery, your service area, and your business details. In this documentation those live below the two workflow sections in the sidebar, not inside either one.
Common mistakes
"I will add my dumpster sizes to the quote form."
The quote form is junk removal only. Dumpster sizes live in your Catalog as equipment, and are sold through the booking widget. See Catalog & equipment.
"Settings > Quote Form controls the form on my website."
It controls the junk removal quote form ([haulhq_form]). It has no effect on the booking widget ([haulhq_booking]), which is what a dumpster site uses.
"I need the shortcode called booking, because customers book with me."
Only if you rent containers. For junk removal, the shortcode you want is [haulhq_form] -- it handles both instant booking and estimate requests. See Which shortcodes, and where.