OPEN NOTEBOOK / NOTHING UP OUR SLEEVE

Here’s what the
math is made of.

Editable examples, explicit assumptions, and links to the platforms’ own explanations.

The calculator method

Total offer = platform pay + customer tip
Total miles = one-way miles × (2 if return selected; otherwise 1)
Split mode: fuel = total miles ÷ MPG × fuel price
Vehicle expenses = fuel + (total miles × non-fuel cost)
All-in mode: vehicle expenses = total miles × all-in per-mile cost
Net before taxes = total offer − vehicle expenses − parking/tolls
Modeled hourly earnings = net ÷ ((shopping + waiting + driving + handoff minutes) / 60)

Driving and drop-off time is entered separately. Include return time when appropriate. Selecting return miles does not automatically change the time field. The hourly target is your own comparison value, not a legal minimum, platform rate or a required tip.

The tip needed for your selected target is max(0, target × hours + vehicle expenses + extras − platform pay). This is a scenario result, not a universal recommendation.

What the model leaves out

Taxes, unassigned waiting between orders, certain business expenses, incentives, multi-order batching and local pay adjustments are not automatically modeled. Include relevant pay in platform pay and relevant time in the time fields if you want to explore them. Don’t count an expense twice.

Illustrative presets

Dinner run: $3 platform pay, 3 one-way miles, 10 pickup minutes, 20 driving/drop-off minutes. Weekly groceries: $7 platform pay, 6 one-way miles, 30 shopping minutes, 30 driving/drop-off minutes. Big shop: $12 platform pay, 18 one-way miles, 90 shopping minutes, 60 driving/drop-off minutes. New presets start in split fuel/non-fuel mode with editable small-SUV MPG, $4.13/gallon and $0.30/mile non-fuel costs; return miles start selected. Older journal examples explicitly use the all-in $0.50/mile model. These are invented scenarios for teaching, not claims about typical rates.

Fuel, vehicles and shift math

MPG presets are illustrative starting assumptions, not fleet averages: small car 32, midsize car 28, small SUV 26, midsize SUV 22, large SUV/truck 17, hybrid 45. Use measured MPG for your vehicle. Fuel is subtracted once. All-in mode displays estimated fuel only as a reference.

Shift gross = orders × (average base pay + average tip). Shift net = gross − fuel − (all shift miles × non-fuel cost) − extras. Divide by total shift hours, including between-order time. Tank-share fuel = refill cost × fraction used; mileage fuel = shift miles ÷ MPG × price. Select one method, not both. The founder’s $80 refill, 50% use and eight-hour shift yields about $40 fuel, $5/hour, and 9.69 gallons at $4.13/gallon. It does not imply an exact tank size or actual miles driven.

EPA: Your Mileage May Vary ↗ explains why driving and conditions affect fuel economy.

Official sources

Reviewed October 30, 2026. Policies and regional rules can change; the linked pages are the authority for their services.

DoorDash separates fees from optional tips. Spark explains offer selection and confirmed customer tips. Instacart describes batch pay and shopper tips. Uber explains optional tipping and availability differences. Our “bid” framing is an interpretation of how an offer can look to a driver, not a claim that these services operate a formal auction.