Delivery drivers working longer hours for less pay due to high gas prices

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Having dinner delivered to your door makes life more convenient, but, for the people bringing it to you, it comes at a cost.

For ClusterTruck driver Joshua Mills, that cost due to higher fuel prices is about $20 more per day.

“It was 70 bucks to fill up today and I wasn’t all the way empty. I got to worry about a mortgage and all the bills and stuff, so I’m definitely gonna see a difference in pay,” Mills said.

So far, Mills says, that’s not enough for him to stop driving.

“I’m gonna do this until I can’t,” Mills said.

However, ClusterTruck co-founder Chris Baggot says he doesn’t want things to get to that point for his drivers.

Baggot says that keeping a pulse on how prices at the pump are affecting employees is a little easier for ClusterTruck than it would be for larger companies.

“You know, they only drive a six- or seven-minute radius. So, they can make a lot more money than, say, if they were driving for a third party like a DoorDash, or something like that, where they may be driving 15 or 20 minutes,” Baggott said.

But, Baggott knows every minute matters and, because of that, he’s paying close attention to the trends.

If Indiana gas reaches $5 per gallon, Baggot says ClusterTruck may have to take another look at costs.

“There will be a point where I think that will affect [us] and I think we will have to pass that on to the customer, but that day hasn’t come yet,” Baggott said.

So far, Baggott says, the company has been able to keep prices the same, even though inflation has driven food costs up.

Baggott says he hopes ClusterTruck is able to keep prices the same, despite the rising cost of gas.