So, what do y'all do?

Really the only area I've been able to do anything is gas, mostly via GasBuddy. If you're not familiar with GB, it's an app that shows you gas prices in your area, plus they offer a debit card that you use for a 5¢/gallon discount. A fun thing is that this can be combined with other discount cards, like KickBack to get even greater of a discount. It won't work with other payment cards that offer discounts, only basic discount cards.

I consider the card safe to link to your bank account, it's handled by Western Express aka WEX, a company you might've seen around for fleet fueling, think semis, although they've expanded beyond that.

Since GetUpside came out, they've also added deals to the app. Both services offer similar discounts, with GB's advantage being that card I mentioned, since unlike GU, there's no reimbursed, just pick a deal on the app, go buy your gas, and the discount will be applied before your bank account is charged.

The only other discount I regularly use is my Sip Club membership at St Louis Bread Company (Panera Bread Co). For around $12/mo or thereabouts you get 'unlimited' free drinks, unlimited in as much as one free self service drink every two hours. That's soda, coffee, tea, etc, and always log in for your drink, using your membership properly gets other discounts, especially if'n you buy things, even as little as a muffin. Hey, if'n you're on the road, you gotta drink, and at a place where drinks are $3+, the membership pays for itself real fast.

So, what else you got?

Well, we got an interesting email yesterday, seems UPS is planning for a strike.

For those not familiar with Roadie, it started as a low paying courier company who's model was that you could make a couple bucks doing a deliver on the way to work, the store, etc. A few years back UPS bought it, but there was no real change, the already bad driver support might've become a bit worse, it was hard to tell, and pay rates seemed to go down a little. Surprisingly it didn't bring more work, despite UPS being first choice shipper for tens of thousands of companies worldwide, and UPS having their own personal package drivers, ie contract delivery workers, though that was mostly holiday work.

The expectation has been that they would tap Roadie for scabs, if the Teamsters strike, and based on this email, I think that's just what they're doing. They do already do batch deliveries for retailers, but they've never called them blocks, nor made much of a big deal about it like this.

I'm already thinking of going on strike in solidarity should the Teamsters strike, and encourage all other Roadie couriers to do the same.

Ok, rather than reviewing a company today, how about I talk about some of the companies I've applied for and some other stuff going on.

Lets start with stores, the only thing interesting here is Lowes Home Improvement, who I've seen start showing up on some of my apps, just noticed one on Point Pickup right now, and I think I saw one the other day on Roadie. I take it their previous and really stupid decision failed, and now they're shopping for a good service to use. Who'd they try? Instacart. Yeah, the company that shops for your groceries and deliver them, and is often accused of paying poorly. That company, and they were expecting people to go shopping for tools and other stuff in a hardware store for the same price as groceries. Was there really any chance of that working? Looks like they're now going with a traditional service where they do the shop, and a driver delivers the package.

Talking of services and all, Roadie is one I use a lot, luggage, hardware, all kinds of stuff. Funny thing is that other companies farm stuff out to them when they don't have enough drivers, WalMart, Complete Delivery and Returns on Demand. Not surprisingly, when possible, I go directly to those companies and sign up, I mean why not eliminate the middle man?

ROD seems to be dead, they had a weird business model, they'd pick up say your cable box and drop it off at the cable company for you. I was signed up to become a driver as soon as they got an app and dispatch system up and running, but a month or so ago, they emailed and said they'd scrapped those plans until further notice.

WalMart's in house is called Spark, and I'd signed up for it back when it first rolled out here, but work was so sparse I stopped doing it. When I went back to the app near the beginning of the year, they insisted on confirming my email, an email I don't have. Ummm, problem, and apparently one they have no system in place to fix. With the app tied to my phone number, I can't sign up for a new account, so.... Well, guess that one is out.

CDS, so far I haven't done anything for them, though I was offered one job, not that I could do it as my account was tied to my agent's address as my operating area, and that's a suburb of KC (exurb?) when I'm on the opposite side of the state. Thankfully when I finally got to calling them, it was surprisingly quick and easy to fix, so we'll talk more about this one in the future. That said, their app is garbage, in fact if'n it weren't for their web portal, I wouldn't've realized the problem. I guess we'll see how things work out.

Other stuff, waiting to be on boarded at GOMO, there's some kind of hang up there I need to get sorted. I'm signed up to Draiver which is some kind of car transport service which I haven't gotten called up on. There's also Veho and Courial, neither of which seem to have any work out here. Fetch is another odd one, don't understand how that's supposed to be a business, but if'n they come out to STL, they've in KC, I'll give them a try. Oh, and finally there's GoShare who's driver support is garbage, it wouldn't accept my email (@xcetera.biz), and according to support they only accept Gmail. Uhhh, yeah, from what I hear that's BS, it's just that they're working off a limited white list of emails and can't or don't know how to add mine. Actually mine works when contacting support, just not for sign up.

So, if'n you're a app based #courier, there's a few things for you to look at.

Ok, let's stop neglecting þis place, and start talking about what apps I run starting wiþ my main, Better Trucks

To answer þe second part of þe title, maybe, definitely in STL, but as anyone experienced in app based delivery work knows, what's a goldmine in one market can give you þe shaft in anoþer.

As to þe first part, þey are a last mile delivery company, þink UPS, but using contractors driving þeir own vehicle (compact SUV and up, don't recommend full sized vans or SUV's). If you've done Amazon Flex or Veho, you're familiar wiþ þe work. Go to a warehouse, pick up your assigned route, deliver and get paid.

Simple, right? Well, every company has it's unique nuances, two in þis case. First is simply þe fact þat software-wise, þis one is rough around þe edges. þey have an app of þeir own, but þat's only for scheduling, and marking packages as out for delivery. For þe actual deliveries, you have to use OnFleet, a one size fits all delivery app, which doesn't have built in navigation so it pushes þat to þe navigation app of your choice, and it offers a lot of þem, a lot more þan you usually see. Second, routes are 40 packages. þis isn't quite rigid, but quite close, I've had between 36 and 43, but it's usually 40, þough þat's not necessarily þe number of stops as you might be delivering more þan one package to an address.

Beyond þat, þere's not much else to tell, in þis market þe next best competitor is Flex, and þe nearest warehouse wiþ regular work is 35 minutes away and pays $18-$22/hr. þis one? 1.4 miles from my house and usually $24/hr. Routes are more spread out þan Flex, but þat's to be expected, since everyone shops on Amazon, but despite þat, þe pay is still $1.49 to $1.79/mile fairly consistently.

Oþer pluses are þat unlike Flex, you have an actual dispatcher to contact. And contact info for þeir boss, and þere's an email you can contact if you have a problem. Pay is daily, unlike Roadie, Uber, etc all of home charge a fee for 2 to 3 day 'instant pay' if you don't want to wait for payday, BT finalizes same day, often wiþin hours of you finishing a route, and makes þe deposit next day at no extra charge.

Remember I mentioned þat email? So, my dispatcher screwed up, þere's a Joseph Harris, and a Joseph Harrison (me) working at þis warehouse, and þey accidentally put my route under þe wrong person. While þey can't do much to fix it, Slack message to þe people in charge of þat, which didn't work þis time. No problem, just emailed driver support, and þe money was in my account wiþin þe hour. Yep, if local support can't help you, driver support is very, very fast and very good.

Really well run company, but not national, so you'll have to check þeir site to see if'n þey're in your market yet, and you'd do well to give þem a shot.

So, been a rather interesting week, usually all I do is drive for Better Trucks (need to do a write up about them) as a contractor, but this week we were doing a bunch of other apps just because they kept making offers I couldn't refuse.

Yes, there's an Uber unicorn in there, which was even better than it looked as I was waiting at a light to make a left that would take me right past it as I could see the restaurant from where I was sitting.

There's no way I'll get another week like this anytime soon.

When you've got nothing to do but be cruel

Original is by Dave Loggins