If you are struggling to pay your bills, you may want to find a way to earn extra income. Yet, you may not have time to get a second job with a set schedule. Instead, you may need a part-time flexible position. You also may not have money to invest in getting started. Using your existing vehicle to work part-time is a perfect solution.
Today, driving jobs are popular and plentiful. However, the type of vehicle you have, and your schedule may influence the jobs for which you qualify or the jobs that you might enjoy the most. For example, certain vehicles are considered ideal for rideshare positions. Others might work better for delivering packages or food. Of course, driving jobs go beyond those three choices as well. Use the information below to learn about all the available types of driving jobs and select the one that is best for you.
Why is Driving a Popular Side Job?
Driving is a popular type of side job due primarily to schedule flexibility and job availability. Anyone with a vehicle can easily get a driving job. Although, vehicle type may influence the choice. For example, a driver with a two-door car may not qualify to transport passengers. However, he or she can still deliver goods, including food, personal belongings, and delivery packages. It is also popular because getting a side job as a driver does not require a lengthy educational process or experience. A good driving record and reliable vehicle are usually the only requirements.
What Are Some Benefits of Driving Jobs
Getting driving jobs often allows drivers to set their own hours. Therefore, they can work extra hours when they have time or reduce hours when they have emergencies, vacations, or time-consuming obligations. Driving also offers many other perks. Among them are:
- Meeting New People
- Seeing New Sights
- Working Independently
- Avoiding Office Confinement
- Multi-Tasking (Such as Listening to Podcasts or Audio Lessons While Driving)
What Are Some Popular Types of Available Driving Jobs?
One of the most popular types of driving jobs is rideshare work. A rideshare position requires you to drive clients to certain places, much like a taxi service. However, a taxi driver usually must rent or buy a special vehicle. He or she also often works for a dispatch company. Often, taxi driving shifts last for 10 or 12 hours. Rideshare driving provides total flexibility. Other popular types of driving jobs include:
- Delivering Food for a Specific Restaurant
- Delivering Food for Multiple Restaurants Through a Service Like GrubHub
- Delivering Packages
- Moving Furniture or Personal Goods for Clients
- Providing Personal Chauffeur Services for a Specific Client
- Delivering Newspapers
- Delivering Groceries
- Providing Personal Shopping Services
Which Types of Driving Jobs Pay the Best?
The types of driving jobs that are available vary by location. The same is true of the types of jobs that offer the best pay. Often, supply and demand dictate job availability and rates. However, the jobs that pay the best are usually consistent and have tip potential. For example, providing a daily shuttle service to and from your local airport is a consistent job with tip possibilities. It may also allow you to transport multiple clients at once, increasing your hourly earnings.
Another top paying driving position is that of a personal chauffeur. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) lists the average annual chauffeur wage in 2021 as $32,570. That may not seem very high. However, it does not include tips. Also, chauffeurs working in certain states and regions earned much more. The highest earning areas recorded a top amount earned of $43,740 before tips. Most of those highest earning areas were in coastal regions in the western and northeastern United States.
What Are Some Top Companies Offering Driving Jobs?
One of the best ways to ensure consistent driving work when you want it is to work for a well-known company that employs part-time drivers. Such companies often already have such issues as insurance requirements taken care of. They also sometimes offer extra driver benefits or bonuses. Here are some of those top companies:
- DoorDash is one of the top takeout and related delivery services in the United States. It is also available in Puerto Rico, Canada, and Australia. One important feature of DoorDash is it often provides its drivers with discounts on automobile repairs.
- Postmates is available in and around 24 major U.S. cities. Postmates drivers deliver goods from local stores to customers. Those goods may include alcohol, groceries, pharmacy items, and more. Drivers may need to visit multiple locations within a small geographic area for clients who cannot do their own shopping.
- Lyft is a popular rideshare service. It connects passengers who need to get to destinations with pre-screened drivers who live in their areas. Passengers and drivers interact via the Lyft app, which allows them to contact each other before pickup. Lyft drivers can sometimes transport multiple passengers at once, or at least multiple passengers per hour, depending on location and demand for services.
- Uber/Uber Eats is one of the original major companies offering rideshare and unique delivery opportunities. Uber works much like Lyft, while UberEats is similar to DoorDash. Drivers can opt to work for Uber shuttling passengers or UberEats delivering meals to clients.
- Instacart is a grocery ordering service available in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can order groceries from popular chains in their areas online using the website or app. Then they either pick up their items themselves or request delivery. Instacart delivery drivers receive specific delivery fees, and they can also collect tips.
Can You Get Any Other Types of Jobs Using Your Car?
The types of driving jobs you can get are practically endless. Many areas have specific needs you can fulfill with your own driving business. For example, in a big city you might drive pets to and from vet appointments for clients who do not have vehicles. You can also start some other type of flexible business for yourself that is not primarily based on driving but still requires it. For example, you can become a house sitter, pet sitter, or personal organizer, if you have a reliable vehicle to get you to each gig. Either way, your vehicle may provide the key to your financial success.