\nmay earn money when you make a purchase or sign-up
\nafter clicking. Learn more about how we make money.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
When it was founded in 2014, Roadie intended for drivers to deliver items that were headed the same way they were. Now the company is a sprawling national enterprise that serves 95% of the country. That means driving for Roadie is accessible to nearly everyone.<\/p>\n
The app<\/a> brings unique features, transparency and ease of use to the table, and the company continues to experiment with ways for drivers to earn.<\/p>\n But will it put you on the road to riches or should you steer clear? This Roadie review will help you decide.<\/p>\n Roadie<\/a> is a UPS-owned platform that connects businesses and individuals with local drivers for same-day and next-day deliveries. It operates in all 50 states, with more than 200,000 drivers.<\/p>\n As an independent contractor on Roadie, you have a lot of flexibility:<\/p>\n With that said, it\u2019s important to note that you can\u2019t simply claim each delivery. Instead, you have to wait for Roadie\u2019s algorithm to decide if you\u2019re the best driver for each assignment you request.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the company, this algorithm takes hundreds of factors into consideration. So even if you\u2019re standing at the pickup location, you may not get chosen for a job.<\/p>\n Recently, the platform began rolling out an alternative to making offers on deliveries called Blocks, which enables drivers to pick up scheduled shifts with particular vendors for guaranteed pay. For example, you might make deliveries exclusively for Walmart on a four-hour shift for $65.<\/p>\n In either case, once you\u2019ve started making deliveries, you have to maintain a four-star rating to continue.<\/p>\n Roadie doesn\u2019t have vehicle restrictions. However, you must meet these requirements to drive:<\/p>\n You\u2019re responsible for paying for this insurance, and in most cases, all other costs associated with your vehicle and deliveries. That said, there are times when the package sender may reimburse you for parking fees and tolls.<\/p>\n Here are the key things to remember about Roadie as you consider whether to become a driver.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered the basics, let\u2019s dive deeper into the platform.<\/p>\n According to Roadie, a lot goes into determining the pay per delivery. Considerations such as the size of the load, time expectations and distance all play a role. However, the company says with all that taken into account, most drivers make an average of $13 per delivery.<\/p>\n A Gridwise study reinforced that claim. It found that Roadie drivers\u2019 median earnings per delivery ranged from $12.73 to $14.75<\/a> from the first quarter of 2022 through the first quarter of 2023. Median hourly earnings peaked at $28.19 and dipped as low as $21.46 for the same time frame.<\/p>\n Having a truck with a trailer will increase your earning potential, as will having equipment that can help move large objects, like straps and a dolly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Going big isn\u2019t the only thing you can do to increase your pay, though. Other ways to do so are to use an electric or hybrid vehicle and to get a TSA certification from Roadie.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also take advantage of holiday surge pricing. Tips are also a possibility, but they\u2019re rare<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s suppose you work five hours a day at $22 per hour. That\u2019s $550 per week. For simplicity\u2019s sake, we\u2019ll say you drive 10 miles per delivery and you can do two deliveries per hour. That\u2019s 500 miles per week.<\/p>\n Using the current IRS mileage reimbursement rate (65.5 cents per mile) to account for your vehicle\u2019s gas, wear and tear, depreciation, and so on, we\u2019ll subtract $327.50.<\/p>\n For taxes, we\u2019ll take out another 15%. That\u2019s $82.50.<\/p>\n With those dropped from your earnings, you\u2019re left with $140 for an hourly take-home pay rate of just $5.60. You\u2019ll still need to pay for your insurance and phone, too.<\/p>\n Of course, this math doesn\u2019t apply equally to all vehicles. The degree to which depreciation and wear and tear lowers the value of your vehicle depends on a number of factors, including its age, current milage and condition. <\/p>\n We think the 65.5-cent figure is generous for most people in most situations, which means that the $5.60 per-hour earnings figure is probably on the low end. In other words, most people will earn more. <\/p>\n Still, doing this math is helpful for the sake of visualizing the implicit expenses associated with gig economy driving. These costs are your own responsibility and they are \u201chidden,\u201d in the sense that you don\u2019t always pay them upfront. Keep this in mind when thinking about the overall earning potential of Roadie or any other similar opportunity.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to sign up for Roadie, but you need to pass a background check before you can start<\/a> making deliveries. Here\u2019s what you can expect, from signing up to leaving your first package at someone\u2019s door.<\/p>\n You can sign up on Roadie\u2019s website<\/a> or use the iOS or Android app. You\u2019ll need to provide your first and last name, a contact email address and your phone number.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll be asked for some personal information, which Roadie will use for your background check, and details about your car. You only need to say what type of vehicle you drive \u2014 a hatchback, for example \u2014 and the color.<\/p>\n You may be put on a waitlist after you\u2019ve finished these questions, which means your market already has enough drivers to handle the demand. How long you\u2019ll be on it is variable.<\/p>\n Users report that it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks for Roadie to process your background check. Until it\u2019s done, you\u2019ll be able to see jobs in the app, but you won\u2019t be able to make any offers.<\/p>\n Available deliveries show up on the map screen within the app, where pickup locations are displayed as pins. Tapping a pin will show you the jobs available at that location, and you can drill down further to learn information about each delivery. This is where you\u2019ll find out the pay, load size, time expectations and so on.<\/p>\n When you express interest in doing a delivery, you\u2019re making an offer. Roadie differs from other delivery apps in that jobs aren\u2019t awarded to the first driver to pick them. Instead, the app uses an algorithm to select the \u201cbest\u201d driver for the job among those who offered. After making an offer, you can expect to know whether you were awarded the job within 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Multiple jobs can be awarded to you if you make more than one offer at a time.<\/p>\n Once Roadie awards you a job, tap \u201cstart\u201d and head to the pickup location. You may be given special instructions to follow, so be on the lookout.<\/p>\n When you get to the pickup location, mark that you\u2019ve arrived in the app. Load up the items that you need to deliver, then head to the drop-off point. Roadie will give you a route to follow. If your delivery has multiple stops, the app will create a route that includes all of them.<\/p>\n Like at the pickup location, you need to mark that you\u2019ve arrived at the drop-off location. Again, there may be special instructions. Place the items in an obvious place for the recipient and take a picture to confirm delivery in the app.<\/p>\n The \u201cBlocks\u201d feature is a new initiative Roadie is rolling out in which drivers can sign up for scheduled blocks of time at a particular vendor for a particular price. The upside to doing these is you know how much you\u2019ll get paid for your time, but you trade the flexibility to pick and choose what you deliver for that certainty.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to say for sure how much you can make if you stick to signing up for shifts since the program hasn\u2019t fully launched yet. However, we\u2019ve seen screenshots that ranged from $60 to $80 for four to five-hour periods. You\u2019re limited to signing up to one block per day, so you\u2019d need to switch to the traditional offer system to continue making money after your shift.<\/p>\n Roadie partners with a short list of vendors to offer driver benefits. Through these partnerships, you can get free Waffle<\/a>s at Waffle House, 10% off most services at Jiffy Lube and discounts on new tires at Discount Tire.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re multi-apping (i.e., using multiple gig apps simultaneously), Roadie can be a good addition to the mix. However, reviews from drivers suggest it\u2019s not an app you should depend on as your primary side hustle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Drivers like the fact that Roadie gives them the freedom to work when they want in the area they choose, as well as the fact that they can use any vehicle \u2014 from a hatchback to a truck with a trailer \u2014 to do the work (as long as the vehicle is appropriate for the job).<\/p>\n It\u2019s also transparent. You get all the information you need to be successful upfront, including the size of the delivery, the expected pickup and delivery times, the time the job is anticipated to take, the route and the pay. This allows you to make informed decisions about which jobs you make an offer on and which you leave for another driver.<\/p>\n However, there are two major areas of concern.<\/p>\n Perhaps the biggest complaint is the lack of customer support. It\u2019s not hard to find reports online from people who had to wait half an hour or longer to chat with someone about an issue with a delivery<\/a>. Time waiting while on the job is unpaid time, so quick resolutions to problems are vital to a driver\u2019s success.<\/p>\nWhat Is Roadie?<\/h2>\n
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Five Key Facts About Driving For Roadie<\/h2>\n
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Roadie Earning Potential<\/h2>\n
A Look at True Earnings<\/h3>\n
How Roadie Works<\/h2>\n
Step 1. Sign Up<\/h3>\n
Step 2. Fill Out Screening Questions<\/h3>\n
Step 3. Pass Background Check<\/h3>\n
Step 4. Make Offers on Jobs<\/h3>\n
Step 5. Get to Work<\/h3>\n
Blocks<\/h3>\n
Other Benefits<\/h3>\n
Roadie Reviews and Consensus<\/h2>\n
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\n Review Site<\/strong><\/td>\n Review Score<\/strong><\/td>\n Number of Reviews<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Glassdoor<\/td>\n 3.8\/5<\/td>\n 108<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Indeed<\/td>\n 2.9\/5<\/td>\n 203<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n