What if you could make extra money using a car you already own? That's the idea behind Roadie, a delivery platform that connects independent drivers with delivery opportunities from retailers and businesses.
Some drivers use Roadie to earn a little extra money on weekends, while others treat it as a more serious side hustle. But can you really make $1,000 in a week delivering packages?
One driver shared a TikTok breakdown showing how she earned more than $1,000 in just seven days. Her experience is interesting, but there is more to the story than the amount shown in her account. Fuel, mileage, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and the time spent completing deliveries can make a significant difference to your actual profit.
In this article, we'll examine the reported earnings, explain how Roadie works, explore the different types of deliveries, and share practical tips to help you decide whether this opportunity is worth your time.
What Is Roadie?
Roadie is a delivery platform owned by UPS that connects independent drivers with local and longer-distance delivery jobs. Instead of focusing primarily on restaurant orders, the platform specializes in transporting packages, retail purchases, bulky items, and other goods.
For example, a retailer might need a customer’s home improvement supplies delivered from a store. A driver using Roadie can accept an available delivery, collect the items, and transport them to the designated destination.
Roadie works with retail and business partners, including companies such as Home Depot. Depending on the available opportunities, drivers may also find deliveries involving pet supplies, pharmacy items, electronics, and other products.
You can learn more about the platform and its driver opportunities on the official Roadie driver website.
One important thing to understand is that Roadie is gig work. Drivers generally use their own vehicles and operate independently rather than working as traditional employees with guaranteed hours and a fixed salary.
That means your earnings depend on the jobs available, the offers you accept, your vehicle, your location, and how efficiently you organize your deliveries.
How One Driver Reportedly Made $1,162 in a Week
A driver featured in a TikTok video explained how she earned a total of $1,162.14 over a seven-day period, from May 30 through June 5.
She showed several withdrawals from her Roadie account to demonstrate how the money accumulated during the week.
Her example is appealing because it suggests that delivery work can generate a substantial amount of income in a relatively short time. However, it's important to distinguish between what one driver reported earning and what a new driver can realistically expect.
The $1,162.14 figure represents the total withdrawals she displayed. It should not automatically be interpreted as her profit after expenses.
The driver also explained that she completed different types of deliveries, including larger Roadie XD jobs and orders associated with retailers such as Home Depot and PetSmart.
Some delivery opportunities involved collecting multiple packages from one location and dropping them off at several different destinations.
This is an important detail because a job that appears to pay well at first might require significantly more driving than a simple pickup and drop-off.
For example, imagine accepting a delivery opportunity that pays $96 but involves 22 individual drop-offs. That works out to approximately $4.36 per drop-off before expenses.
The amount you earn per package is only one part of the calculation, though. You also need to consider the total distance traveled, the time required, and whether the route makes financial sense.
The driver's experience shows what may be possible under favorable circumstances, but it doesn't establish that everyone can earn $1,000 every week.
What Types of Deliveries Can You Do on Roadie?
One interesting feature of Roadie is that drivers may have access to different kinds of delivery opportunities rather than being limited to a single category.
1. Standard Local Deliveries
These are individual delivery jobs involving packages or retail purchases.
Depending on the offer, you might pick up an item from a participating store and deliver it directly to a customer.
Smaller deliveries may be easier to complete if you have a standard car and want to avoid handling large or heavy items.
However, the payout can vary, and a short-looking trip may still involve waiting at the pickup location or driving a considerable distance to the destination.
2. Roadie XD Deliveries
The driver in the TikTok video also discussed Roadie XD, which is associated with larger delivery operations and routes involving multiple packages or stops.
These opportunities can be attractive because a single route may involve several deliveries.
Rather than driving to a store for one package and returning home, you may collect multiple items and complete a planned series of drop-offs.
The advantage is that you can potentially earn more from one pickup operation. The disadvantage is that these routes can involve more coordination, more mileage, and more time spent unloading and delivering packages.
You should review the specific offer carefully before accepting it. Make sure your vehicle can accommodate the items and that the route is practical.
3. Retail Partner Deliveries
Roadie also facilitates deliveries associated with retailers and businesses.
Depending on the market and current availability, opportunities may involve home improvement products, pet supplies, electronics, and other retail goods.
Some items are easy to transport, while others may require substantial cargo space or physical effort.
If you drive a compact car, you may prefer smaller packages. If you own a suitable SUV, van, or pickup truck, you may have access to a broader range of eligible jobs.
Always check the vehicle and item requirements before accepting a delivery.
How Much Do Roadie Drivers Really Make?
A large payout from one driver doesn't tell the whole story, so it helps to look at broader earnings data.
According to Gridwise's Roadie earnings analysis, data from 6,725 Roadie drivers tracked in 2025 showed the following hourly earnings figures.
Earnings measureReported amountMedian hourly trip pay$12.70Average hourly trip pay$13.84Top 25% hourly earnings threshold$16.31Top 10% hourly earnings threshold$20.49
These figures represent reported trip pay, not guaranteed wages or take-home profit. Your results may differ depending on location, vehicle type, delivery selection, and the time you spend working. https://gridwise.io/blog/how-much-do-roadie-drivers-make-1530d
The difference between the median and the top 10% is worth noticing. Some drivers earn considerably more than others, but that doesn't mean every driver can reproduce their results.
If you earned $12.70 per hour for 40 hours, your gross trip pay would be approximately $508 for the week. At $20.49 per hour, the same number of hours would produce approximately $819.60.
Both examples are before fuel, vehicle expenses, insurance costs, and applicable taxes.
To earn more than $1,000 in a week, you might need unusually favorable delivery opportunities, more working hours, higher-paying jobs, or some combination of these factors.
The Hidden Costs of Delivering Packages
This is where many people make a mistake when evaluating delivery apps. They focus on the money received without calculating what it costs to earn it.
Let's look at the main expenses.
1. Gasoline
Fuel is one of the most immediate costs of delivery work.
Suppose you drive 600 miles in a week and your car averages 25 miles per gallon. You would use approximately 24 gallons of fuel.
At a hypothetical gasoline price of $4.37 per gallon, that would cost about $104.88.
This is an illustration rather than a fixed estimate. Actual fuel prices change, and your expenses will depend on your location, vehicle efficiency, and driving conditions.
You can check current US fuel prices through the AAA Gas Prices website.
The important point is that even a delivery route with an attractive payout can become less profitable when it requires substantial mileage.
2. Vehicle Maintenance and Depreciation
Fuel isn't the only expense associated with driving.
Every additional mile contributes to tire wear, routine maintenance, and the gradual depreciation of your vehicle. You may need oil changes more frequently, replace tires sooner, or deal with repairs that result from heavier use.
These expenses may not appear immediately after a delivery, which makes them easy to overlook.
However, they still affect the amount you ultimately keep.
A useful habit is to track every mile driven for work and set aside money for maintenance rather than treating all your delivery payments as spendable income.
3. Commercial or Gig-Work Insurance
Before accepting deliveries, check your auto insurance policy and tell your insurer how you intend to use your vehicle.
Some personal auto policies restrict coverage for certain commercial or delivery activities. Requirements and exclusions vary by insurer and jurisdiction.
If an accident happens while you're working, you don't want to discover that your policy doesn't cover the circumstances.
Ask your insurance provider whether you need a delivery endorsement or another type of coverage. Also, review any insurance information supplied by the delivery platform.
4. Taxes and Other Business Expenses
Depending on where you live and how your work is classified, you may have tax obligations related to your delivery income.
Keep records of your payouts, business mileage, fuel, maintenance, and other potentially deductible expenses. Tax rules differ by country, so consult the relevant tax authority or a qualified professional if necessary.
The goal is to understand your actual profit rather than relying on your account balance.
How to Increase Your Earnings on Roadie
If you decide to try Roadie, you can use a few practical strategies to make better decisions about which deliveries to accept.
Choose Deliveries Based on Profit, Not Just Payout
A $40 delivery isn't automatically better than a $20 delivery.
Imagine the $40 job requires 60 miles of driving and takes two hours, while the $20 job requires only 10 miles and takes 30 minutes.
The second opportunity may be much more attractive when you consider time and vehicle expenses.
Before accepting a job, consider the pickup location, total route distance, estimated completion time, and likely costs.
Learn to Combine Compatible Deliveries
The driver in the video suggested that stacking deliveries could help increase earnings.
Where Roadie's rules and available offers permit it, combining compatible deliveries may reduce unnecessary travel between jobs.
For example, two deliveries near one another may be more efficient than accepting two jobs in opposite directions.
However, don't assume that every job can be combined. Check the platform's requirements, pickup deadlines, and delivery instructions before planning a route.
Pay Attention to Your Vehicle's Capacity
Your vehicle can influence which jobs are practical.
A compact sedan may be suitable for small packages, while larger deliveries could require an SUV, van, or pickup truck.
Don't accept a job if you cannot safely transport the items. Taking an unsuitable delivery can create delays and other problems.
Track Your Earnings by the Hour
At the end of each workday, calculate your gross pay, working time, miles driven, and estimated expenses.
After several days, you'll have a clearer idea of which delivery types are worth your time.
You may discover that certain routes offer better returns than others, or that waiting for a more suitable opportunity is more profitable than accepting every available job.
How Does Roadie Pay Drivers?
Roadie offers weekly payouts and an optional Instant Pay feature for eligible drivers.
According to its official payment guide, weekly payouts are available without an Instant Pay processing fee. Instant Pay carries a $1.99 processing fee, and eligibility requirements apply. https://driver.roadie.com/blog/get-your-earnings-weekly-or-instantly-heres-how/
That means you don't necessarily need to pay a fee every time you want to receive your earnings.
If you don't need the money immediately, using the standard payout schedule can help you avoid unnecessary fees.
Before relying on a particular payment method, check the current requirements in your account because payment timing and eligibility conditions may change.
Is Roadie Better Than DoorDash?
Roadie and DoorDash offer different types of delivery work.
With DoorDash, drivers commonly deliver restaurant orders, groceries, and other local purchases. Roadie focuses more heavily on packages and retail deliveries, including some large-item jobs.
Gridwise's 2025 data reported median hourly trip pay of $12.70 for Roadie and $11.26 for DoorDash. That is a difference of $1.44 per hour in gross trip pay, not necessarily a difference in profit. https://gridwise.io/blog/how-much-do-roadie-drivers-make-1530d
Neither platform is automatically the better choice for every driver.
Roadie may appeal to people who prefer package delivery and can find efficient routes. DoorDash may be more convenient for drivers who prefer restaurant deliveries or have better demand in their area.
Compare the available offers, vehicle requirements, working conditions, and expenses before choosing one.
Where Can You Find Other Side Hustles?
If you like the idea of earning extra money but don't want to spend every day driving, it may be worth exploring alternatives.
You could investigate online research opportunities, website testing, remote freelance work, or other flexible-income platforms.
One resource mentioned in the original discussion is the Self-Made Success Side Hustle Finder, which helps users compare different opportunities according to factors such as entry requirements, work consistency, time commitment, and pay transparency.
Comparing alternatives can help you find work that fits your schedule, skills, and financial goals without automatically adding hundreds of miles to your vehicle every week.
Final Thoughts: Is Making $1,000 a Week With Roadie Possible?
Roadie offers a potential way to earn extra money by delivering packages and retail goods using your own vehicle. The driver who reported $1,162.14 in withdrawals demonstrates that a strong week can happen, particularly when multiple delivery opportunities and higher-paying routes are available.
However, one person's results aren't a guarantee of what you'll earn.
Your actual income will depend on your location, available jobs, hours worked, vehicle capacity, and ability to choose efficient routes. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, and taxes can also reduce your take-home earnings significantly.
If you're interested in trying Roadie, start by exploring the official driver website, checking the requirements for your area, and tracking your expenses from the first day.
Most importantly, don't judge the opportunity by the largest payout you see online. Judge it by how much money you keep after covering your costs and whether the work is worth the time you invest.
A good side hustle should help you improve your financial situation, not leave you spending more on your vehicle than you earn from delivering packages.
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