# Why are people doing Uber in a Truck??



## Mark Johnson

I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.

Last I checked, you can't get a truck via the Xchange leasing program. So this has to be their personal vehicle. And I wouldn't think such a vehicle qualifies for Uber Select.

So I wonder, do ya'll have Uber drivers in your cities that drive TRUCKS? Is this normal?


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## freddieman

The owner of that truck must not be able to do math, doing it for kicks, or just wants to experience uber to see what it's like. Would be a gauranteed money loser for sure. That truck gas mileage is like what?...13 city 17 freeway? 

Would be cool to hire him for some simple jobs like yard waste disposal or simple move of furniture/ appliance.


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## Truckyea

Funny this is the first post I have seen today . 
I drive a 2016 new truck . (Gonna not say my vehicle yet to see if anyone in Orlando guesses ) --The reason I uber is because I want some extra cash now . The perfect marketable trait for uber  . I make good money with my current job but I was out of work and couldn't get compensated during that time . Because of that I decided to drive so I don't have to dip into savings for the next few months. 

I get 18-22 mpg depending on city or hwy traffic . With gas prices being so low it is worth it . The pay sucks and there are too many drivers in the Orlando market and I am doing a bad job at finding out where to drive but it's okay , it does what I want it too in the temporary time I will be doing it  If I pick my spots right , and get a little luck my net is still in the 4-13$ per hour range . Yes it varies that much . Mostly end in the 8-10 range because I try to drive during peak times . 


-Truckyea


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## Transportador

Truckyea said:


> Funny this is the first post I have seen today .
> I drive a 2016 new truck . (Gonna not say my vehicle yet to see if anyone in Orlando guesses ) --The reason I uber is because I want some extra cash now . The perfect marketable trait for uber  . I make good money with my current job but I was out of work and couldn't get compensated during that time . Because of that I decided to drive so I don't have to dip into savings for the next few months.
> 
> I get 18-22 mpg depending on city or hwy traffic . With gas prices being so low it is worth it . The pay sucks and there are too many drivers in the Orlando market and I am doing a bad job at finding out where to drive but it's okay , it does what I want it too in the temporary time I will be doing it  If I pick my spots right , and get a little luck my net is still in the 4-13$ per hour range . Yes it varies that much . Mostly end in the 8-10 range because I try to drive during peak times .
> 
> -Truckyea


Hang out at the airport. You can haul lots of people with big bags.


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## ABC123DEF

If I lose money in a Camry, how is it remotely possible to "make" any money in a friggin' truckasaurus rex?!


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## Mars Troll Number 4

Transportador said:


> Hang out at the airport. You can haul lots of people with big bags.


Nope... Orlando Airport is Select (with commercial insurance basically uber black) only. Those numbers he posted are about normal for Orlando these days. 48c a mile paid to the driver is brutal.


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## Transportador

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Nope... Orlando Airport is Select (with commercial insurance basically uber black) only. Those numbers he posted are about normal for Orlando these days. 48c a mile paid to the driver is brutal.


OMG, that is horrible!


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## Norcouber

Mark Johnson said:


> I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.
> 
> Last I checked, you can't get a truck via the Xchange leasing program. So this has to be their personal vehicles. And I wouldn't think such a vehicle qualifies for Uber Select.
> 
> So I wonder, do ya'll have truck Uber drivers in your cities? Is this normal?


I saw one today brand-new Dodge Ram @ USC ubering weird.


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## Mark Johnson

Norcouber said:


> I saw one today brand-new Dodge Ram @ USC ubering weird.


I hope the truck was bought with daddy's money...


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## TWO2SEVEN

I am tempted to Uber in my truck. With the EcoBoost engine I can average 20mpg. However, using my wife's Kia that gets 33 mpg and only costs $15 to fill up is a better choice.


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## jeep45238

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I am tempted to Uber in my truck. With the EcoBoost engine I can average 20mpg. However, using my wife's Kia that gets 33 mpg and only costs $15 to fill up is a better choice.


Interesting. My buddy's ecoboost f150 4x4 won't get better than 14mpg on the highway. Around this hilly college town he gets 11-12.

The only guy doing Uber in a truck around here has the same truck that my friend has. I have no idea how he thinks he's making money since it rarely surges and all rides are the minimum fare.


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## steveK2016

This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


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## TWO2SEVEN

jeep45238 said:


> Interesting. My buddy's ecoboost f150 4x4 won't get better than 14mpg on the highway. Around this hilly college town he gets 11-12.
> 
> The only guy doing Uber in a truck around here has the same truck that my friend has. I have no idea how he thinks he's making money since it rarely surges and all rides are the minimum fare.


I'm not sure if it matters, but mine is a two wheel drive with pretty standard tires. If I am really good with it I can get 23-24 on the highway (average).


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## Wardell Curry

I get 27/37 street/ highway mpg in my honda but with city traffic I average 20-22 mpg each time out.


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## DrivingZiggy

I can only speak for myself. My employment situation changed and I was trying to figure things out. I thought about my 2015 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel out in the driveway that I had buyers' remorse over. So I thought, "Why not put it to work?"

So I signed on with Uber. It worked just fine since it has 4 full-size doors and lots of leg room in the back.

Then, things changed again and I began hauling campers with the truck. So I went ahead and tuned/deleted it. This gave an improvement in mileage.

Couple of months later, I'm back to driving Uber. Getting 27 mpg in town.

Now I don't have buyers' remorse any more because this vehicle is perfect for working. Either campers or Uber. It is the correct tool for the job. For me.


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## Mark Johnson

steveK2016 said:


> This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


Which is understandable but let's be realistic here. Just because the only vehicle you have is a *Dodge Charger SRT V8* that gets 13 city / 22 hwy doesn't mean you should use it to do Uber.

Yes they might be getting cash now but what use it that cash if your net gain is *$0* or worse you're spending more money than you're making?

They probably would make more getting a low-bed and towing cars and heavy packages across the country. You would add the same milage as you would driving Uber/Lyft.


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## Disgruntled

Mark Johnson said:


> I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.
> 
> So I wonder, do ya'll have truck Uber drivers in your cities? Is this normal?


Uber isn't a profitable venture regardless of the vehicle used. I used a truck for Uber because it was the only vehicle I had that qualified as my other car is 2 door. However, after doing it for a day and crunching the numbers, it became insanely obvious how bad a deal it is for drivers.


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## MikesUber

steveK2016 said:


> This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


 What's worse than no money? _Paying _money to drive a truck on Uber, but if all you care about is cash flow then suree ignore the expense column lol.



Mark Johnson said:


> Which is understandable but let's be realistic here. Just because the only vehicle you have is a *Dodge Charger SRT V8* that gets 13 city / 22 hwy doesn't mean you should use it to do Uber.





Mark Johnson said:


> Yes they might be getting cash now but what use it that cash if you net gain is *$0* or worse you're spending more money than your making?


 Lol real talk ^^ Accounting 101/Business 101 should be mandatory when signing up.



Disgruntled said:


> Uber isn't a profitable venture regardless of the vehicle used


 Isn't profitable regardless of the vehicle used? lel I'll give you a chance to edit that post.


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## jfinks

At current gas prices it costs about $.10 a gallon at 20mpg or so. You are not losing money in the short term even driving at 15MPG. It will catch up with you long term... But anyone can trade 1000 miles on their vehicle a for around $800 cash from time to time and not get hurt.


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## TWO2SEVEN

I wish it was more cost effective to use my truck. It is a lot more comfortable for me and would be for a pax as well.


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## jeep45238

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I'm not sure if it matters, but mine is a two wheel drive with pretty standard tires. If I am really good with it I can get 23-24 on the highway (average).


Hmm...do you have the 3.5 or the smaller engine?


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## steveK2016

Some of you are really doing things wrong if your margins are so thin that 7mpg would absolutely destroy your chances of taking anything home...


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## TWO2SEVEN

jeep45238 said:


> Hmm...do you have the 3.5 or the smaller engine?


3.5 EcoBoost


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## TWO2SEVEN

steveK2016 said:


> Some of you are really doing things wrong if your margins are so thin that 7mpg would absolutely destroy your chances of taking anything home...


I am doing ok, I would just rather fill up the smaller car than fill up my truck every few days. Not making life changing money, but making enough to make a few extra student loan payments, which is all I am after.


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## steveK2016

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I am doing ok, I would just rather fill up the smaller car than fill up my truck every few days. Not making life changing money, but making enough to make a few extra student loan payments, which is all I am after.


Not you, but there's plenty on this thread that suggest you'd be losing money driving a truck just because you lose some MPG. Unless you're going from a Prius to a Gas Guzzler, it's not that big of a difference. I get 20mpg in my CTS. It ain't a prius but I do just fine. I don't need 50mpg to make money Ubering and I'll gladly drive a more comfortable ride for me and my pax than to save a few bucks at the pump.

But that's just me. I don't need Uber money for Bills, that's covered by my 9-5.


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## TWO2SEVEN

steveK2016 said:


> Not you, but there's plenty on this thread that suggest you'd be losing money driving a truck just because you lose some MPG. Unless you're going from a Prius to a Gas Guzzler, it's not that big of a difference. I get 20mpg in my CTS. It ain't a prius but I do just fine. I don't need 50mpg to make money Ubering and I'll gladly drive a more comfortable ride for me and my pax than to save a few bucks at the pump.
> 
> But that's just me. I don't need Uber money for Bills, that's covered by my 9-5.


I hear you. I may get my truck set up one of these days. I have used it for Door Dash and it worked out just fine. The seat heater helps to keep the food warm.


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## jfinks

steveK2016 said:


> Some of you are really doing things wrong if your margins are so thin that 7mpg would absolutely destroy your chances of taking anything home...


Ya, I know, the difference between 20mpg and 27mpg is like 3.5 cents a mile. So I drive 100 miles I expect to take home about 75$, I spend $10 in gas vs 13.50 in gas. Over time it could be significant, but not really. Now if you go from 50mpg to 20mpg that is something, but you can still bank some cash with either. I bet that 50mpg car is really comfortable also for 5 - 6 hours per day... NOT.


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## TWO2SEVEN

jfinks said:


> Ya, I know, the difference between 20mpg and 27mpg is like 3.5 cents a mile. So I drive 100 miles I expect to take home about 75$, I spend $10 in gas vs 13.50 in gas. Over time it could be significant, but not really. Now if you go from 50mpg to 20mpg that is something, but you can still bank some cash with either. I bet that 50mpg car is really comfortable also for 5 - 6 hours per day... NOT.


Depends on the car. Comfort and mpg don't always have much relation. I rode in an Accord as a pax today, it was very comfortable and nice. They make the same model in a hybrid that is rated (we all know that is inflated) at 47 mpg. That wouldn't be so bad.


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## jfinks

TWO2SEVEN said:


> Depends on the car. Comfort and mpg don't always have much relation. I rode in an Accord as a pax today, it was very comfortable and nice. They make the same model in a hybrid that is rated (we all know that is inflated) at 47 mpg. That wouldn't be so bad.


Nice, but rarely gonna find that on Uber. Most are gonna be little Prius cars and try to squeeze 4 pax inside plus driver. Sardines comes to mind. Clown car. lol


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## TWO2SEVEN

jfinks said:


> Nice, but rarely gonna find that on Uber. Most are gonna be little Prius cars and try to squeeze 4 pax inside plus driver. Sardines comes to mind. Clown car. lol


I'm in a Kia, I get it


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## jfinks

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I'm in a Kia, I get it


Exactly, I mean I don't drive a super expensive car either, just a Chevy HHR, but it seems pretty roomy even with 4 pax. And 2 times some how 4 pax squeezed in the back seat. I didn't look at how that was done, but was happy that the cop the followed me for a few blocks didn't see it because of the dark windows.


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## LASAC_BER

I think some people just use uber for rideshare purposes, and don't try to make a living at it like most here do. On your way to/from work? Turn it on, set destination filter, and pick up a couple rides. Offset the weekly gas expense for the commute at least.


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## 1rightwinger

Very interesting topic. A lot of people on the reply dismissed driving a truck or make it sound like it's a bad idea. I have to disagree. And I will show you several good reasons in a later post. I drive a Ford Expedition in a small Market that pays $0.75 per mile. On a limited volume I can go out and make 40 to $50 per hour Some Nights. Granted that is only for a few hours a week it is easy money. And my Ford Expedition helps me do it. And at the low volume of driving the difference in gas isn't really that much. When you can just hit some surge drives and get some nice tips once in awhile it can definitely be worth it. My Expedition gets 13 miles to the gallon in the summer but now I'm getting around 11 because we are heading into the colder weather. I will give a full analysis later this weekend and point out several factors why I drive a truck and actually prefer it. And I am willing to bet that on a per hour basis I do as well or better than a lot of people driving small cars.


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## Mark Johnson

1rightwinger said:


> Very interesting topic. A lot of people on the reply dismissed driving a truck or make it sound like it's a bad idea. I have to disagree. And I will show you several good reasons in a later post. I drive a Ford Expedition in a small Market that pays $0.75 per mile. On a limited volume I can go out and make 40 to $50 per hour Some Nights. Granted that is only for a few hours a week it is easy money. And my Ford Expedition helps me do it. .


$40-50 per hour with *$0.75*/mile rates (just like my city) in a Ford Expedition averaging 13mpg? And you don't drive for UberSUV or Select?

I think I might have a bridge to sell you...


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## TWO2SEVEN

Maybe I will do a study. My F150 vs my Kia.


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## Wardell Curry

Mark Johnson said:


> $40-50 per hour with *$0.75*/mile rates (just like my city) in a Ford Expedition averaging 13mpg? And you don't drive for UberSUV or Select?
> 
> I think I might have a bridge to sell you...


The mpg is irrelevant. I just want to know how this guy is making that much per hour on those rates. Maybe he always gets tips lol.


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## 1rightwinger

Mark Johnson said:


> $40-50 per hour with *$0.75*/mile rates (just like my city) in a Ford Expedition averaging 13mpg? And you don't drive for UberSUV or Select?
> 
> I think I might have a bridge to sell you...


I will post more details later about how I do it. But again like I said it is for very limited hours. There are one to two hours per week where this can happen. And it's not always 40 to $50 but I have had those numbers. In general it can be more like $35 to 40. For the Limited hours when it is searching. I will give you more information later this weekend when I have some time. And uber only offerss x in my city I don't know why but SUV or xl or select are not available unfortunately. If it were I would drive it. My other vehicle is a minivan and sometimes I drive that as well and that gets about 18 miles per gallon still not great it's still worth doing on a limited basis when it is surging.


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## TWO2SEVEN

I did Door Dash in my truck tonight. Only used $7.96 in gas from 5pm to 9:30pm. Not too bad.


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## Poopy54

Check this out.

I'm in San Diego


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## K-pax

The other day, I saw a 20+ year older old beater with dents in the side and with 2 doors that had an uber sticker in the window (right where it's supposed to be). It was parked somewhere outside of a Safeway. that confused me.


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## WRXDriver23

They do it for fun. Meet young broads wearing almost nothing for clothes probably creeps


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## WRXDriver23

Poopy54 said:


> Check this out.
> 
> I'm in San Diego
> 
> View attachment 79299


I drive a 16 wrx full bolt one making 344 at wheels from Bren tuning. Uber riders love it when you throw them back in the seat


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## Poopy54

WRXDriver23 said:


> I drive a 16 wrx full bolt one making 344 at wheels from Bren tuning. Uber riders love it when you throw them back in the seat


Nice, I was with Subaru for 8 years, had a few


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## mrbrown2195

There's a guy here (Springfield, MO) that drives around in a Hummer H3. We only have uberX, no XL. The rates are low and business is decent for a city of our size, but there's no way in hell he's making money.


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## Shangsta

steveK2016 said:


> This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


To add to this i would rather uberx with a paid off gas guzzler than lease or buy a fuel efficient car. Your expenses are high either way but with the gas guzzler you have no payment


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## Shangsta

Mark Johnson said:


> $40-50 per hour with *$0.75*/mile rates (just like my city) in a Ford Expedition averaging 13mpg? And you don't drive for UberSUV or Select?
> 
> I think I might have a bridge to sell you...


lol yup story doesnt add up, that would mean driving close to 60 miles in one hour (highly unlikely unless you are picking up on the highway)


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## 1rightwinger

Hello. my story adds up and I will share some details in next few days when I have time for it. there are factors you are not considering such as surge and my vehicle operating cost per mile. On Fri night I went out at 12:15 am and finished at 2;15. payout was around $78 and got some tips. after deducting my operating cost the avg for the two hrs was around $37 per hr. but the 1st hr was garbage non surge rides. my time from 1:15 to 2:15 I hit two surge rides as planned And made over $50 per hr for that hour. my original post did say that I could only achieve thus during limited hours basically meaning for an hour or so week nd nights during surge oossibility. so it is good money per hour but not many hours to earn it. and getting 13 mpg for this kind of surge pricing is wor the it.


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## 1rightwinger

Continued...accidentally posted but wasn't done. and many times I get 6 or 7 pax and would not get the business if driving smaller car. and other reasons. so yeah my expedition turns out to be a great vehicle to run uber. just wish the base fare was higher as it should be then I would go out more often


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## Jimmy Bernat

Shit a truck is better then what I started Ubering in BMW 335xi requires premium and only gets 19mpg . A truck that takes regular that gets 16mpg is doing better then I was lol

But I was still profiting every week even the first month that I was only doing Lyft (just made sure to drive mostly sure) 
My only saving grace was when I got on UberSelect 

I only drove that car for about 2 months before I realized if I'm going to do this full time I need to get 30mpg and use regular or diesel fuel and qualify for Select . (it was a great excuse to convince the wife I had to turn the BMW into a track only car and get a daily lol thanks Uber)

My guess though is most people in those cars that don't get great gas mileage are doing it temporary , or part time . Right now gas is as low as $1.69 for Regular . When gas is under $2 gas mileage isn't as important .


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## tohunt4me

Truckyea said:


> Funny this is the first post I have seen today .
> I drive a 2016 new truck . (Gonna not say my vehicle yet to see if anyone in Orlando guesses ) --The reason I uber is because I want some extra cash now . The perfect marketable trait for uber  . I make good money with my current job but I was out of work and couldn't get compensated during that time . Because of that I decided to drive so I don't have to dip into savings for the next few months.
> 
> I get 18-22 mpg depending on city or hwy traffic . With gas prices being so low it is worth it . The pay sucks and there are too many drivers in the Orlando market and I am doing a bad job at finding out where to drive but it's okay , it does what I want it too in the temporary time I will be doing it  If I pick my spots right , and get a little luck my net is still in the 4-13$ per hour range . Yes it varies that much . Mostly end in the 8-10 range because I try to drive during peak times .
> 
> -Truckyea


Orlando pays .70¢ a minute ?


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## tohunt4me

jfinks said:


> Nice, but rarely gonna find that on Uber. Most are gonna be little Prius cars and try to squeeze 4 pax inside plus driver. Sardines comes to mind. Clown car. lol


When you put 60,000 miles a year on it for .60¢ a mile. You should buy luxury. You should buy disposable.


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## tohunt4me

Poopy54 said:


> Nice, I was with Subaru for 8 years, had a few


I remember a Subaru on the side of me,doing 90 mph I punched it knowing I had till 120 to cut off switch. He burnt rubber at 90 and disappeared in front of me.


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## Reversoul

Uber truck is the new thing. For $2 added to each fare, all you have to do is pack the bed of the truck with illegal immigrants and sneak across the border. 

"Don't worry, we'll pay any fines if you encounter issues with law enforcement, just like at the airport"


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## Mido toyota

jfinks said:


> At current gas prices it costs about $.10 a gallon at 20mpg or so. You are not losing money in the short term even driving at 15MPG. It will catch up with you long term... But anyone can trade 1000 miles on their vehicle a for around $800 cash from time to time and not get hurt.


Is uber x in your market is 2$ per mile because this is the price for you to make 800$ for 1000 miles


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## No.bs

1rightwinger said:


> Very interesting topic. A lot of people on the reply dismissed driving a truck or make it sound like it's a bad idea. I have to disagree. And I will show you several good reasons in a later post. I drive a Ford Expedition in a small Market that pays $0.75 per mile. On a limited volume I can go out and make 40 to $50 per hour Some Nights. Granted that is only for a few hours a week it is easy money. And my Ford Expedition helps me do it. And at the low volume of driving the difference in gas isn't really that much. When you can just hit some surge drives and get some nice tips once in awhile it can definitely be worth it. My Expedition gets 13 miles to the gallon in the summer but now I'm getting around 11 because we are heading into the colder weather. I will give a full analysis later this weekend and point out several factors why I drive a truck and actually prefer it. And I am willing to bet that on a per hour basis I do as well or better than a lot of people driving small cars.


I think i need to disagree with your disagreement. There are a lot of assumtions being made with very little regard to the massive difference in variables from city to city. Just seeing a truck driving for Uber doesnt say anything. I drive a Tundra and clear about 300 a week after expenses which is better then sitting on my ass at home looking through classifieds for my next real job. Uber rates, gas prices, chasing surges, time of day, traffic, your load (weight of all your pax) and most importantly, your driving habits all play serious roles in determining if you are actually turning a profit or not. Besides, there is more to Uber then making a few bucks. Talking to your pax and making a few relations for business prospects is far more beneficial then the few bucks you'll turn. You should try seeing the whole forest and not just the tree.


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## sicky

I've seen Uber Hummers and trucks here in Denver. I assume they are select or the driver has an IQ below 70


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## XxCountryWomenDriverxX

I drive a truck with UberX. I fill up with $40 and drive, drive, drive. Still have a 1/2 a tank left when I get home and $70 to $90 in the bank plus $40 in tips.. It pays for me to drive my only Uber qualified vehicle, a full size 4 door dodge ram!


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## TWO2SEVEN

XxCountryWomenDriverxX said:


> I drive a truck with UberX. I fill up with $40 and drive, drive, drive. Still have a 1/2 a tank left when I get home and $70 to $90 in the bank plus $40 in tips.. It pays for me to drive my only Uber qualified vehicle, a full size 4 door dodge ram!


I did Door Dash with my truck on Friday. I used $7.96 in gas and made close to $100 for the night. Works for me!


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## dizie

Ive been noticing a lot of Dodge Rams and Fords with UL stickers lately. Are they select? 

I saw one last night with a lyft app. I dont think Lyft has select? 

Just curious. I might just be missing something.


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## Simon

1 the gas is just the tip of your losses
2 it costs way mare to maintain a truck than a 4 popper accord
3 @.75 per mile you might be making .20 per mile but once the pax is out you can't drive any where or you blow that .20 profit. 

4 your not making .20 profit more like losing .20

Find your cost per mile. 

What the hell happened to these forums. Why are we not teaching these new drivers the true costs?


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## El Janitor

This isn't the fist time I've herd of a Crew cab truck being used for Uber. Whatever floats your boat.


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## 58756

freddieman said:


> The owner of that truck must not be able to do math, doing it for kicks, or just wants to experience uber to see what it's like. Would be a gauranteed money loser for sure. That truck gas mileage is like what?...13 city 17 freeway?
> 
> Would be cool to hire him for some simple jobs like yard waste disposal or simple move of furniture/ appliance.


I've seen huge gas guzzler v8 cars doing it and a pax told me someone picked her up in a hummer and Hummers get 13mpg


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## 1rightwinger

No.bs said:


> I think i need to disagree with your disagreement. There are a lot of assumtions being made with very little regard to the massive difference in variables from city to city. Just seeing a truck driving for Uber doesnt say anything. I drive a Tundra and clear about 300 a week after expenses which is better then sitting on my ass at home looking through classifieds for my next real job. Uber rates, gas prices, chasing surges, time of day, traffic, your load (weight of all your pax) and most importantly, your driving habits all play serious roles in determining if you are actually turning a profit or not. Besides, there is more to Uber then making a few bucks. Talking to your pax and making a few relations for business prospects is far more beneficial then the few bucks you'll turn. You should try seeing the whole forest and not just the tree.


You must have replied to wrong post. you are disagreeing with my post but I basically made similar argument that you just said. I am a proponent of driving a truck (suv) for uberx and I do make a profit doing it in a $.75 per mile market. read the post. by doing surge rides and getting some tips and my operating cost is lower than a lot of people will realize.


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## 1rightwinger

Simon said:


> 1 the gas is just the tip of your losses
> 2 it costs way mare to maintain a truck than a 4 popper accord
> 3 @.75 per mile you might be making .20 per mile but once the pax is out you can't drive any where or you blow that .20 profit.
> 
> 4 your not making .20 profit more like losing .20
> 
> Find your cost per mile.
> 
> What the hell happened to these forums. Why are we not teaching these new drivers the true costs?


Simon, your statemens are incorrect. I know my cost per mile. I'm not losing .20/mile. I drive a ford expedition and get 13mpg. my city is $.75/mile. On Fri night I went out for 2 hours. I drove 52 miles and I was only logged in 1 hr 34 min according to the app. (I was away from home 2 hours but I took about 25 min in between surges to stop and get gas and eat). My payout was $74.30 and I had $5 in tips. my calculations for the entire 2 hours show I made a net profit after my operating cost of approx $37/hr. Looking at it another way, in the 2nd hour of this 2 hr period I made about $55/hr after op expenses due to surges. in the 1st hour I didn't have the surges but just drove anyhow hoping the surge would start a little earlier but the earnings per hour in 1st hour were not that great but still the 2 hr period averaged out to $37/hr. I can usually get these numbers on Fri & Sat night from around 12:30 to 2:30am. So, I can do approx $150/wk by driving 4 hrs. I have come to the conclusion that the rest of the times when it is not surging or close to surging is not really worth it unless I just do some convenience rides where someone is going the same way I am going or if I have an hour to kill and don't want to go home so I may drive at a low rate.

My argument is that a truck(suv) can be better than a car that gets 25+mpg for certain people like me. So, don't dismiss drivers using trucks or assume that we don't know our operating cost or say that we must have an IQ under 70. I am very happy using my expedition and would rather use it than a car in my circumstances. I'm putting this out there for others that may have an SUV and think that it would not be worthwhile and I am giving you some info on how it can work. and to answer the original question of the post "why are people driving uber in a truck?"

1. driving for uber in most cities at the base rate pays too low and I would therefore never own a separate small car for uber. if you do it on limited hours the gas cost is not the main concern. I'm buying gas for arouns $1.8/gal. driving at 13mpg is approx $0.14 per mile. driving let's say at 25mpg is $0.072/mile. in a 5o mile night the difference is $3.40 in gas. If I can make $80 by driving 50 miles (as shown above) trying to save $3.4 in gas is not a big deal. The problem with Uber is that even if I had a prius and got what 35mpg ($0.051/mile) I would still not be driving the slower times where you are not constantly getting requests and not getting any surges. When I work those slow times I can probably only make around $8-$10 per hour and even in a prius it would not add much to it. example: if I drove 25 miles in the hour to earn the $8-$10 in my vehicle it is not much worse than the hourly pay if driving a prius...the difference in gas cost would only be $2.22 so wow I would be making $10.22 to $12.22/hr. Still not worth it. So, I don't own the vehicle to do Uber to try to make a low wage. I use the vehicle that I have to take advantage and drive Uber only when it makes sense and within those scenarios my SUV works great and is profitable.

2. Uber only offers X in my city which is kind of dumb I think but still many pax book an uberx thinking they can have 5-7 people in it. that works for me and there have been many times that once I get to talking to them I find out that they sure were glad when they saw I had an expedition because they had already tried to book a ride 3 times but they cancelled when they see it is a small car. some of these are during the surges and several of the larger groups will tip. So, if I had a small car to save $3 - $5 in gas on a given 2-3 hr part time night it could actually cause me to earn less because of possible not getting as good of rides.

3. this is my personal vehicle and I need to be able to use it for many things. I can do uber in it and turn a profit and it is also great for many other uses. one Sat morning about a month ago I had it loaded up with my boys and my hunting gear went duck hunting. had a pile of dead ducks in the back. went home, unloaded and few hours later I was hauling hipsters around town for drinks.

4. I say a truck should actually be less to maintain and repair than a small car. trucks just last longer. they are built with stronger, beefier parts and materials. a lot more steel. full body construction. in many trucks engine parts like pistons and crankshafts are forged steel and not cast steel. make it more durable & longer lasting. the suspension is much tougher because it is designed to be hauling a 1/2 ton payload. the brakes are much stronger and will be longer lasting because they are designed to have to have more stopping power while hauling a 1/2 ton payload or pulling a 6000 lb trailer. Now most trucks/suv's that people drive in the city are not put to these capacities and that means these parts (brakes, suspension, engine) are not being used at full capacity and they will therefore last much longer than due to being constantly driven at less stressful conditions. most trucks and larger SUV's are full body on frame construction instead of unibody. This makes the body/frame much tougher and durable. and safer in accidents. In summary of this point you will actually spend less on maintenance because all the parts of the truck/suv are tougher and will last a lot longer than car parts. an suv/truck will go a lot longer between brake jobs than a car. the engine and transmission will last a lot longer. I also have a minivan that I use sometimes for uber. it holds 7 passengers plus me and when I load it up with 7 large guys and I hit a bump or pothole it will bottom out. in my SUV that is not a problem due to the tougher suspension. look on craigslist and you will see a lot of suburbans/tahoes/yukon/expedition/f-150, etc with 300,000 miles and still running strong.

5. I live in an area where we can have winter/snow 6 or 7 months of the year. if we are getting a blizzard or a lot of snow or the roads are just icy I can almost always get around and a lot of cars will have trouble in the deep snow. people will still need to get to or from the airport or hospital or want to go out to drink or eat. with less drivers on the road this will help cause surge and will help me make more $ in these conditions.

I did it right and bought a lower priced used SUV with high miles and it runs and handles like it is new and I can haul 7 pax and make a high per hour rate during surge hours. many of you will argue this but my full operating cost including gas at $0.13/mile is $0.20 per mile with my Expedition. I'm accounting for normal maintenance, depreciation, plus gas to get the $.20/mile. This is probably less than a newer car with high mpg that many people buy or lease for uber. you will have higher depreciation and interest, etc. I'm not including insurance or car washes because this is my personal vehicle and I do not incur extra costs on car washes or insurance by driving 4-5 hrs per week.

sorry for long post but I wanted to answer original question and to point out all the reasons that a truck/suv is not a bad vehicle and can actually be quite good on a part time basis if you can hit some surges/tips. and that the operating cost can be a lot less than people assume if you buy it right. I just wish that the Uber base rate was 2 or 3 times what it is and then I would actually be willing to drive more and make more money at it in the non-surge hours.


----------



## Simon

1rightwinger said:


> Simon, your statemens are incorrect. I know my cost per mile. I'm not losing .20/mile. I drive a ford expedition and get 13mpg. my city is $.75/mile. On Fri night I went out for 2 hours. I drove 52 miles and I was only logged in 1 hr 34 min according to the app. (I was away from home 2 hours but I took about 25 min in between surges to stop and get gas and eat). My payout was $74.30 and I had $5 in tips. my calculations for the entire 2 hours show I made a net profit after my operating cost of approx $37/hr. Looking at it another way, in the 2nd hour of this 2 hr period I made about $55/hr after op expenses due to surges. in the 1st hour I didn't have the surges but just drove anyhow hoping the surge would start a little earlier but the earnings per hour in 1st hour were not that great but still the 2 hr period averaged out to $37/hr. I can usually get these numbers on Fri & Sat night from around 12:30 to 2:30am. So, I can do approx $150/wk by driving 4 hrs. I have come to the conclusion that the rest of the times when it is not surging or close to surging is not really worth it unless I just do some convenience rides where someone is going the same way I am going or if I have an hour to kill and don't want to go home so I may drive at a low rate.
> 
> My argument is that a truck(suv) can be better than a car that gets 25+mpg for certain people like me. So, don't dismiss drivers using trucks or assume that we don't know our operating cost or say that we must have an IQ under 70. I am very happy using my expedition and would rather use it than a car in my circumstances. I'm putting this out there for others that may have an SUV and think that it would not be worthwhile and I am giving you some info on how it can work. and to answer the original question of the post "why are people driving uber in a truck?"
> 
> 1. driving for uber in most cities at the base rate pays too low and I would therefore never own a separate small car for uber. if you do it on limited hours the gas cost is not the main concern. I'm buying gas for arouns $1.8/gal. driving at 13mpg is approx $0.14 per mile. driving let's say at 25mpg is $0.072/mile. in a 5o mile night the difference is $3.40 in gas. If I can make $80 by driving 50 miles (as shown above) trying to save $3.4 in gas is not a big deal. The problem with Uber is that even if I had a prius and got what 35mpg ($0.051/mile) I would still not be driving the slower times where you are not constantly getting requests and not getting any surges. When I work those slow times I can probably only make around $8-$10 per hour and even in a prius it would not add much to it. example: if I drove 25 miles in the hour to earn the $8-$10 in my vehicle it is not much worse than the hourly pay if driving a prius...the difference in gas cost would only be $2.22 so wow I would be making $10.22 to $12.22/hr. Still not worth it. So, I don't own the vehicle to do Uber to try to make a low wage. I use the vehicle that I have to take advantage and drive Uber only when it makes sense and within those scenarios my SUV works great and is profitable.
> 
> 2. Uber only offers X in my city which is kind of dumb I think but still many pax book an uberx thinking they can have 5-7 people in it. that works for me and there have been many times that once I get to talking to them I find out that they sure were glad when they saw I had an expedition because they had already tried to book a ride 3 times but they cancelled when they see it is a small car. some of these are during the surges and several of the larger groups will tip. So, if I had a small car to save $3 - $5 in gas on a given 2-3 hr part time night it could actually cause me to earn less because of possible not getting as good of rides.
> 
> 3. this is my personal vehicle and I need to be able to use it for many things. I can do uber in it and turn a profit and it is also great for many other uses. one Sat morning about a month ago I had it loaded up with my boys and my hunting gear went duck hunting. had a pile of dead ducks in the back. went home, unloaded and few hours later I was hauling hipsters around town for drinks.
> 
> 4. I say a truck should actually be less to maintain and repair than a small car. trucks just last longer. they are built with stronger, beefier parts and materials. a lot more steel. full body construction. in many trucks engine parts like pistons and crankshafts are forged steel and not cast steel. make it more durable & longer lasting. the suspension is much tougher because it is designed to be hauling a 1/2 ton payload. the brakes are much stronger and will be longer lasting because they are designed to have to have more stopping power while hauling a 1/2 ton payload or pulling a 6000 lb trailer. Now most trucks/suv's that people drive in the city are not put to these capacities and that means these parts (brakes, suspension, engine) are not being used at full capacity and they will therefore last much longer than due to being constantly driven at less stressful conditions. most trucks and larger SUV's are full body on frame construction instead of unibody. This makes the body/frame much tougher and durable. and safer in accidents. In summary of this point you will actually spend less on maintenance because all the parts of the truck/suv are tougher and will last a lot longer than car parts. an suv/truck will go a lot longer between brake jobs than a car. the engine and transmission will last a lot longer. I also have a minivan that I use sometimes for uber. it holds 7 passengers plus me and when I load it up with 7 large guys and I hit a bump or pothole it will bottom out. in my SUV that is not a problem due to the tougher suspension. look on craigslist and you will see a lot of suburbans/tahoes/yukon/expedition/f-150, etc with 300,000 miles and still running strong.
> 
> 5. I live in an area where we can have winter/snow 6 or 7 months of the year. if we are getting a blizzard or a lot of snow or the roads are just icy I can almost always get around and a lot of cars will have trouble in the deep snow. people will still need to get to or from the airport or hospital or want to go out to drink or eat. with less drivers on the road this will help cause surge and will help me make more $ in these conditions.
> 
> I did it right and bought a lower priced used SUV with high miles and it runs and handles like it is new and I can haul 7 pax and make a high per hour rate during surge hours. many of you will argue this but my full operating cost including gas at $0.13/mile is $0.20 per mile with my Expedition. I'm accounting for normal maintenance, depreciation, plus gas to get the $.20/mile. This is probably less than a newer car with high mpg that many people buy or lease for uber. you will have higher depreciation and interest, etc. I'm not including insurance or car washes because this is my personal vehicle and I do not incur extra costs on car washes or insurance by driving 4-5 hrs per week.
> 
> sorry for long post but I wanted to answer original question and to point out all the reasons that a truck/suv is not a bad vehicle and can actually be quite good on a part time basis if you can hit some surges/tips. and that the operating cost can be a lot less than people assume if you buy it right. I just wish that the Uber base rate was 2 or 3 times what it is and then I would actually be willing to drive more and make more money at it in the non-surge hours.


Except truck tires are more expensive truck brakes are more expensive and I am also guessing your not factoring depreciation of the vehicle or taxes or insurance.

For most sedans that comes to .30 per mile more for a truck with fewer mpg. So if you drove 5 miles for Uber you only profit .15 per mile on that sedan (5x2(dead miles)=10miles)

I have been doing this for quite some time now (shut it off because Uber will not let me go XL only plus opened a shop here in town) so I think I know what I am saying.

Very few truck models (car models for that matter) allow profit to get to the 50% marker any business should be striving for at a .75 per mile rate.

The bottom rate per mile is $1.25 to make this gig worth it. Otherwise your just making pennies and destroying your car while your at it. It would be better to commute to walmart, you would profit more.

But hey don't let my facts get in the way of your delusion of owning your own cab company.


----------



## Shangsta

1rightwinger said:


> My argument is that a truck(suv) can be better than a car that gets 25+mpg for certain people like me.


This is factually incorrect. It is better because its the car you already have but no in terms of profit on uber X the best car is always the one that gets better gas mileage. Your car may get 13 mpg "officially" but with all the starts and stops of Uber and city driving you are probably under that.

You hauling 7 pax in an X means you make no more money than someone who picks up 1 person. You are however putting a lot of weight in your car. I am not saying you dont make any money but you are definitely behind the eight ball of people in your market with fuel efficient vehicles.

An expedition like yours will likely have costlier maintenance than most other cars.


----------



## Shangsta

1rightwinger said:


> On Fri night I went out for 2 hours. I drove 52 miles and I was only logged in 1 hr 34 min according to the app. (I was away from home 2 hours but I took about 25 min in between surges to stop and get gas and eat). My payout was $74.30 a


Do you have the screenshot? Hard to believe a payout of 74.30 in 2 hours in a city paying .75 a mile


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## BiggestScamInHistory

Truckyea said:


> Funny this is the first post I have seen today .
> I drive a 2016 new truck . (Gonna not say my vehicle yet to see if anyone in Orlando guesses ) --The reason I uber is because I want some extra cash now . The perfect marketable trait for uber  . I make good money with my current job but I was out of work and couldn't get compensated during that time . Because of that I decided to drive so I don't have to dip into savings for the next few months.
> 
> I get 18-22 mpg depending on city or hwy traffic . With gas prices being so low it is worth it . The pay sucks and there are too many drivers in the Orlando market and I am doing a bad job at finding out where to drive but it's okay , it does what I want it too in the temporary time I will be doing it  If I pick my spots right , and get a little luck my net is still in the 4-13$ per hour range . Yes it varies that much . Mostly end in the 8-10 range because I try to drive during peak times .
> 
> -Truckyea


You're losing in the long run in depreciation more than the short-term gain of chump change you're getting with Uber. Anyone with any sense wouldn't be buying a 2016 anything unless they knew they had the savings to pay for it in case of losing work or any other emergency that kept them from making a steady income.

But the problem is Americans are braindead consumers who just HAVE TO HAVE what they can't really afford, & thus have to keep the circus of idiotic decisions to make up for previous idiotic mistakes.


----------



## BiggestScamInHistory

DrivingZiggy said:


> I can only speak for myself. My employment situation changed and I was trying to figure things out. I thought about my 2015 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel out in the driveway that I had buyers' remorse over. So I thought, "Why not put it to work?"
> 
> So I signed on with Uber. It worked just fine since it has 4 full-size doors and lots of leg room in the back.
> 
> Then, things changed again and I began hauling campers with the truck. So I went ahead and tuned/deleted it. This gave an improvement in mileage.
> 
> Couple of months later, I'm back to driving Uber. Getting 27 mpg in town.
> 
> Now I don't have buyers' remorse any more because this vehicle is perfect for working. Either campers or Uber. It is the correct tool for the job. For me.


I thought this (27mpg in a Dodge Ram truck) was just more Uber-sponsored BS to try & sucker truck owners into Uber'ing, but it amazingly is true according to owner info online. 20+mpg reports from fuel rating sites for the 3.0 diesel engine.

Trucks are amazingly weak these days though, as I've cone to realize after renting 1 recently for a day. So little acceleration I was majorly disappointed. The smog factories of the 60's-80's had to be a million times funner to drive than these watered-down PC rigs.


----------



## 1rightwinger

Shangsta said:


> Do you have the screenshot? Hard to believe a payout of 74.30 in 2 hours in a city paying .75 a mile





Shangsta said:


> Do you have the screenshot? Hard to believe a payout of 74.30 in 2 hours in a city paying .75 a mile


Yeah I can back up my comments with facts...no reason to lie. I hit two surges one at 3.1 and one at 4.7 and I had 3 or 4 non surge rides. some nts I do better than this by the way.


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## crazytown

What if you make a pickup at an airport and the people have luggage and there is no top on the bed while it's raining or snowing ?


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## TWO2SEVEN

crazytown said:


> What if you make a pickup at an airport and the people have luggage and there is no top on the bed while it's raining or snowing ?


That's an easy one, I don't go to the airport.


----------



## Trebor

Mark Johnson said:


> I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.
> 
> Last I checked, you can't get a truck via the Xchange leasing program. So this has to be their personal vehicle. And I wouldn't think such a vehicle qualifies for Uber Select.
> 
> So I wonder, do ya'll have Uber drivers in your cities that drive TRUCKS? Is this normal?


Hehe, even Uber knows trucks are not profitable which is why they won't let you least 0ne. That should be a red flag to anybody with a truck.

I have seen F-350's, Dodge 3500 dulley's rolling around picking up fares. I really do not understand why either.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Trebor said:


> Hehe, even Uber knows trucks are not profitable which is why they won't let you least 0ne. That should be a red flag to anybody with a truck.
> 
> I have seen F-350's, Dodge 3500 dulley's rolling around picking up fares. I really do not understand why either.


Least one?

I think far too many people here worry about what others are doing.


----------



## merkurfan

steveK2016 said:


> This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


I have a F-150 with the 5.0 Towing on Corn fuel (it's flex fuel) I can pull down 13 MPG and 16 empty. It'll kiss 20 on the freeway with pure gas.


----------



## merkurfan

XxCountryWomenDriverxX said:


> I drive a truck with UberX. I fill up with $40 and drive, drive, drive. Still have a 1/2 a tank left when I get home and $70 to $90 in the bank plus $40 in tips.. It pays for me to drive my only Uber qualified vehicle, a full size 4 door dodge ram!


40 in tips a night?

riiigggghhhhhhttttt


----------



## Simon

Trebor said:


> Hehe, even Uber knows trucks are not profitable which is why they won't let you least 0ne. That should be a red flag to anybody with a truck.
> 
> I have seen F-350's, Dodge 3500 dulley's rolling around picking up fares. I really do not understand why either.


Me too.. was like wtf.


----------



## Simon

1rightwinger said:


> Yeah I can back up my comments with facts...no reason to lie. I hit two surges one at 3.1 and one at 4.7 and I had 3 or 4 non surge rides. some nts I do better than this by the way.


Surges are exceptions to the rule. The surges can pull an unprofitable vehicle into profit. But the discussion here is whether or not a truck can be profitable on .75 per mile. It cannot..


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Haven't used my truck yet for Uber, but it doing just fine with Door Dash


----------



## Mark Johnson

merkurfan said:


> 40 in tips a night?
> 
> riiigggghhhhhhttttt


Although very rare for me, I too have made more than that in a night.

Picked up one business man who got cancelled on by his previous drivers because they couldn't find him and he gave me a *$20* at the end of the ride. Then picked up four attractive cougars from Cali and had great convo with them telling them my horror stories and they handed me a *$10* bill. I got several *$5* tips that night as well.


----------



## Simon

Mark Johnson said:


> Although very rare for me, I too have made more than that in a night.
> 
> Picked up one business man who got cancelled on by his previous drivers because they couldn't find him and he gave me a *$20* at the end of the ride. Then picked up four attractive cougars from Cali and had great convo with them telling them my horror stories and they handed me a *$10* bill. I got several *$5* tips that night as well.


I agree I once got $120 tip from some drunk jerkhole. Made the ride worth it. so it is possible.


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## merkurfan

Neither is a everyday occurrence and thus, can't be used to calculate daily profitability.


----------



## freddieman

DrivingZiggy said:


> I can only speak for myself. My employment situation changed and I was trying to figure things out. I thought about my 2015 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel out in the driveway that I had buyers' remorse over. So I thought, "Why not put it to work?"
> 
> So I signed on with Uber. It worked just fine since it has 4 full-size doors and lots of leg room in the back.
> 
> Then, things changed again and I began hauling campers with the truck. So I went ahead and tuned/deleted it. This gave an improvement in mileage.
> 
> Couple of months later, I'm back to driving Uber. Getting 27 mpg in town.
> 
> Now I don't have buyers' remorse any more because this vehicle is perfect for working. Either campers or Uber. It is the correct tool for the job. For me.


urs is a diesel atleast.


----------



## merkurfan

I ran my recent acquisition for a week. averaged 31 MPG but diesel is more expensive here in MN (winter blend)...

still can't make enough money to justify driving for Uber.


----------



## Trebor

Simon said:


> Surges are exceptions to the rule. The surges can pull an unprofitable vehicle into profit. But the discussion here is whether or not a truck can be profitable on .75 per mile. It cannot..


Surges are few and far in between down here.

Tell me why I saw one of these trucks outside my Walmart GROCERY store (not even supercenter) waiting for a ride.


----------



## Trebor

TWO2SEVEN said:


> Haven't used my truck yet for Uber, but it doing just fine with Door Dash


Do yall have boost pay still? That's the only way I can see making it work. DoorDash was great when we had boost pay. We do not have boost pay anymore though and I refuse to pickup any order less than $30, since our tips are based on percentage. Yes, I have had my dash ending early plenty of times.


----------



## 1rightwinger

Simon said:


> Surges are exceptions to the rule. The surges can pull an unprofitable vehicle into profit. But the discussion here is whether or not a truck can be profitable on .75 per mile. It cannot..


the post asked why do people drive a truck for uber? all my posts from the beginning have stated basically that I drive a truck limited hours and that I can make a good profit with it. I am answering the question of the original post and providing good information to people who want to know the answer to that question.


----------



## Joel Hansen

1rightwinger said:


> the post asked why do people drive a truck for uber? all my posts from the beginning have stated basically that I drive a truck limited hours and that I can make a good profit with it. I am answering the question of the original post and providing good information to people who want to know the answer to that question.


Thanks for sharing. I too am looking to put a Dodge Eco-diesel to work. I have a great day job, just want a few bucks to save for a finished basement. I am convinced it can work, you have to pick your times. If I drove full time no way would it work, but for a limited time absolutely.


----------



## Mark Johnson

merkurfan said:


> Neither is a everyday occurrence and thus, can't be used to calculate daily profitability.


fair enough... I definitely don't get tipped everyday.


----------



## Combatvetuberrichmond

I'm looking at all y'all's gas mileage and I'm like wow I drive a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI and I average high 30s to 50


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## TWO2SEVEN

Combatvetuberrichmond said:


> I'm looking at all y'all's gas mileage and I'm like wow I drive a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI and I average high 30s to 50


How many sheets of plywood can you fit in the back? Towing capacity?


----------



## SMOTY

steveK2016 said:


> This may come as a shock to some people but sometimes, people only have one car. While it may not make them rich, some money is better than no money. If a truck is what you got, a truck is what you use.


But just the money you make must be going into gas. Nothing left. I know we would like to justify this but you can't I'd tell these guys the the leasing programs


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## SMOTY

I've seen a few trucks. Can't really understand why one would be doing uber in a truck. But maybe it's for the bonuses and that's it. Cool but I've seen a truck pretty fancy all white 2015-2016 Silverado in my area you can't even get xl rates with a truck. Also I've seen a 3500 saburban type SUV 2010 I bet. Still can't really see profits in a huge truck like that!!!


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

SMOTY said:


> But just the money you make must be going into gas. Nothing left. I know we would like to justify this but you can't I'd tell these guys the the leasing programs


I made over $100 in one night on Door Dash. I used $12 in gas (6 gallons x $1.99, the price I paid when I filled up that day). It is not as profitable than using my other car, but not ALL of the money goes to gas.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

SMOTY said:


> I've seen a few trucks. Can't really understand why one would be doing uber in a truck. But maybe it's for the bonuses and that's it. Cool but I've seen a truck pretty fancy all white 2015-2016 Silverado in my area you can't even get xl rates with a truck. Also I've seen a 3500 saburban type SUV 2010 I bet. Still can't really see profits in a huge truck like that!!!


If by saburban you mean Suburban, if it has the third row seat it should qualify for XL.


----------



## SMOTY

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I made over $100 in one night on Door Dash. I used $12 in gas (6 gallons x $1.99, the price I paid when I filled up that day). It is not as profitable than using my other car, but not ALL of the money goes to gas.


Apples and oranges here. I bet the rates are better on DD and it encourages tipping right from the start. Your gas prices are cheap btw here they are around 3-4$ and it sounds like you don't always do it in your truck. But try doing it everyday than let me know if you still think it's profitable. Because you know with uber Unless you get any surge. You can have a bad days work or a wonderful days work!!


----------



## Truckyea

BiggestScamInHistory said:


> You're losing in the long run in depreciation more than the short-term gain of chump change you're getting with Uber. Anyone with any sense wouldn't be buying a 2016 anything unless they knew they had the savings to pay for it in case of losing work or any other emergency that kept them from making a steady income.
> 
> But the problem is Americans are braindead consumers who just HAVE TO HAVE what they can't really afford, & thus have to keep the circus of idiotic decisions to make up for previous idiotic mistakes.


Ican actually pay it off right now but using savings is the thing I avoid for the next few months driving uber . 3-5,000 miles a month of depreciation isent anything that makes me shiver


----------



## Mark Johnson

Truckyea said:


> I can actually pay it off right now but using savings is the thing I avoid for the next few months driving uber . 3-5,000 miles a month of depreciation isnt anything that makes me shiver


At *$0.65*/mile in Orlando -- lowest UberX rate that I know of -- it should.

Unless you got the truck free from your local junk yard...


----------



## Truckyea

Mark Johnson said:


> At *$0.65*/mile in Orlando -- lowest UberX rate that I know of -- it should.
> 
> Unless you got the truck free from your local junk yard...


Once again .. 20 miles per gallon and my vehicle type has barley any maintenance requirements aside from filters spark plugs and fluid changes . I'm netting a good about of money . It's way more about the satisfaction from instant money then it is about the actual money for me . It's worth part time hours for me. Also most of my rides are pretty enjoyable and I plan to still go 2-3 times a month once I'm done just because why not .


----------



## steveK2016

SMOTY said:


> But just the money you make must be going into gas. Nothing left. I know we would like to justify this but you can't I'd tell these guys the the leasing programs


So your solution to not using the one and only vehicle they have, a truck that they're probably already making payments, is to lease a car at $200 a week.

Car payment and insurance is a constant, whether they Uber or not. Even if they get 13mpg on average, I only get 20mpg average in my CTS. Sure, it's not as great as a Prius at 40mpg, but how much are you actually saving (or spending) at any given time? Sure, it adds up but does it really add up so much that you actually believe leasing a car for Uber at $200 a week is more practical?

I've pushed 200 miles in a full day. In Atlanta, I can get gas for $2.09 a gallon. A prius can hold 12 gallons (rounded) so a full tank will cost them $25.05 and can reach 480 miles. The truck, at 13mpg, will do 156 miles with 12 gallons. The prius will spent $0.05 a mile, costing $10 in gas for that 200 mile day. The truck will spend $0.16 a mile and would have spent $32 in gas.

If both can earn $200 that day, which I believe is reasonable in the Atlanta market on a friday or saturday, then the truck driver isn't blowing wads of money out of his window. Ok, so he's short $22 over the prius driver, but the notion that the truck will blow a NEGATIVE because of such a huge difference in MPG is ridiculous.

And yet your solution for the $88 a month he'll be losing driving a low MPG vehicle is to spend $800 a month on an Uber Lease program...

I'm spending $40 a month extra per month in gas compared to a Prius driver that drives the same amount of time I would. I'll gladly pay that extra in order to drive a nice car, and for what it's worth, I really really love my car...


----------



## SMOTY

TWO2SEVEN said:


> If by saburban you mean Suburban, if it has the third row seat it should qualify for XL.


Yes sorry mister typo editor. Suburban! and I know it qualifies as xl but if you read as good as you correct one. I said trucks don't qualify as xl. But I was just mentioning that driving a 2010 suburban for uber makes no sense to me!! I drive xl but my car is a 4 cylinder with enough power to haul in sport mode. My point is just about driving smarter not harder!


----------



## SMOTY

steveK2016 said:


> So your solution to not using the one and only vehicle they have, a truck that they're probably already making payments, is to lease a car at $200 a week.
> 
> Car payment and insurance is a constant, whether they Uber or not. Even if they get 13mpg on average, I only get 20mpg average in my CTS. Sure, it's not as great as a Prius at 40mpg, but how much are you actually saving (or spending) at any given time? Sure, it adds up but does it really add up so much that you actually believe leasing a car for Uber at $200 a week is more practical?
> 
> I've pushed 200 miles in a full day. In Atlanta, I can get gas for $2.09 a gallon. A prius can hold 12 gallons (rounded) so a full tank will cost them $25.05 and can reach 480 miles. The truck, at 13mpg, will do 156 miles with 12 gallons. The prius will spent $0.05 a mile, costing $10 in gas for that 200 mile day. The truck will spend $0.16 a mile and would have spent $32 in gas.
> 
> If both can earn $200 that day, which I believe is reasonable in the Atlanta market on a friday or saturday, then the truck driver isn't blowing wads of money out of his window. Ok, so he's short $22 over the prius driver, but the notion that the truck will blow a NEGATIVE because of such a huge difference in MPG is ridiculous.
> 
> And yet your solution for the $88 a month he'll be losing driving a low MPG vehicle is to spend $800 a month on an Uber Lease program...
> 
> I'm spending $40 a month extra per month in gas compared to a Prius driver that drives the same amount of time I would. I'll gladly pay that extra in order to drive a nice car, and for what it's worth, I really really love my car...


I don't have to read all you wrote but the point is working smarter not harder. First of all gas here in OC is 3-4$ Second leasing programs aren't 200$ a week I think now it's cheaper as low as 109$ to 149$ a week. Plus insurance but that's a given whether it has tnc coverage or not but at low rates it really doesn't makes sense unless you get a lot of surge rides. Also math is simple 200$ days aren't common we all know their could be bad days especially if more than 50% of rides are minimum because if you drive 2-3 miles to the rider and the rider is only going 3-4 miles you won't even make more than 4$ dollars. Imaging if 8/10 rides are minimum you're really only doing charity services... trust me! You wouldn't do uber in a gas guzzler over a Honda or Toyota (excluding Prius obviously) so I'm not kicking this guy down I'm just saying be smart about it! Btw I drive LYFT only not uber and if you want to see profit ask me!!!!


----------



## steveK2016

SMOTY said:


> I don't have to read all you wrote but the point is working smarter not harder. First of all gas here in OC is 3-4$ Second leasing programs aren't 200$ a week I think now it's cheaper as low as 109$ to 149$ a week. Plus insurance but that's a given whether it has tnc coverage or not but at low rates it really doesn't makes sense unless you get a lot of surge rides. Also math is simple 200$ days aren't common we all know their could be bad days especially if more than 50% of rides are minimum because if you drive 2-3 miles to the rider and the rider is only going 3-4 miles you won't even make more than 4$ dollars. Imaging if 8/10 rides are minimum you're really only doing charity services... trust me! You wouldn't do uber in a gas guzzler over a Honda or Toyota (excluding Prius obviously) so I'm not kicking this guy down I'm just saying be smart about it! Btw I drive LYFT only not uber and if you want to see profit ask me!!!!


Well that sounds more like an issue with your region and market. Sucks to be yall with your double the price gas costs and if earning $200 is a stretch for you, I also feel bad...

$149+ insurance sounds awful close to $200 to me...

But it's still FAR more expensive than taking the hit on the costs of the MPG!

My 200 mile estimate includes dead miles. Maybe you can round that up to 250 miles. It's difficult to discussing miles and dollars on a per ride basis. It's easier to estimate based on overall earnings. $200 is a solid average, it's far from my good days, but i've had $170 bad days.

Getting a lease is no where near working smart. Why on god's green earth would you go and spend $600 a month (I'll give you the $149 lease without insurance) in order to save $88 a month on gas?!

Of course IF you have the option, you go with a more fuel efficient option, but my point is that if that is the vehicle you've got and you've gotta earn some Uber money, you drive the truck even if you lose $88 out of every $800 you earn compared to the Prius driver. Your advise was to spend $600 in order to save the $88 for every $800 you earn. How is that practical advise?!

*TLDR*

Prius Driver *$800* take home a month with great MPG
Truck Driver *$722* take home a month with poor MPG
Smoty Advice Taker *$160* take home a month because he thought leasing $600 a month for a second car was practical advise and still has to pay for the $40 a month in gas for their leased Prius.


----------



## Blackout 702

1rightwinger said:


> Simon, your statemens are incorrect. I know my cost per mile. I'm not losing .20/mile. I drive a ford expedition and get 13mpg. my city is $.75/mile. On Fri night I went out for 2 hours. I drove 52 miles and I was only logged in 1 hr 34 min according to the app. (I was away from home 2 hours but I took about 25 min in between surges to stop and get gas and eat). My payout was $74.30 and I had $5 in tips. my calculations for the entire 2 hours show I made a net profit after my operating cost of approx $37/hr. Looking at it another way, in the 2nd hour of this 2 hr period I made about $55/hr after op expenses due to surges. in the 1st hour I didn't have the surges but just drove anyhow hoping the surge would start a little earlier but the earnings per hour in 1st hour were not that great but still the 2 hr period averaged out to $37/hr. I can usually get these numbers on Fri & Sat night from around 12:30 to 2:30am. So, I can do approx $150/wk by driving 4 hrs. I have come to the conclusion that the rest of the times when it is not surging or close to surging is not really worth it unless I just do some convenience rides where someone is going the same way I am going or if I have an hour to kill and don't want to go home so I may drive at a low rate.
> 
> My argument is that a truck(suv) can be better than a car that gets 25+mpg for certain people like me. So, don't dismiss drivers using trucks or assume that we don't know our operating cost or say that we must have an IQ under 70. I am very happy using my expedition and would rather use it than a car in my circumstances. I'm putting this out there for others that may have an SUV and think that it would not be worthwhile and I am giving you some info on how it can work. and to answer the original question of the post "why are people driving uber in a truck?"
> 
> 1. driving for uber in most cities at the base rate pays too low and I would therefore never own a separate small car for uber. if you do it on limited hours the gas cost is not the main concern. I'm buying gas for arouns $1.8/gal. driving at 13mpg is approx $0.14 per mile. driving let's say at 25mpg is $0.072/mile. in a 5o mile night the difference is $3.40 in gas. If I can make $80 by driving 50 miles (as shown above) trying to save $3.4 in gas is not a big deal. The problem with Uber is that even if I had a prius and got what 35mpg ($0.051/mile) I would still not be driving the slower times where you are not constantly getting requests and not getting any surges. When I work those slow times I can probably only make around $8-$10 per hour and even in a prius it would not add much to it. example: if I drove 25 miles in the hour to earn the $8-$10 in my vehicle it is not much worse than the hourly pay if driving a prius...the difference in gas cost would only be $2.22 so wow I would be making $10.22 to $12.22/hr. Still not worth it. So, I don't own the vehicle to do Uber to try to make a low wage. I use the vehicle that I have to take advantage and drive Uber only when it makes sense and within those scenarios my SUV works great and is profitable.
> 
> 2. Uber only offers X in my city which is kind of dumb I think but still many pax book an uberx thinking they can have 5-7 people in it. that works for me and there have been many times that once I get to talking to them I find out that they sure were glad when they saw I had an expedition because they had already tried to book a ride 3 times but they cancelled when they see it is a small car. some of these are during the surges and several of the larger groups will tip. So, if I had a small car to save $3 - $5 in gas on a given 2-3 hr part time night it could actually cause me to earn less because of possible not getting as good of rides.
> 
> 3. this is my personal vehicle and I need to be able to use it for many things. I can do uber in it and turn a profit and it is also great for many other uses. one Sat morning about a month ago I had it loaded up with my boys and my hunting gear went duck hunting. had a pile of dead ducks in the back. went home, unloaded and few hours later I was hauling hipsters around town for drinks.
> 
> 4. I say a truck should actually be less to maintain and repair than a small car. trucks just last longer. they are built with stronger, beefier parts and materials. a lot more steel. full body construction. in many trucks engine parts like pistons and crankshafts are forged steel and not cast steel. make it more durable & longer lasting. the suspension is much tougher because it is designed to be hauling a 1/2 ton payload. the brakes are much stronger and will be longer lasting because they are designed to have to have more stopping power while hauling a 1/2 ton payload or pulling a 6000 lb trailer. Now most trucks/suv's that people drive in the city are not put to these capacities and that means these parts (brakes, suspension, engine) are not being used at full capacity and they will therefore last much longer than due to being constantly driven at less stressful conditions. most trucks and larger SUV's are full body on frame construction instead of unibody. This makes the body/frame much tougher and durable. and safer in accidents. In summary of this point you will actually spend less on maintenance because all the parts of the truck/suv are tougher and will last a lot longer than car parts. an suv/truck will go a lot longer between brake jobs than a car. the engine and transmission will last a lot longer. I also have a minivan that I use sometimes for uber. it holds 7 passengers plus me and when I load it up with 7 large guys and I hit a bump or pothole it will bottom out. in my SUV that is not a problem due to the tougher suspension. look on craigslist and you will see a lot of suburbans/tahoes/yukon/expedition/f-150, etc with 300,000 miles and still running strong.
> 
> 5. I live in an area where we can have winter/snow 6 or 7 months of the year. if we are getting a blizzard or a lot of snow or the roads are just icy I can almost always get around and a lot of cars will have trouble in the deep snow. people will still need to get to or from the airport or hospital or want to go out to drink or eat. with less drivers on the road this will help cause surge and will help me make more $ in these conditions.
> 
> I did it right and bought a lower priced used SUV with high miles and it runs and handles like it is new and I can haul 7 pax and make a high per hour rate during surge hours. many of you will argue this but my full operating cost including gas at $0.13/mile is $0.20 per mile with my Expedition. I'm accounting for normal maintenance, depreciation, plus gas to get the $.20/mile. This is probably less than a newer car with high mpg that many people buy or lease for uber. you will have higher depreciation and interest, etc. I'm not including insurance or car washes because this is my personal vehicle and I do not incur extra costs on car washes or insurance by driving 4-5 hrs per week.
> 
> sorry for long post but I wanted to answer original question and to point out all the reasons that a truck/suv is not a bad vehicle and can actually be quite good on a part time basis if you can hit some surges/tips. and that the operating cost can be a lot less than people assume if you buy it right. I just wish that the Uber base rate was 2 or 3 times what it is and then I would actually be willing to drive more and make more money at it in the non-surge hours.


You can type ten thousand words explaining in excruciating detail exactly how you are making money doing ride sharing, and some random nutbag will simply reply that he knows better than you what your financial situation is. It's amazing how these mathematical geniuses are all doing the same job as you, and yet every one of them is going broke doing it.


----------



## merkurfan

Combatvetuberrichmond said:


> I'm looking at all y'all's gas mileage and I'm like wow I drive a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI and I average high 30s to 50


Get that with my Golf.. only thing is I don't have german army running behind me demanding I sell it back to them. (its to old)


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## merkurfan

TWO2SEVEN said:


> How many sheets of plywood can you fit in the back? Towing capacity?


More than you think
http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/graphics/lumber.jpg


----------



## SMOTY

steveK2016 said:


> Well that sounds more like an issue with your region and market. Sucks to be yall with your double the price gas costs and if earning $200 is a stretch for you, I also feel bad...
> 
> $149+ insurance sounds awful close to $200 to me...
> 
> But it's still FAR more expensive than taking the hit on the costs of the MPG!
> 
> My 200 mile estimate includes dead miles. Maybe you can round that up to 250 miles. It's difficult to discussing miles and dollars on a per ride basis. It's easier to estimate based on overall earnings. $200 is a solid average, it's far from my good days, but i've had $170 bad days.
> 
> Getting a lease is no where near working smart. Why on god's green earth would you go and spend $600 a month (I'll give you the $149 lease without insurance) in order to save $88 a month on gas?!
> 
> Of course IF you have the option, you go with a more fuel efficient option, but my point is that if that is the vehicle you've got and you've gotta earn some Uber money, you drive the truck even if you lose $88 out of every $800 you earn compared to the Prius driver. Your advise was to spend $600 in order to save the $88 for every $800 you earn. How is that practical advise?!


Look I'm not knocking anybody here. And I'm not justifying our low uber rates here and leasing would be last resort since you insinuated the truck is all he has. But you can definelty finance a nice 2016 Corolla for 300 a month that's what I would recommend. Everyone asks me about uber leasing I say that's a rip off you're gonna have to work you tush off. But if that's last resort why not. It's sounds like you're mad at me? Why. I'm just saying if you're going to do uber be smart about (again I've only said that 100 time now) uber is not what is used to be. When I started over a year even then rates were descent. 2 Years ago I hear they were wonderful! So cmon we can all agree a truck is not the way to go but go ahead do it. I don't care! I'm trying to help here.


----------



## steveK2016

SMOTY said:


> Look I'm not knocking anybody here. And I'm not justifying our low uber rates here and leasing would be last resort since you insinuated the truck is all he has. But you can definelty finance a nice 2016 Corolla for 300 a month that's what I would recommend. Everyone asks me about uber leasing I say that's a rip off you're gonna have to work you tush off. But if that's last resort why not. It's sounds like you're mad at me? Why. I'm just saying if you're going to do uber be smart about (again I've only said that 100 time now) uber is not what is used to be. When I started over a year even then rates were descent. 2 Years ago I hear they were wonderful! So cmon we can all agree a truck is not the way to go but go ahead do it. I don't care! I'm trying to help here.


You're still not getting it.

This is exactly what you said



SMOTY said:


> But just the money you make must be going into gas. *Nothing left*. I know we would like to justify this but you can't I'd tell these guys the the leasing programs


*Nothing left*. That's what you said. You implied that driving a poor MPG truck would leave absolutely nothing for the driver. Then you had the audacity to suggest the leasing program.

You say I couldn't justify driving a truck. I sure as heck did, I did the math and while the math was rounded and simplistic, it's clearly better than *NOTHING LEFT* after paying gas. The net loss per day is $22. That's it. So unless he spends 200 miles in a truck and only nets $22 in earnings, he will come away with some money.

meanwhile we do the math on a lease and talk about *NOTHING LEFT*...

Not every one has the credit score to get a new Corolla for $300 a month. If he leased a truck, chances are, he probably has negative equity on that bad boy. Trading it in may not be possible even with good credit.

The point of the thread is the practicality of driving a truck for Uber. It's not as doom and gloom as people, present company included, has made it out to be. Some have even pointed out that there are many trucks with EcoBoosts of some kind and can get the same MPG as a midsized sedan. Some people, if they only have the option to make a car payment for one vehicle, would rather own a truck than a go cart (Prius, Corolla... etc)


----------



## SMOTY

steveK2016 said:


> Well that sounds more like an issue with your region and market. Sucks to be yall with your double the price gas costs and if earning $200 is a stretch for you, I also feel bad...
> 
> $149+ insurance sounds awful close to $200 to me...
> 
> But it's still FAR more expensive than taking the hit on the costs of the MPG!
> 
> My 200 mile estimate includes dead miles. Maybe you can round that up to 250 miles. It's difficult to discussing miles and dollars on a per ride basis. It's easier to estimate based on overall earnings. $200 is a solid average, it's far from my good days, but i've had $170 bad days.
> 
> Getting a lease is no where near working smart. Why on god's green earth would you go and spend $600 a month (I'll give you the $149 lease without insurance) in order to save $88 a month on gas?!
> 
> Of course IF you have the option, you go with a more fuel efficient option, but my point is that if that is the vehicle you've got and you've gotta earn some Uber money, you drive the truck even if you lose $88 out of every $800 you earn compared to the Prius driver. Your advise was to spend $600 in order to save the $88 for every $800 you earn. How is that practical advise?!
> 
> *TLDR*
> 
> Prius Driver *$800* take home a month with great MPG
> Truck Driver *$722* take home a month with poor MPG
> Smoty Advice Taker *$160* take home a month because he thought leasing $600 a month for a second car was practical advise and still has to pay for the $40 a month in gas for their leased Prius.


Dude your numbers are incredible. How do you conclude to these numbers. I'm pretty sure a Prius driver benefit a lot more than 80$ Anyways like I said work smarter not harder and poor gas mileage will only matter wether you're driving a 2010 compared to a 2016 which definetly get a little more gas mileage. You have to much time arguing a moot point. I got to go make some money on LYFT

p.s that's why a lot of vetetarns drive Prius because they make only 80$ more that a truck driver hahaha


----------



## SMOTY

steveK2016 said:


> You're still not getting it.
> 
> This is exactly what you said
> 
> *Nothing left*. That's what you said. You implied that driving a poor MPG truck would leave absolutely nothing for the driver. Then you had the audacity to suggest the leasing program.
> 
> You say I couldn't justify driving a truck. I sure as heck did, I did the math and while the math was rounded and simplistic, it's clearly better than *NOTHING LEFT* after paying gas. The net loss per day is $22. That's it. So unless he spends 200 miles in a truck and only nets $22 in earnings, he will come away with some money.
> 
> meanwhile we do the math on a lease and talk about *NOTHING LEFT*...
> 
> Not every one has the credit score to get a new Corolla for $300 a month. If he leased a truck, chances are, he probably has negative equity on that bad boy. Trading it in may not be possible even with good credit.
> 
> The point of the thread is the practicality of driving a truck for Uber. It's not as doom and gloom as people, present company included, has made it out to be. Some have even pointed out that there are many trucks with EcoBoosts of some kind and can get the same MPG as a midsized sedan. Some people, if they only have the option to make a car payment for one vehicle, would rather own a truck than a go cart (Prius, Corolla... etc)


You got me OK! Maybe I spoke to soon to say lease a car through uber over financing and might have over exaggerated by saying nothing left. Fine can we get along I don't care go ahead and drive your truck !!!


----------



## steveK2016

SMOTY said:


> Dude your numbers are incredible. How do you conclude to these numbers. I'm pretty sure a Prius driver benefit a lot more than 80$ Anyways like I said work smarter not harder and poor gas mileage will only matter wether you're driving a 2010 compared to a 2016 which definetly get a little more gas mileage. You have to much time arguing a moot point. I got to go make some money on LYFT
> 
> p.s that's why a lot of vetetarns drive Prius because they make only 80$ more that a truck driver hahaha


I showed my math. Using 200 miles driven in a day, at $2.09 a gallon (Atlanta Suburb Prices) a Prius will spend $10 to drive those 200 miles. The truck will spend $32. Sure, that's a pretty sizable chunk, but that sure isn't NOTHING LEFT... if both Prius and Truck earn $200 while driving 200 miles, then the Prius edges the truck by $22 per day. If you drive 4 days a week, that's $88 a month. Sure, if you drive more, you'll save more... 8 days a week? You save $176. Pretty nice, I wouldn't mind saving that much... but the driver of the truck will still earn $1424!

Of course we know this isn't accounting for any other expense, but the point of this thread was the difference in MPG making the truck impractical to drive.

Sure, maybe some Prius can get more than 40mpg, maybe up to 50, but that doesn't make the truck driver suddenly go broke. It just means the Prius driver will just earn more in comparative.



SMOTY said:


> You got me OK! Maybe I spoke to soon to say lease a car through uber over financing and might have over exaggerated by saying nothing left. Fine can we get along I don't care go ahead and drive your truck !!!


I don't drive a truck. Lol.


----------



## 1rightwinger

Simon said:


> Except truck tires are more expensive truck brakes are more expensive and I am also guessing your not factoring depreciation of the vehicle or taxes or insurance.
> 
> For most sedans that comes to .30 per mile more for a truck with fewer mpg. So if you drove 5 miles for Uber you only profit .15 per mile on that sedan (5x2(dead miles)=10miles)
> 
> I have been doing this for quite some time now (shut it off because Uber will not let me go XL only plus opened a shop here in town) so I think I know what I am saying.
> 
> Very few truck models (car models for that matter) allow profit to get to the 50% marker any business should be striving for at a .75 per mile rate.
> 
> The bottom rate per mile is $1.25 to make this gig worth it. Otherwise your just making pennies and destroying your car while your at it. It would be better to commute to walmart, you would profit more.
> 
> But hey don't let my facts get in the way of your delusion of owning your own cab company.


Simon, you are wrong again. I said in my detailed analysis that I am making profit driving limited hours during surge with and SUV getting 13mpg. I know my operating cost and I am using conservative calculation and it is $.2/mile including gas, basic repairs, maintenance and yes tires too. how am I destroying my car as you say? what is different than me going out and driving 50 miles to haul a few people around town in a two hour night? how is that destroying my car more than when I put on 50 miles running my kids to and from school and to and from hockey practice or whatever in a couple days? it is the same type of driving. no, I am not destroying my car.

hey, I don't have any delusions about owning a cab company. I just drive when it pays well and I can make money. your facts are assumptions. my facts can be proven. and so far someone did request my screenshot showing approx $75 payout in 2 hours and I provided that. and I can show my operating cost too as I have it detailed out. I do include cost of truck tires. I said this stuff in my earlier post. No I don't include insurance because I don't need special insurance. my policy is the same that I have anyhow for using it as a personal vehicle.

Simon, what do you drive and what is your operating cost including gas and depreciation and maintenance? how do you calculate your operating cost?


----------



## Blackout 702

OP: Why are people doing Uber in a truck?
People who Uber in a truck: Because we make money doing it, thanks.
Everyone else: Words! Math! You are wrong! You are going broke!
People who Uber in a truck: Um kay, thanks.
Everyone else: But I still want to argue!


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## SMOTY

I don't drive a truck. Lol. [/QUOTE]

Pretty much my point!


----------



## Simon

1rightwinger said:


> the post asked why do people drive a truck for uber? all my posts from the beginning have stated basically that I drive a truck limited hours and that I can make a good profit with it. I am answering the question of the original post and providing good information to people who want to know the answer to that question.


Just so long as you know your trading your trucks value for Penny's on the dollar. If you like it and are comfortable taking the equity out now then by all means it's your truck go for it. But if you want reality ... Quote me and I will teach you the real costs.


----------



## Simon

steveK2016 said:


> So your solution to not using the one and only vehicle they have, a truck that they're probably already making payments, is to lease a car at $200 a week.
> 
> Car payment and insurance is a constant, whether they Uber or not. Even if they get 13mpg on average, I only get 20mpg average in my CTS. Sure, it's not as great as a Prius at 40mpg, but how much are you actually saving (or spending) at any given time? Sure, it adds up but does it really add up so much that you actually believe leasing a car for Uber at $200 a week is more practical?
> 
> I've pushed 200 miles in a full day. In Atlanta, I can get gas for $2.09 a gallon. A prius can hold 12 gallons (rounded) so a full tank will cost them $25.05 and can reach 480 miles. The truck, at 13mpg, will do 156 miles with 12 gallons. The prius will spent $0.05 a mile, costing $10 in gas for that 200 mile day. The truck will spend $0.16 a mile and would have spent $32 in gas.
> 
> If both can earn $200 that day, which I believe is reasonable in the Atlanta market on a friday or saturday, then the truck driver isn't blowing wads of money out of his window. Ok, so he's short $22 over the prius driver, but the notion that the truck will blow a NEGATIVE because of such a huge difference in MPG is ridiculous.
> 
> And yet your solution for the $88 a month he'll be losing driving a low MPG vehicle is to spend $800 a month on an Uber Lease program...
> 
> I'm spending $40 a month extra per month in gas compared to a Prius driver that drives the same amount of time I would. I'll gladly pay that extra in order to drive a nice car, and for what it's worth, I really really love my car...


It's not JUST gas that is the cost .. tires for trucks are freaking expensive, engine repairs on trucks are expensive. Brakes are expensive on trucks. And btw you always factor ALL of your expenses regardless if it's a constant or not.


----------



## Simon

1rightwinger said:


> Simon, you are wrong again. I said in my detailed analysis that I am making profit driving limited hours during surge with and SUV getting 13mpg. I know my operating cost and I am using conservative calculation and it is $.2/mile including gas, basic repairs, maintenance and yes tires too. how am I destroying my car as you say? what is different than me going out and driving 50 miles to haul a few people around town in a two hour night? how is that destroying my car more than when I put on 50 miles running my kids to and from school and to and from hockey practice or whatever in a couple days? it is the same type of driving. no, I am not destroying my car.
> 
> hey, I don't have any delusions about owning a cab company. I just drive when it pays well and I can make money. your facts are assumptions. my facts can be proven. and so far someone did request my screenshot showing approx $75 payout in 2 hours and I provided that. and I can show my operating cost too as I have it detailed out. I do include cost of truck tires. I said this stuff in my earlier post. No I don't include insurance because I don't need special insurance. my policy is the same that I have anyhow for using it as a personal vehicle.
> 
> Simon, what do you drive and what is your operating cost including gas and depreciation and maintenance? how do you calculate your operating cost?


My costs are .32 per mile.. ( I don't drive anymore due to the rate drop to $1 per mile) 2016 Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD. I did not buy it for Uber..

To calculate your cost per mile go to www.artofbeingcheap.com/calculator

And I am speaking about trucks not SUVs


----------



## 1rightwinger

Shangsta said:


> This is factually incorrect. It is better because its the car you already have but no in terms of profit on uber X the best car is always the one that gets better gas mileage. Your car may get 13 mpg "officially" but with all the starts and stops of Uber and city driving you are probably under that.
> 
> You hauling 7 pax in an X means you make no more money than someone who picks up 1 person. You are however putting a lot of weight in your car. I am not saying you dont make any money but you are definitely behind the eight ball of people in your market with fuel efficient vehicles.
> 
> An expedition like yours will likely have costlier maintenance than most other cars.


No. I actually bought this SUV in July and paid cash. The cost is less than you think. It qualifies for uberx and my intent was to drive it part time for uberx. I also need/want that type of vehicle so I can go hunting, ice fishing, and haul my kids around to hockey games. so, need the room and the functionality. I could have bought a sedan that got better mileage but I know I can make money driving part time hitting the surges. My main point is that people do not need to spend a lot on a car to drive uber. buy used, quality, high mileage low cost vehicle that works for you. everybody on this forum is an expert as to what my costs and situations are even though they do not know that and have not asked the right questions they just throw out criticism and negativity.

the 13 mpg is not "official" it is "actual" I log every tank and my average over 5 months is 13.2mpg driving mostly in town. on road trips I get 17mpg.

my point about being able to haul 7 pax is not that that ride pays more but I can get more rides. example: last wed night I went out to drive a bit. I got a ping. immediately I get a text and it says "how many people can you fit?" I reply "7". "we are at holiday inn". I pick them up and it turned out to be only 4 cause 2 of them decide to not go at last minute. they go on to tell me "we booked 3 times and canceled because we got a small car". so, had I been driving a small car I would not have had that ride. and it was a wed nt which can be slow. turns out they wanted to go to a bar with a band that was about 5 min away. and it is about 5 min away from my house. they told me in an hour they wanted to go to the strip club downtown in an hour or so. I gave my number. an hour later they call and I go pick them up. they booked the ride and off we went. oh yeah, after the 1st ride they all pitched in and I got about $8 in tips. plus the $5 fare. after the 2nd ride they gave me about $15 in tips and a $7 fare. they said at closing time they would want to go back to hotel. that was in 1.5 hrs. I stayed downtown and did a few other rides earning $15 in fare. then went to the strip club, called them, waited a few min til they were done with their lap dances and then I gave them ride to hotel. another $7 and another $15 in tips. so, with their fares and tips and the $15 I earned while I was waiting in the area I earned $72. this was over about 3 hrs so not great money but OK money.... and cash is king....in other words the tips are better than fare because of no uber fee. this is one example of several. point being that because I have a larger vehicle it worked out.

And putting the weight of 7 people in my SUV is not hurting it and the extra "wear" is negligible. It is designed to haul more than 1/2 ton payload anyhow. the parts are made for that. if you stuff 6 or 7 people in a car that is going to stress the vehicle as it is not designed for that. I can't tell you how many times I am sitting outside a bar to pickup and I watch someone driving a ford taurus or chevy caprice or dodge charger and the I watch 5 to 6 people stuff into it and the driver allows it. those cars are under braked and the suspension is not designed for that kind of load in a sedan.

No I am not behind the 8 ball compared to people with fuel efficient vehicles because they may have paid a lot more for their vehicle. and if they bought newer they will have more depreciation. In fact I am probably doing better than them due to my operating cost because I bought right.


----------



## Driving and Driven




----------



## SMOTY

1rightwinger said:


> Simon, you are wrong again. I said in my detailed analysis that I am making profit driving limited hours during surge with and SUV getting 13mpg. I know my operating cost and I am using conservative calculation and it is $.2/mile including gas, basic repairs, maintenance and yes tires too. how am I destroying my car as you say? what is different than me going out and driving 50 miles to haul a few people around town in a two hour night? how is that destroying my car more than when I put on 50 miles running my kids to and from school and to and from hockey practice or whatever in a couple days? it is the same type of driving. no, I am not destroying my car.
> 
> hey, I don't have any delusions about owning a cab company. I just drive when it pays well and I can make money. your facts are assumptions. my facts can be proven. and so far someone did request my screenshot showing approx $75 payout in 2 hours and I provided that. and I can show my operating cost too as I have it detailed out. I do include cost of truck tires. I said this stuff in my earlier post. No I don't include insurance because I don't need special insurance. my policy is the same that I have anyhow for using it as a personal vehicle.
> 
> Simon, what do you drive and what is your operating cost including gas and depreciation and maintenance? how do you calculate your operating cost?


You are the exception since you're doing this for fun! You can't always have great nights with two rides non surge. It's good that you're working smart but you can only get so many surge rides. So I'm assuming if you only work for surge rides your goal is not to make more than 200 right. Cuz even with surge people aren't always going to far so even if you get a 4x surge but there are only going 5-10 miles by the time you get back to surge area it's gone and that was it! But I'm not knocking but don't for people who drive full time with a truck that it makes sense. But props to you for making some money for fun!!


----------



## 1rightwinger

Simon said:


> My costs are .32 per mile.. ( I don't drive anymore due to the rate drop to $1 per mile) 2016 Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD. I did not buy it for Uber..
> 
> To calculate your cost per mile go to www.artofbeingcheap.com/calculator
> 
> And I am speaking about trucks not SUVs


OK, now we are getting somewhere. I used that calculator and I had to estimate the annual cost because I did a different calc but I made it similar and this calculator shows my operating cost to be about $0.202 per mile. my detailed estimate that I had done I came up with about $0.197 actually. I did not put in a number for insurance or prop tax because these are something I pay anyhow to own my vehicle and even if I don't drive for uber I still pay for insurance and prop tax. my calculation I am trying to approximate the extra cost per mile that I drive for uber. So, need to know how much per mile tires cost, oil change, fluid changes, etc. And depreciation which is very low on a used vehicle with higher miles. I bought my Expedition for $5,000. paid cash. It had 165,000 miles on it. I get a lot of compliments on it. great deal. I have no interest and no payments. it is a 2006 expedition. I look on edmunds.com. and put in the details. then I do the calc again on edmunds and put in an extra 100000 miles and the value of the vehicle per Edmunds which is a pretty reliable source for vehicle prices shows the value goes down by about $60. so there you have it depreciation of less than 1/10th of a penny per mile. sounds low but I have reality checked this by watching what similar vehicles sell for with that many miles. you may say that the high miles means it is not going to last or need a lot of repairs....this is arguable but I am staying positive on this because I have taken many vehicles to 300,000 miles without issue and without major repairs. and this SUV runs and drives and handles like it is new. I am confidant I won't have major repairs. Tires are expensive you say...my tire cost is $0.014 per mile and that is conservative ($700/50,000 miles). I recently bought 60,000 mile tires for under $700.

Item cost per miles cost/mile source
gas $1.80 13 0.138 current market cost
oil change (7qts synth blend) $45 3000 0.015 current market cost
transmission flush $120 100000 0.001 current market cost
brake flush $120 100000 0.001 current market cost
tires $700 50000 0.014 current market cost
new brakes $350 70000 0.005 cost of parts, do it yourself
misc, battery, altenator, water pump, etc $500 150000 0.003 cost of parts, do it yourself
other major items (esimated, generous) $4,000 200000 0.020 this is a guessing game, may not even need this.
Depreciation $55 100000 0.001 source: edmunds.com
total vehicle operating cost $0.1987


----------



## merkurfan

You'll never get 50K out of a set of tires on a light truck. having put over 1,000,000 miles on verious fords and chevy's in the city. 25-35K is about it. even for a good set of michelins.


----------



## Simon

1rightwinger said:


> OK, now we are getting somewhere. I used that calculator and I had to estimate the annual cost because I did a different calc but I made it similar and this calculator shows my operating cost to be about $0.202 per mile. my detailed estimate that I had done I came up with about $0.197 actually. I did not put in a number for insurance or prop tax because these are something I pay anyhow to own my vehicle and even if I don't drive for uber I still pay for insurance and prop tax. my calculation I am trying to approximate the extra cost per mile that I drive for uber. So, need to know how much per mile tires cost, oil change, fluid changes, etc. And depreciation which is very low on a used vehicle with higher miles. I bought my Expedition for $5,000. paid cash. It had 165,000 miles on it. I get a lot of compliments on it. great deal. I have no interest and no payments. it is a 2006 expedition. I look on edmunds.com. and put in the details. then I do the calc again on edmunds and put in an extra 100000 miles and the value of the vehicle per Edmunds which is a pretty reliable source for vehicle prices shows the value goes down by about $60. so there you have it depreciation of less than 1/10th of a penny per mile. sounds low but I have reality checked this by watching what similar vehicles sell for with that many miles. you may say that the high miles means it is not going to last or need a lot of repairs....this is arguable but I am staying positive on this because I have taken many vehicles to 300,000 miles without issue and without major repairs. and this SUV runs and drives and handles like it is new. I am confidant I won't have major repairs. Tires are expensive you say...my tire cost is $0.014 per mile and that is conservative ($700/50,000 miles). I recently bought 60,000 mile tires for under $700.
> 
> Item cost per miles cost/mile source
> gas $1.80 13 0.138 current market cost
> oil change (7qts synth blend) $45 3000 0.015 current market cost
> transmission flush $120 100000 0.001 current market cost
> brake flush $120 100000 0.001 current market cost
> tires $700 50000 0.014 current market cost
> new brakes $350 70000 0.005 cost of parts, do it yourself
> misc, battery, altenator, water pump, etc $500 150000 0.003 cost of parts, do it yourself
> other major items (esimated, generous) $4,000 200000 0.020 this is a guessing game, may not even need this.
> Depreciation $55 100000 0.001 source: edmunds.com
> total vehicle operating cost $0.1987


Just be sure to count your dead miles in your cost figures. Also I disagree on tax and insurance.


----------



## 1rightwinger

yes, I do count my dead miles in all my calculations. In my earlier post where I showed $74.80 payout in 2 hours and 52 miles driven the 52 miles includes all miles driving including dead. 

I do not pay anything extra for vehicle tax and insurance by driving for uber. I have an insurance policy on my vehicle and I have the exact same policy now as I did when I did not drive for Uber. nothing has changed. have had the policy for years and I will always have it if I own the vehicle. regarding taxes you earlier said "property" tax and that is very low here and same thing - I have it anyhow because I own the vehicle. It is not an extra vehicle that I bought just to uber in. therefore these two costs do not add to my operating expense. IF I purchased an extra vehicle just to driver Uber with then yes you would have to count your new insurance policy and your property tax because those would be added expenses that you incurred.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

SMOTY said:


> if you read as good as you correct one.





SMOTY said:


> I don't have to read all you wrote QUOTE]
> 
> So you are going to refute a post without even reading it? Sounds credible..


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Blackout 702 said:


> You can type ten thousand words explaining in excruciating detail exactly how you are making money doing ride sharing, and some random nutbag will simply reply that he knows better than you what your financial situation is. It's amazing how these mathematical geniuses are all doing the same job as you, and yet every one of them is going broke doing it.


YES! It is also amazing to me how many people here are concerned with how others do this job. People complain that there are too many drivers in their market and then also complain that people are doing it "wrong". If you want fewer drivers in your market, then let people do it "wrong" and quit.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Simon said:


> It's not JUST gas that is the cost .. tires for trucks are freaking expensive, engine repairs on trucks are expensive. Brakes are expensive on trucks. And btw you always factor ALL of your expenses regardless if it's a constant or not.


Can you please show me the most recent quotes you have obtained for truck maintenance?

Unless you have a truck and have priced these items out you are just speaking in generalities. Are there more expensive tires on the market that will fit a truck? Yes. Are there also super expensive tires that will fit a luxury sedan? Yes. However, that does not mean those have to be put on either vehicle.

I drive a stock, two wheel drive truck. I use it on something other than pavement maybe three times a year. Therefore, I am not out buying expensive offroad tires. The tires I put on my Mustang a few years back are more expensive than a standard replacement set on my truck.


----------



## Grahamcracker

TWO2SEVEN said:


> I am tempted to Uber in my truck. With the EcoBoost engine I can average 20mpg. However, using my wife's Kia that gets 33 mpg and only costs $15 to fill up is a better choice.


There's this guy 3 doors down from me who drives this f150 Raptor for Lyft/Uber. Talking to him, it sounds like he sits around for a while waiting for people trying to go into town.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Michael Proffitt said:


> There's this guy 3 doors down from me who drives this f150 Raptor for Lyft/Uber. Talking to him, it sounds like he sits around for a while waiting for people trying to go into town.


If I had a Raptor I would want to be driving it as much as possible.


----------



## steveK2016

Simon said:


> My costs are .32 per mile.. ( I don't drive anymore due to the rate drop to $1 per mile) 2016 Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD. I did not buy it for Uber..
> 
> To calculate your cost per mile go to www.artofbeingcheap.com/calculator
> 
> And I am speaking about trucks not SUVs


I used the calculator but removed interest rates and insurance, as both of those things I'd be paying without Uber, so those are not the costs of driving Uber.

My costs calculated were $0.156 a mile.

That's an expensive Kia ya got there Simon...


----------



## Grahamcracker

TWO2SEVEN said:


> If I had a Raptor I would want to be driving it as much as possible.


Lol, right. custom paint job as well. Looks good. Could you imagine ordering an Uber and this thing rolls up. lmao


----------



## Max Weber

There was a guy with a brand new Ford raptor doing lyft in sf but I haven't seen him around for about a year now. think he called it quits! I think some people are just doing it for fun.


----------



## merkurfan

Max Weber said:


> There was a guy with a brand new Ford raptor doing lyft in sf but I haven't seen him around for about a year now. think he called it quits! I think some people are just doing it for fun.


well it sure ain't to get rich.


----------



## Peanut hello

Max Weber said:


> There was a guy with a brand new Ford raptor doing lyft in sf but I haven't seen him around for about a year now. think he called it quits! I think some people are just doing it for fun.


Voluptuous truck for rideshare? he wont last long, with alot of short runs , he wont make it.


----------



## Matty760

AS the first person to drive a truck for Uber I can say it was about time when they finally had the option to add a truck. Due to events from my prior Job I started driving Lyft with my 2014 RAM 1500 crew cab so I can bring in some money while I looked for a new job. I was surprised to see that Uber didnt want any trucks at all on the platform reason being that its a truck and its not a car that can carry passengers.. after many emails and one uber recruiter that finally talked to corporate, I had my Truck added manually into the system here in the Palm Springs area. So not only was I the first truck driver for Lyft in my area but also the first truck driver for Uber in general. Unfortunately it was right after Coachella festival that I got my truck on Uber, but at least I was able to drive with lyft and made a killing! I got so many tips since I was a truck with lots of room! But may 2015 is when I was finally added to Uber with my truck. I now see many others that have followed in my tire tracks and are using trucks now as well. I only drove if the rate was no lower than $1.40 a mile and mostly drive when it was surging. NYE i made over $1,000 for only 4 hours driving and using half a tank of gas. So those who use trucks to drive should already know to only drive while it surges... Ive now moved on from the truck and got me a Dodge Durango and can now do XL rides which is awesome! I miss the truck but I do a bit better in the DD (Dodge Durango). Im happy though to have started the truck platform on Uber! I just kept tweeting them and emailing them saying hey look at my crew cab truck... I can carry 4 passengers as well and have more room so why not approve me!


----------



## Taurus1980Baby

I saw a truck with uber decals here in San Diego too a few days ago. It was 4 door with a covered back.


----------



## Dback2004

I have my truck - 2014 Sierra 1/4 ton 4x4 on my Uber account. I rarely use it, use my cheap Corolla most of the time for obvious reasons. There are 2 advantages to having the truck on the account:
1) Iowa (farming state) gives registration discounts for "business-use" trucks
2) During snowstorms when most of the drivers all stay home and it's surging through the roof I can take the 4-wheel drive out and make decent fares


----------



## Simon

TWO2SEVEN said:


> Can you please show me the most recent quotes you have obtained for truck maintenance?
> 
> Unless you have a truck and have priced these items out you are just speaking in generalities. Are there more expensive tires on the market that will fit a truck? Yes. Are there also super expensive tires that will fit a luxury sedan? Yes. However, that does not mean those have to be put on either vehicle.
> 
> I drive a stock, two wheel drive truck. I use it on something other than pavement maybe three times a year. Therefore, I am not out buying expensive offroad tires. The tires I put on my Mustang a few years back are more expensive than a standard replacement set on my truck.


Standard truck tires are more expensive than standard car tires. Get real with your numbers and you will eliminate the disappointment when the Uber Honeymoon period ends. (Takes longer for some)


----------



## Simon

steveK2016 said:


> I used the calculator but removed interest rates and insurance, as both of those things I'd be paying without Uber, so those are not the costs of driving Uber.
> 
> My costs calculated were $0.156 a mile.
> 
> That's an expensive Kia ya got there Simon...


I add them anyway (insurance and taxes) but if your part time I guess you can omit them. But if your full time then it must be added.


----------



## Simon

steveK2016 said:


> I used the calculator but removed interest rates and insurance, as both of those things I'd be paying without Uber, so those are not the costs of driving Uber.
> 
> My costs calculated were $0.156 a mile.
> 
> That's an expensive Kia ya got there Simon...


Also mark down your miles when you start then when your done. Multiply that by your .15 that will be your cost for the night. Subtract that from your after Uber fee take for the night. That is your profit. If you want to divide that by hours worked. ( This is a profit based business so really you should not look at it as an hourly pay)


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Simon said:


> Standard truck tires are more expensive than standard car tires. Get real with your numbers and you will eliminate the disappointment when the Uber Honeymoon period ends. (Takes longer for some)


Please post the quotes you have obtained for the maintenance costs for comparison.


----------



## Disgruntled

Wow, this truck argument is still going? As someone already showed, there isn't much difference between a truck and a Prius in your final net. People are driving trucks because that's all they have or that is what they want to use. There are far better, easier and more obvious ways to show how bad a deal Uber is for ALL drivers as even the Prius driver is getting screwed.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

There seem to be a lot of people here that are really anxious to tell others how to do this "job", doesn't make sense to me. I don't see how people driving trucks affects those who don't.


----------



## Simon

TWO2SEVEN said:


> There seem to be a lot of people here that are really anxious to tell others how to do this "job", doesn't make sense to me. I don't see how people driving trucks affects those who don't.


The overall cost of operating a large truck costs more than a passenger vehicle

If you can't take other people chiming in on your actions, you should not post in public forums.

Uber is extremely hard to profit from as it is. To increase operating costs by using some giant diesal truck or some big v8 4 door truck is not profitable in most markets.

.75 per mile is an extremely low per mile rate considering all the miles put on your vehicle from start to finish.

Using a Honda Accord 4 cylinder from 2005 the cost is about .21 per mile. If I drive 10 miles total go get pax, pax in, pax goes 5 miles

Operating cost for that trip is $2.10
Gross take is $3.75 + .50 for time is $4.25
Minus 25% gives you $3.18
$3.18 - $2.10 is $1.08 profit for about 15 minutes of your time worse if the pax does the take me to McDonald's across the street. 
You made $1 in 15 minutes. That's all..

Now add the extra costs of truck tires and brakes. More expensive oil changes etc. You might come away with $.80 for that trip.

I'm not saying the profit cannot be had with a truck. But the amount of work to achieve that profit is most likely not worth it. Especially considering the pax see you as half human and disrespect your car by vomiting or pooping in your car.

Now if your one of those water candy and amenities drivers the math just gets worse.

Now after the above.. you still think your cool. Let me hand you back your rose colored glasses and I wish you good luck.

In the end I am just trying to help you profit more by utilizing surge pricing and not accepting pings for than a couple miles away.

I have been doing this for a while.. I lost money.. if it was not for XL in my area weSUV guys would not have a prayer.

Good luck.. take it or not but I do hope you do well with this gig.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Simon said:


> The overall cost of operating a large truck costs more than a passenger vehicle
> 
> If you can't take other people chiming in on your actions, you should not post in public forums.
> 
> Uber is extremely hard to profit from as it is. To increase operating costs by using some giant diesal truck or some big v8 4 door truck is not profitable in most markets.
> 
> .75 per mile is an extremely low per mile rate considering all the miles put on your vehicle from start to finish.
> 
> Using a Honda Accord 4 cylinder from 2005 the cost is about .21 per mile. If I drive 10 miles total go get pax, pax in, pax goes 5 miles
> 
> Operating cost for that trip is $2.10
> Gross take is $3.75 + .50 for time is $4.25
> Minus 25% gives you $3.18
> $3.18 - $2.10 is $1.08 profit for about 15 minutes of your time worse if the pax does the take me to McDonald's across the street.
> You made $1 in 15 minutes. That's all..
> 
> Now add the extra costs of truck tires and brakes. More expensive oil changes etc. You might come away with $.80 for that trip.
> 
> I'm not saying the profit cannot be had with a truck. But the amount of work to achieve that profit is most likely not worth it. Especially considering the pax see you as half human and disrespect your car by vomiting or pooping in your car.
> 
> Now if your one of those water candy and amenities drivers the math just gets worse.
> 
> Now after the above.. you still think your cool. Let me hand you back your rose colored glasses and I wish you good luck.
> 
> In the end I am just trying to help you profit more by utilizing surge pricing and not accepting pings for than a couple miles away.
> 
> I have been doing this for a while.. I lost money.. if it was not for XL in my area weSUV guys would not have a prayer.
> 
> Good luck.. take it or not but I do hope you do well with this gig.


Agree to disagree.

Have a good weekend Simon!


----------



## Navy Vet

What is wrong! This guy can use anything that he wants. Surprised you all are so worried if he's making money! Alot of trucks are nicer interior than some of the crap I have seen with a Uber sticker on them! And guys that say they are not making money why don't you quit!1
,


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Had a long conversation with a pax last night (20 mile trip in rush hour) about how much he liked my truck. The woman with him said a lot of her co workers complain about being picked up in "crappy little cars".

That being said, I also use a smaller car from time to time, nothing wrong with that either.


----------



## Mark Johnson

TWO2SEVEN said:


> Had a long conversation with a pax last night (20 mile trip in rush hour) about how much he liked my truck. *The woman with him said a lot of her co workers complain about being picked up in "crappy little cars".*


And I would have responded with, "Well, when you pay drivers crappy little rates, you get crappy little cars."

Entitled b***

If her coworkers don't like these "crappy" cars, they can always request an UberSelect or UberSUV.

Oh no? Why am I not surprised. Everybody wants to pay McDonalds prices for a steak.


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Mark Johnson said:


> And I would have responded with, "Well, when you pay drivers crappy little rates, you get crappy little cars."
> 
> Entitled b***
> 
> If her coworkers don't like these "crappy" cars, they can always request an UberSelect or UberSUV.
> 
> Oh no? Why am I not surprised. Everybody wants to pay McDonalds prices for a steak.


She was nice, to me at least. It was her first time in an Uber so she was asking a lot of questions. The ride ended with $10 tip, so she is ok in my book.


----------



## Mark Johnson

TWO2SEVEN said:


> She was nice, to me at least. It was her first time in an Uber so she was asking a lot of questions. The ride ended with $10 tip, so she is ok in my book.


Good for you.

Although I drive a car pax compliment because they are used to smaller ones, I can't blame others using Honda Fits at our BS rates...


----------



## Blackout 702

Mark Johnson said:


> Everybody wants to pay McDonalds prices for a steak.


I thought it was McDonalds and Red Lobster. Can we please get this settled?


----------



## TWO2SEVEN

Mark Johnson said:


> Good for you. Although I often driver the car ppl compliment because they are used to smaller ones, I can't blame others using Honda Fits at our BS rates...


Like I said, I also have a small Kia that I use. Nothing wrong with using smaller cars. I just enjoy driving my truck more.


----------



## Mark Johnson

Blackout 702 said:


> I thought it was McDonalds and Red Lobster. Can we please get this settled?


Either one works for me. The message is the same.


----------



## Matty760

PEOPLE! stop over analyzing it... as a former own of a truck I drove with Uber, I only drove when the fare was worth it, like during surge times and before the rates were lower. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, us truck owners know its costs more in gas, so we drive when fares cost more for passengers to make it worth while in driving the truck. I made a very decent profit once I knew when to drive...and where


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## fltdek

I use my 2011 F150 Lariat (2WD) and yes the thought of it sounds crazy. I average around 12 -15MPG depending. Unfortunately for me, I'm out of work as a self employed, due to breaking my ankle and leg 6mos ago. Uber seemed to be an alternative to repossession. Sure, the pay sucks, some passengers have no respect, in which I have no tolerance, but mainly what I hear from riders is this is my first time in an Uber truck, tons of compliments, enough room in the back for an air mattress.......and still rarely a tip. What kills me besides the low pay (in which I admit, its my fault, my decision to Uber) I rarely have a bad ride, but why my rating is lingering around 4.84 - 4.86?? College kids! Thank god its temporary!!


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## Norcouber

Mark Johnson said:


> I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.
> 
> Last I checked, you can't get a truck via the Xchange leasing program. So this has to be their personal vehicle. And I wouldn't think such a vehicle qualifies for Uber Select.
> 
> So I wonder, do ya'll have Uber drivers in your cities that drive TRUCKS? Is this normal?


Last time saw a Dodge Truck @ USC


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## me2

They may be using it only during high surge times. I use a ford Focus to uber full time. But my husband uber during his down time occasionally. Every once in a while it is very profitable for both of us to drive. So we also registered our Ford Edge it dose not get great mileage but when uber is surging to 3-5 all day do to an event or holiday it still makes a good profit for both of us to be out.


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## deadeye

jfinks said:


> At current gas prices it costs about $.10 a gallon at 20mpg or so. You are not losing money in the short term even driving at 15MPG. It will catch up with you long term... But anyone can trade 1000 miles on their vehicle a for around $800 cash from time to time and not get hurt.


This is exactly why I do it. I just need to top off my salary and it beats any other part-time job for total flexibility.


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## TWO2SEVEN

fltdek said:


> I use my 2011 F150 Lariat (2WD) and yes the thought of it sounds crazy. I average around 12 -15MPG depending. Unfortunately for me, I'm out of work as a self employed, due to breaking my ankle and leg 6mos ago. Uber seemed to be an alternative to repossession. Sure, the pay sucks, some passengers have no respect, in which I have no tolerance, but mainly what I hear from riders is this is my first time in an Uber truck, tons of compliments, enough room in the back for an air mattress.......and still rarely a tip. What kills me besides the low pay (in which I admit, its my fault, my decision to Uber) I rarely have a bad ride, but why my rating is lingering around 4.84 - 4.86?? College kids! Thank god its temporary!!


I have been getting a lot of compliments on the truck as well. Another point is, I like driving my truck, why not make some money doing it?


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## LuisEnrikee

I'll take my 35mpg Mazda 3 any time


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## 8figgas

They do it because they want to, STOP POCKET WATCHING and do you, only you!


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## TWO2SEVEN

LuisEnrikee said:


> I'll take my 35mpg Mazda 3 any time


Those are good looking cars 

Sedan or hatchback?


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## RedoBeach

jeep45238 said:


> Interesting. My buddy's ecoboost f150 4x4 won't get better than 14mpg on the highway. Around this hilly college town he gets 11-12.
> 
> The only guy doing Uber in a truck around here has the same truck that my friend has. I have no idea how he thinks he's making money since it rarely surges and all rides are the minimum fare.


I love your dog. That is all, carry on.


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## RedoBeach

I feel for anyone driving for $.48/ mile & no idea how anyone would make that work & not develop a plan to murder Uber when having to deal w/ support. 

But good for you for holding it together & making it work. Check back in with us in 6 mos please & tell us more. 

Ps. My ex used to have a an F150 double cab Diesel with the long bed and that thing got better gas mileage than my car. (22/25 mpg I think). Plus, it was super comfy. Seems strange that we used to take that thing on road trips, but it was awesome.


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## RedoBeach

Reversoul said:


> Uber truck is the new thing. For $2 added to each fare, all you have to do is pack the bed of the truck with illegal immigrants and sneak across the border.
> 
> "Don't worry, we'll pay any fines if you encounter issues with law enforcement, just like at the airport"


You mean they won't pay any of your fines. They'll just tell you it's ok.


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## RedoBeach

1rightwinger said:


> Simon, your statemens are incorrect. I know my cost per mile. I'm not losing .20/mile. I drive a ford expedition and get 13mpg. my city is $.75/mile. On Fri night I went out for 2 hours. I drove 52 miles and I was only logged in 1 hr 34 min according to the app. (I was away from home 2 hours but I took about 25 min in between surges to stop and get gas and eat). My payout was $74.30 and I had $5 in tips. my calculations for the entire 2 hours show I made a net profit after my operating cost of approx $37/hr. Looking at it another way, in the 2nd hour of this 2 hr period I made about $55/hr after op expenses due to surges. in the 1st hour I didn't have the surges but just drove anyhow hoping the surge would start a little earlier but the earnings per hour in 1st hour were not that great but still the 2 hr period averaged out to $37/hr. I can usually get these numbers on Fri & Sat night from around 12:30 to 2:30am. So, I can do approx $150/wk by driving 4 hrs. I have come to the conclusion that the rest of the times when it is not surging or close to surging is not really worth it unless I just do some convenience rides where someone is going the same way I am going or if I have an hour to kill and don't want to go home so I may drive at a low rate.
> 
> My argument is that a truck(suv) can be better than a car that gets 25+mpg for certain people like me. So, don't dismiss drivers using trucks or assume that we don't know our operating cost or say that we must have an IQ under 70. I am very happy using my expedition and would rather use it than a car in my circumstances. I'm putting this out there for others that may have an SUV and think that it would not be worthwhile and I am giving you some info on how it can work. and to answer the original question of the post "why are people driving uber in a truck?"
> 
> 1. driving for uber in most cities at the base rate pays too low and I would therefore never own a separate small car for uber. if you do it on limited hours the gas cost is not the main concern. I'm buying gas for arouns $1.8/gal. driving at 13mpg is approx $0.14 per mile. driving let's say at 25mpg is $0.072/mile. in a 5o mile night the difference is $3.40 in gas. If I can make $80 by driving 50 miles (as shown above) trying to save $3.4 in gas is not a big deal. The problem with Uber is that even if I had a prius and got what 35mpg ($0.051/mile) I would still not be driving the slower times where you are not constantly getting requests and not getting any surges. When I work those slow times I can probably only make around $8-$10 per hour and even in a prius it would not add much to it. example: if I drove 25 miles in the hour to earn the $8-$10 in my vehicle it is not much worse than the hourly pay if driving a prius...the difference in gas cost would only be $2.22 so wow I would be making $10.22 to $12.22/hr. Still not worth it. So, I don't own the vehicle to do Uber to try to make a low wage. I use the vehicle that I have to take advantage and drive Uber only when it makes sense and within those scenarios my SUV works great and is profitable.
> 
> 2. Uber only offers X in my city which is kind of dumb I think but still many pax book an uberx thinking they can have 5-7 people in it. that works for me and there have been many times that once I get to talking to them I find out that they sure were glad when they saw I had an expedition because they had already tried to book a ride 3 times but they cancelled when they see it is a small car. some of these are during the surges and several of the larger groups will tip. So, if I had a small car to save $3 - $5 in gas on a given 2-3 hr part time night it could actually cause me to earn less because of possible not getting as good of rides.
> 
> 3. this is my personal vehicle and I need to be able to use it for many things. I can do uber in it and turn a profit and it is also great for many other uses. one Sat morning about a month ago I had it loaded up with my boys and my hunting gear went duck hunting. had a pile of dead ducks in the back. went home, unloaded and few hours later I was hauling hipsters around town for drinks.
> 
> 4. I say a truck should actually be less to maintain and repair than a small car. trucks just last longer. they are built with stronger, beefier parts and materials. a lot more steel. full body construction. in many trucks engine parts like pistons and crankshafts are forged steel and not cast steel. make it more durable & longer lasting. the suspension is much tougher because it is designed to be hauling a 1/2 ton payload. the brakes are much stronger and will be longer lasting because they are designed to have to have more stopping power while hauling a 1/2 ton payload or pulling a 6000 lb trailer. Now most trucks/suv's that people drive in the city are not put to these capacities and that means these parts (brakes, suspension, engine) are not being used at full capacity and they will therefore last much longer than due to being constantly driven at less stressful conditions. most trucks and larger SUV's are full body on frame construction instead of unibody. This makes the body/frame much tougher and durable. and safer in accidents. In summary of this point you will actually spend less on maintenance because all the parts of the truck/suv are tougher and will last a lot longer than car parts. an suv/truck will go a lot longer between brake jobs than a car. the engine and transmission will last a lot longer. I also have a minivan that I use sometimes for uber. it holds 7 passengers plus me and when I load it up with 7 large guys and I hit a bump or pothole it will bottom out. in my SUV that is not a problem due to the tougher suspension. look on craigslist and you will see a lot of suburbans/tahoes/yukon/expedition/f-150, etc with 300,000 miles and still running strong.
> 
> 5. I live in an area where we can have winter/snow 6 or 7 months of the year. if we are getting a blizzard or a lot of snow or the roads are just icy I can almost always get around and a lot of cars will have trouble in the deep snow. people will still need to get to or from the airport or hospital or want to go out to drink or eat. with less drivers on the road this will help cause surge and will help me make more $ in these conditions.
> 
> I did it right and bought a lower priced used SUV with high miles and it runs and handles like it is new and I can haul 7 pax and make a high per hour rate during surge hours. many of you will argue this but my full operating cost including gas at $0.13/mile is $0.20 per mile with my Expedition. I'm accounting for normal maintenance, depreciation, plus gas to get the $.20/mile. This is probably less than a newer car with high mpg that many people buy or lease for uber. you will have higher depreciation and interest, etc. I'm not including insurance or car washes because this is my personal vehicle and I do not incur extra costs on car washes or insurance by driving 4-5 hrs per week.
> 
> sorry for long post but I wanted to answer original question and to point out all the reasons that a truck/suv is not a bad vehicle and can actually be quite good on a part time basis if you can hit some surges/tips. and that the operating cost can be a lot less than people assume if you buy it right. I just wish that the Uber base rate was 2 or 3 times what it is and then I would actually be willing to drive more and make more money at it in the non-surge hours.


A Prius gets 55+/mile, not 35. It also doesn't burn any gas on idling.



" [USER=82925 said:


> jfinks[/USER] ]


Anyone who says a Prius is like sardines or uncomfortable has obviously never been inside one. I can move the same amount of furniture/otherwise in my Prius as I was able to in my Santa Fe. Also, the seats lay flat down & make it really comfortable to throw an air mattress in. There are many blogs on people who camp in their Priuses.


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## painfreepc

Transportador said:


> Hang out at the airport. You can haul lots of people with big bags.


1 bag or 10 bags one person or six people, the paid the sam, so what the hell are you talking about..


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## Transportador

painfreepc said:


> 1 bag or 10 bags one person or six people, the paid the sam, so what the hell are you talking about..


I was just kidding...there's no way he could pick and choose the pax anyway.


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## JadeSti

WRXDriver23 said:


> I drive a 16 wrx full bolt one making 344 at wheels from Bren tuning. Uber riders love it when you throw them back in the seat


i uber my STI some times lol 9 miles per gallon still make money tho $33 to fill up on premium


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## Steven Ambrose

Mark Johnson said:


> I was shocked the other day to see the Uber logo outside what looked like a *2010+ Chevy Silverado* (it had four doors). With the rates being as low as they are in my city (*$0.75*/mile), I can't figure out why this would be a profitable venture.
> 
> Last I checked, you can't get a truck via the Xchange leasing program. So this has to be their personal vehicle. And I wouldn't think such a vehicle qualifies for Uber Select.
> 
> So I wonder, do ya'll have Uber drivers in your cities that drive TRUCKS? Is this normal?


All leather interior may change a truck from X to Select.


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## Aky114

Well I'll jump in here. Hello everyone, I'm in DFW and I do lyft in a 2016 F250 lariat. Why? Because I rather be in my truck than a small car. Absolutely I can make more money but I rather be comfortable with all the options that come in my truck. Passengers love it, 90% say it's the nicest lyft they have been in. I get around 15-18mpg in the city and 20-22mph on the highway. Cost $40 to fill up and I make about $200 a day. Oil changes for fully synthetic is only $80 and I get around 13,000 miles out of an oil change. Tires are good for about 50,000 miles and only cost around $1,000 to get new ones. On top of that, my truck will last 2x as long as normal cars because diesel motors last longer. This truck is made for lots of driving and it gets decent gas millage for how big it is. Why do I do it? Because I love driving my truck and it's hell of a lot better than working for some company with a shitty boss. That being said, if y'all see me driving please wave and say your from uber forms


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## Dback2004

Dback2004 said:


> I have my truck - 2014 Sierra 1/4 ton 4x4 on my Uber account. I rarely use it, use my cheap Corolla most of the time for obvious reasons. There are 2 advantages to having the truck on the account:
> 1) Iowa (farming state) gives registration discounts for "business-use" trucks
> 2) During snowstorms when most of the drivers all stay home and it's surging through the roof I can take the 4-wheel drive out and make decent fares


Tonight was one of those snowstorms... Would've been suicide out there in my Corolla, so took the 4 wheel drive truck. Harder on gas but the surges were fantastic...


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## Mark Johnson

Dback2004 said:


> Tonight was one of those snowstorms... Would've been suicide out there in my Corolla, so took the 4 wheel drive truck. Harder on gas but the surges were fantastic...


How many miles (approximately) and what was your mpg...


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