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Pizza delivery drivers exist since the first pizzeria in the US has opened. Even though their profession is quite underestimated, they are among the most diligent workers. This position is crucial for many pizza stores because it ensures that fresh pizza reaches the consumer within a certain period.
Pizza delivery drivers are paid by the hour, with the possibility of higher earnings with tips and compensation for fuel and mileage when using their own cars. This job is not the most lucrative, but it is often helpful for students and people who want to supplement their budgets with another job. So, let’s find out how much do pizza delivery drivers make.
Pizza Delivery Drivers’ Job Description
The pizza delivery drivers’ job is to organize the delivery in the best way so that the ordered food arrives at the destination fresh and undamaged. Fast delivery ensures the pizza quality remains at the required level.
In most cases, a pizza delivery driver uses a car, but it is also possible to organize delivery on a bicycle or motorbike. When the driver is not engaged in delivery, they can perform other duties in the pizza shop, such as cleaning or washing dishes.
Pizza Delivery Drivers’ Necessary Skills
This job doesn’t require specific formal education, so you need only a high school certificate and driver’s license to do it. On the other hand, pizza delivery drivers need to have specific skills, including:
- The ability of deft and fast driving
- Good communication with consumers
- Basic knowledge of mathematics
Pizza delivery drivers need to carefully drive the delivery vehicle to prevent possible destroying pizza during transport. It is crucial to avoid sudden braking and fast turning. Unfortunately, there is a catch because a slow ride means delivering a cold pizza to the consumer.
Good knowledge of the area where the pizza delivery drivers work will allow them to use shortcuts and quick route changes during a traffic jam. Also, a huge advantage is when drivers have excellent knowledge of GPS technology because it makes their work much more effortless.
Risks Involved
Although the pizza delivery driver works in the food and catering industry, their work responsibilities mostly take place outdoors. That can put these hard workers at risk, which other workers in the food industry rarely face.
Traffic accidents
As the earnings of pizza delivery drivers in most pizza shops depend on the number and speed of deliveries, there is a real possibility of traffic accidents.
Robbery
Another common risk of this business is the likelihood of drivers being robbed. The vehicles used in delivery usually have a pizza shop advertisement on them, indicating that the driver has cash in the wallet.
The risk primarily depends on the neighbourhood where the pizza delivery drivers work, but something like that can actually happen everywhere.
Pizza Delivery Drivers’ Earnings in the US
Believe it or not, this is one of the most popular first jobs for many young Americans. It is suitable for those who still don’t have an education for better-paid jobs. Some companies pay their pizza delivery drivers decently, although some are paid much less than they deserve.
In most cases, companies pay pizza delivery drivers by the hour. They can also use a system that combines an hourly rate and a bonus paid to the driver upon delivery.
Some of them provide their employees with a vehicle to do the job, while others look for those who can use their own cars for delivery. In that case, workers receive compensation from the restaurant for fuel and mileage. Sometimes, they can also receive compensation for running costs and car depreciation.
Remember that some companies pay drivers for pizza delivery only upon delivery, meaning they earn nothing when there are no pizzas to deliver. That motivates pizza delivery drivers to be faster and deliver more pizzas per hour by taking more orders at once.
Tips
In addition to the salary, many pizza delivery drivers earn an additional income part from tips. The amount of money earned that way will vary depending on:
- Ordering party distance
- Order size and price
- Time of the day
The average earnings from tips can go up to $50 per day. If you work the evening shift on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, your tips can be even higher than average. Unfortunately, it won’t be the case if you work the morning shift during working days.
In any case, the pizza delivery driver has the right to keep these tips. Be aware that some restaurants offer drivers a lower salary because of high tips.
Also, some restaurants require collecting the tips of all employees in one bowl and their equal distribution to everyone. However, that is a rare practice for pizza delivery drivers who work independently.
Pizza Delivery Drivers’ Salary Variation by State
Pizza delivery drivers earn an average of $21,690 a year, or $10.43 per hour at the US level. However, there is a significant variation in driver earnings for delivering pizza depending on the state where they live.
That is mainly influenced by the population density and the average income of the particular state’s population. States with a higher population density have more pizza ordering per hour that positively affect drivers’ salaries. Besides, pizza shops located in regions with better incomes will charge more for delivery, and delivery drivers will earn more money.
Pizza delivery driver’s salary |
|
| State | Annual salary |
| South Dakota | $15,906 to $20,321 |
| Montana | $16,130 to $20,608 |
| Nebraska | $16,435 to $20,997 |
| Mississippi | $17,350 to $22,166 |
| West Virginia | $17,621 to $22,513 |
| Idaho | $17,741 to $22,666 |
| Oklahoma | $17,828 to $22,777 |
| Wyoming | $17,916 to $22,889 |
| Georgia | $17,940 to $22,919 |
| Tennessee | $18,086 to $23,106 |
| Maine | $18,259 to $23,328 |
| New Mexico | $18,271 to $23,343 |
| Alabama | $18,298 to $23,376 |
| Kentucky | $18,404 to $25,512 |
| South Carolina | $18,534 to $23,678 |
| Utah | $18,547 to $23,695 |
| Iowa | $18,574 to $23,729 |
| North Dakota | $18,662 to $23,842 |
| North Carolina | $18,777 to $23,989 |
| Florida | $19,000 to $24,275 |
| Missouri | $19,102 to $24,404 |
| Kansas | $19,159 to $24,477 |
| Missouri | $19,216 to $24,550 |
| Vermont | $19,218 to $24,552 |
| Pennsylvania | $19,224 to $24,560 |
| Arizona | $19,279 to $24,631 |
| Louisiana | $19,307 to $24,666 |
| Wisconsin | $19,315 to $24,677 |
| Ohio | $19,317 to $24,679 |
| Texas | $19,390 to $24,770 |
| Virginia | $19,474 to $24,879 |
| Michigan | $19,850 to $25,360 |
| New Hampshire | $19,903 to $25,427 |
| Nevada | $19,936 to $25,470 |
| Maryland | $20,063 to $25,632 |
| Hawaii | $20,231 to $25,846 |
| Oregon | $20,262 to $25,886 |
| Rhode Island | $20,562 to $26,269 |
| Illinois | $20,705 to $26,450 |
| Minnesota | $20,793 to $26,564 |
| Washington | $21,339 to $27,262 |
| Alaska | $21,706 to $27,731 |
| Washington, DC | $21,725 to $27,755 |
| Massachusetts | $21,989 to $28,093 |
| Connecticut | $22,171 to $28,325 |
| New Jersey | $22,503 to $28,748 |
| New York | $23,478 to $29,995 |
| California | $24,395 to $31,170 |
As you can see, the annual pizza delivery drivers’ earnings vary from less than $16,000 in South Dakota to approximately $30,000 in California.
Pizza Delivery Drivers’ Salary Variation by Company
Besides significant variations in the earnings at the state level, you can notice that pizza delivery drivers’ salary often differs depending on the company they work for. For instance, Pizza Hut stands out as the company that provides the highest average salary for employees annually.
Annual pizza delivery drivers’ salary |
|
| Company | Salary |
| Pizza Hut | $34,595 |
| Papa John’s Pizza | $32,885 |
| Domino’s Pizza | $31,265 |
| Pacpizza | $20,990 |
| American Pizza Partners LP | $20,630 |
Pizza delivery drivers working at Pizza Hut earn an average of $15.66 per hour, and at Papa John’s Pizza, their daily earnings are $12.53 per hour. At Domino’s Pizza, these workers get $14.72 per hour at the US level.
Average Pizza delivery driver’s salary |
|||
| State | Company | ||
| Pizza Hut | Papa John’s Pizza | Domino’s Pizza | |
| New Jersey | $15 | $15 | $15 |
| California | $15 | $14 | $15 |
| Missouri | $14 | $14 | $13 |
| North Carolina | $14 | $13 | $13 |
Keep in mind that salaries for this position are not the same for employees in the same company. They vary depending on the state and even the city where the pizza store is located.
Pizza delivery driver’s salary |
||
| City | Pizza Hut | Papa John’s Pizza |
| Hourly rate | Hourly rate | |
| New Orleans, LA | $7.25 | $14.30 |
| Brandon, MS | $8.94 | $12.84 |
| Ithaca, NY | $10.49 | $14.81 |
| Kansas City, MO | $11.86 | $14.57 |
| Sant Louis, MO | $11.92 | $16.36 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $12.93 | $13.01 |
| Las Vegas, NE | $13.23 | $14.47 |
| Charleston, SC | $13.23 | $18.83 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $13.54 | $18.99 |
| Cleveland, OH | $13.71 | $16.30 |
| Chicago, IL | $13.76 | $17.49 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $13.91 | $14.84 |
| Dallas, TX | $14.06 | $15.70 |
| Tacoma, WA | $14.26 | $21.15 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $14.43 | $15.10 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $15.08 | $16.01 |
| Manchester, NH | $16.19 | $9.56 |
| Paterson, NJ | $16.42 | $10.58 |
| Atlanta, GA | $16.97 | $14.57 |
| San Francisco, CA | $16.99 | $16.27 |
| Charlotte, NC | $17.01 | $13.27 |
| Denver, CO | $17.26 | $18.27 |
| Springfield, TN | $17.32 | $12.23 |
| Richmond, VA | $17.32 | $16.51 |
| Lafayette, IN | $17.32 | $15.59 |
| Miami, FL | $18.54 | $17.34 |
Still, these variations in earnings in the same company are not significant at the state level. Believe it or not, the situation is entirely different at the city level, and you can notice differences that can go up to $11 per hour.
Summary
Pizza delivery drivers are not high-income workers in the US, but they are necessary for every pizzeria. During the work, they acquire knowledge and skills that can often be used in business life later.
Remember that this job enables learning the organization’s skills and strategy on a functional level, making it the desired experience for many young people.
This article does not take into account the fact that in the US, federal wage laws for employees who receive tips: $2.13/hour.
Employers may pay between $2.13 and $4.50/hour, based on driver experience.
The majority of drivers, in fact, rely on receiving tips from customers to compensate for the slave labor rate they receive when working in the restaurant and not driving food to guests.