Roadie: Pick Up & Deliver Packages

What is Roadie?

Roadie launched as a way for drivers to make a little money with on-the-way deliveries. However, the site has morphed into a pick-up and delivery service that works with retailers, grocery stores, caterers and airlines.

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How it works

Signing up is easy. The site requires drivers to be over the age of 18, have a smart phone, car and insurance.

Once you’re signed up, the site can start sending you gigs that you can accept or reject.

Roadie review

Where other sites inspect your vehicle and expect it to be late-model and in good condition, Roadie doesn’t care.

There’s no background check requirement. And you will never be asked to drive people; carry packages up stairs or into houses. You also have the right to know what is the packages you’re delivering based on Roadies “open box” policy.

And Roadie drivers do everything from picking up purchased appliances from Home Depot to reuniting passengers with their lost luggage. But the variety of driving gigs here also means that it’s hard to say whether Roadie is a great side hustle or a miserable one. It largely depends on the gigs you take.

Mixed messages

Driver reviews of the app are all over the map.

Some drivers love Roadie and say they get regular pick-ups that pay well. Others maintain that the app is glitchy and descriptions of what they’re picking up are often inaccurate. Worse, some jobs are cancelled after the driver has done a considerable amount of work. It appears Roadie pays only a token cancellation fee when this happens.

Drivers also say that it can be impossible to reach customer service when things go wrong, which leaves drivers cooling their heels for extended stretches of time. That can make what seemed a reasonable pay-out look paltry given the time spent.

Pay

Each gig says what you’re picking up; where it is; where it’s going; and how much the job pays. Roadie says its average gig pays $13.

Drivers are paid once a week by direct deposit. Those who have worked with the platform for more than a week and have completed at least five gigs can also sign up for Instant Pay. But you’ll pay a $2 processing fee when you use this service.

Recommendations

Roadie may be a worthwhile side hustle. But you need to be particular about the jobs you take here. And because this app works best when you’re already on the road, the best way to use this app is in conjunction with other driving and delivery jobs. You can sign up with Roadie here.

Some good options: If you have a truck and the muscle to move heavy items, consider GoShare, which pays $30+ per hour. Amazon Flex is also a good choice for those with full-sized cars and vans, who want to deliver smaller packages.

DoorDash is our top pick for drivers interested in food delivery. (You can sign up with DoorDash here.) Uber Eats is also worth considering. (You can sign up here.)

And, of course, you can drive passengers for Uber. (You can sign up with Uber here.)

What their drivers say (from Indeed):

Jobs are few and hard to actually get and they don’t pay very much either its not horrible because it’s flexible but it doesn’t give enough stability

I like working at Roadie cause you pick the days you want to work and it’s super easy to do in your spare time. You also can do this job out of town which is nice as well .

I enjoy delivering for Roadie. I wish the jobs were more constant. But overall I make decent money. As I work for a Food Delivery service as well I just flip flop between jobs and apps to make a decent check.

Miserable

The worst job I have ever had, pay is less than minimum wage, yet because you are a contractor it is legal, if you’re thinking of doing this job don’t. Customer service is nonexistent when you need help in a gig, have been forced to wait hours for help.

Only get “selected” for like 40% of the gigs you put in for. Literally been in a warehouse and they post a gig and am not selected for it. Don’t care about drivers, customers, or environment. They’ll have 2 vans make the same trip even though only 1 is needed, this cuts pay for the driver and more fuel used.

Not enough pay

If you enjoy driving and making no money for your time, and not making enough to fix your car this is job for you. Items you pickup are unknown, support takes about a half hour, and mileage is never calculated accurately.

The compensation for gigs does not reflect the extreme gas inflation and it is becoming very difficult to actually make any money at all. Then talk about getting ahold of anyone there, especially when you need immediate assistance… Ha, what a joke! I don’t think I have ever waited less than 20 minutes for someone to answer (again, making me work for free because of the stupid timer that doesn’t allow you to move on. I don’t get paid to sit and pick my nose for 15 minutes sitting in my car because I can’t cancel it online or reach customer service). Time to get it together, Roadie!

Support can be dicey. System is slow when telling u theres a new offer. Cant schedule ahead.

Cancelled gigs

So at this point I’ve attempted to take 11 Deliveries through Roadie, and only 5 have ended up successful. No matter how far you are driving to pick up the order, expect to be compensated $8 if theres an issue with the order. I loaded up a 900-lb load into my truck and drove 20 miles with it, just to find out the gig had been cancelled. On another occasion i was in the middle of loading the order when the customer cancelled it. Also item dimensions can be inaccurate so you never really know what you are picking up. What was supposed to be a 80″ x 36″ door was suddenly 80″ x 72″ when i got there. When a gig ends up being successful its worth my time, but often i am left frustrated. Work for Roadie at your own risk.

“Roadie is designed as a “if you’re going that way” type of gigs but that’s really only towards personal deliveries. Now they have contracts with Home Depot and Walmart in some states. And the pay isn’t bad if you’re close to the gig. But if you have to drive far to the pick up, it’s not worth it. I would only pick Home Depot gigs near me or maybe a few miles away but we’re coming back my way. They paid anywhere from $10-15.”

“Roadie gigs generally pays less than $1/mile and there is no compensation for time (despite sharp time constraints on airline jobs), no benefits, no worker protection or overtime pay.”

*Updated 5/2/2024