There is a whole fleet of entrepreneurs out there, making a very good living by becoming independent driving contractors for companies. They use their own cars to deliver, pick-up and distribute products. We are not talking about heavy items. We are talking about newspapers, hospital couriers, small business payrolls, doctor’s office specimens, and free magazines like Auto Trader and Apartment Finder.
These jobs were typically an extra source of income for a retired person, or the part-time worker. Not any more. People are creating “routes” for themselves by combining multiple jobs that are “along the way”, from one job to another.
For example, I interviewed John from Lancaster County Pa. John has three local newspaper routes, one New York Times and Wall Street Journal combined route, he is a courier for two hospitals and delivers payrolls for local businesses. John grossed over 93k last year just by driving around Lancaster County!
Well, it wasn’t quite that easy. This type of business is certainly not for someone that doesn’t like to work. John works seven days a week. He starts around 4:00 am. Delivers morning papers until around 7:00am. He may have some breakfast and then start delivering payrolls and picking up hospital specimens simultaneously…because it’s all…. along the way. He will usually go home for lunch, and relax for a while, then continue with hospital pick-ups, deliver evening papers and call it a day around 6:00pm.
You can earn a nice income with this type of business, without working seven days a week. John just loves to work and is a confessed workaholic .He occasionally takes some time off. He has a back-up arrangement with another independent driver. They cover for each other when needed. John’s wife also pitches in and delivers payrolls …along the way… to and from errands and appointments.
Is this business for you? Let’s see, you have to like to drive. You don’t need any start up money, but you do need a good reliable car that gets good gas mileage. You have to be a “go-getter”. No sitting around waiting for clients, you have to go find them (usually in the newspaper, under drivers wanted) and be ambitious enough to maximize your driving time by servicing one client, while you’re on your way to deliver for another.
I asked John what he liked best about his business. He gave me the biggest smile and said, “I’m my own man. No bosses breathing down my neck. No co-workers getting on my nerves. Just me, my car and the road…can’t get any better than that.”