Gig Driving Math: Make Uber and DoorDash Actually Profitable Per Hour
The reader can state a defensible cost per mile, accept only offers that clear a precomputed dollars-per-hour floor, maintain an IRS-ready mileage log with taxes set aside, and point to a monthly profit sheet that delivers a continue, adjust or exit verdict.
Free preview: 4 of 24 steps
Work through them in the real run view, exactly as a buyer does. No account, no payment, nothing saved.
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- Gets better over time — free updates included
- Run it on web and mobile
- Invite a partner to go through it with you — you share the same progress
- Make it your own — a private copy you can edit to fit your situation
- The playbook's community — ask questions, get additions, and see how other buyers improve it, right on the step
Who it's for
Current and prospective Uber, DoorDash and similar-platform drivers in the US who measure success in daily deposits instead of true hourly profit. Fits part-time side hustlers and full-timers who want mid-shift decision rules rather than pep talks; not aimed at fleet owners or commercially licensed livery operators, whose accounting and insurance differ.
About this playbook
A lookup guide that treats gig driving as a per-hour business rather than a stream of daily deposits. Six reference sections cover the true cost per mile including depreciation, accept-or-decline rules built on return-trip logic, peak-hour and bonus math, an IRS-defensible mileage log plus tax set-asides, the coverage gap between personal auto policies and platform insurance, and a monthly profit sheet with written exit criteria. Entries stand alone, so the insurance section can be opened the day a claim question comes up and the tax section in January without reading anything before it. It does not cover platform signups, vehicle inspections or city-specific licensing, and it sticks to US federal rules that apply nationwide.
What you'll do, step by stepFree preview
Only a sample is open: 4 of 24 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.
Phase 1: Figure Your True Cost Per Mile
4 stepsPhase 2: Judge Every Offer Before Accepting
5 stepsPhase 3: Work the Hours That Actually Pay
3 stepsPhase 4: Log Miles and Shrink the Tax Bill
5 stepsPhase 5: Close the Insurance Gaps
3 stepsPhase 6: Audit the Month and Stay or Quit
4 steps
Details
What you need first
An active or obtainable Uber or DoorDash account, a car you can insure for business use, a smartphone running the driver apps, and about an hour of desk time to assemble cost, mileage and insurance figures. Arithmetic comfort with a calculator or a simple spreadsheet is enough; no bookkeeping background is assumed.
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