Turns out you can make $87.50 by taking a video of a truck idling for more than 3 minutes in New York City. Many states have anti-idling laws, but New York city is the first to outsource enforcement to its citizens.
You have to make sure the name of the company is on the door and part of the video.
The trucking company gets a big ole fine of $350 and you get $87.50 for busting them.
From the New York Times:
“There in the street, Paul Slapikas was stalking his prey. Wire-thin and 81 years old, Mr. Slapikas stood in front of the truck like a lost tourist, a camera dangling around his neck and a map sticking out of his jacket pocket. He appeared to be deep in conversation on an old flip-phone — big hand gestures, a peek at a watch, a crane of the neck like he’s looking for a friend.
“After exactly three minutes and 10 seconds, Mr. Slapikas — a lifelong New Yorker who lives a few miles away in Queens — snapped the phone shut, tapped the screen of his watch and walked away. If everything goes as it should, he just earned $87.50, and maybe more, for those few minutes of time, and the company that owns the truck will receive a fine of at least $350 that it never saw coming. But for now, Mr. Slapikas is off down the block, a bounty hunter jauntily seeking his next target.”
Apparently Mr. Slapikas earned over $64,000 last year.
$87.50 for 3 Minutes: Inside the Hot Market for Videos of Idling Trucks
