Part-Time vs Full-Time: How Many Hours Should You Drive?

The Law of Diminishing Returns

Many new drivers assume that driving 80 hours a week will result in double the income of driving 40 hours. This is mathematically false in the delivery space. Gig economy volume is entirely dependent on consumer meal times.

The Part-Time Sweet Spot (15-20 Hours)

If you only drive during peak demand windows (Friday Dinner, Saturday Lunch/Dinner, Sunday Morning/Dinner), your hourly average will be as high as the market allows—often $20-$30+/hr gross. Operating as a side-hustle during these premium slots is mathematically the most efficient way to utilize these apps with the least amount of burn-out.

The Full-Time Grind (40+ Hours)

Full-time drivers are forced to work "dead zones"—like 2 PM to 4 PM on a Tuesday. During these windows, you are relying heavily on low-paying fast food orders or retail pickups just to keep moving. This drags your overall weekly hourly average down significantly, sometimes dipping to $13-$15/hr gross. If you must drive full-time, taking breaks during dead zones or using them to multi-app and do grocery shopping (Instacart/Spark) is vital to keep revenue up.

Multi-Apping is Mandatory

If you are driving more than 20 hours a week, you cannot rely on a single app. The only way to simulate peak demand during a dead zone is to have DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub open simultaneously, cherry-picking only the best offers from each. Managing multiple apps can be stressful, which is why Dasher OS has built-in features to let you track stacked orders across different platforms on one single screen.