What we endure Facts about cars Drivers use their own car. Most pizza stores have no company cars. A company car would have the store's logo painted all over the body. Instead, most drivers stick a magnetic sign on the roof or use a window sign. It advertises for the store and might display the store's phone number. Most signs are illuminated at night from a plug-in cord that fits into the car's cigarette lighter. Some stores require the driver to stick the sign on their car. Other stores reduce the driver's pay if they don't. Every three days, a driver must refill the gas tank. Pizza companies don't pay the entire cost of gas, maintenance and repairs. Drivers pay for their own. A driver's car needs an oil change every six weeks. Every three or four months, new brake pads are needed. Every four months, tires should be rotated or replaced. A driver is very likely to get a flat tire maybe as often as four times a year. This can happen from incrementally scraping the tire's side on the street curb and through accelerated wear and tear. On an average night, a driver travels 75 to 100 miles on deliveries, averaging four solid hours of drive-time mostly on residential streets. Of all places to drive, residential driving puts the most wear and tear on a car. All the starting, stopping, and changing of gears is murder on a car. It wears down the brakes in a hurry. Residential driving is even worse than normal city driving. The likelihood of any conceivable mechanical car problem is accelerated. Car insurance does not cover accidents during deliveries. You have to buy special insurance for that, which costs three times as much. Should a driver be in an accident without business insurance, they have no coverage even by the pizza company. The store's insurance covers the store if someone were to sue the company. A full-time driver travels 25,000 miles a year on the job. In larger delivery areas, it can be 40,000 miles per year. Drivers make minimum or sub-minimum wage without tips. And without tips, the job is simply not worth it. Most drivers receive mileage reimbursement which can range from 75 cents to $1.25 per delivery, but the driver never sees it because it goes straight into gas and car maintenance. The reimbursement is not enough. According to the IRS, it costs 58.5 cents per mile to operate a vehicle. The average delivery is five miles round-trip. The reimbursement does not cover the true costs. Employers know this and expect tips to make up the difference. Last updated: August 8, 2008 return to top