# Driver

Category: Daily Living

## Post 1 by ArtRock1224 (move over school!) on Thursday, 05-Dec-2013 23:46:51

Hi,
What's a reasonable rate to hire a driver for long distances?
I know it probably varies. Probably depends. It's probably hard to say. Probably differs from person to person and trip to trip ... but as someone who's never used one before and doesn't know what's even ballpark reasonable, some real numbers would be helpful for context and to make sure I'm not cheating myself or suckering someone else.
Let's assume you need someone to drive you in their vehicle to a very rural part of your state once a week for work. You might leave at 8 AM, travel until 10, work until 12, and travel back by 2. About 120 miles one-way, 240 or 250 round-trip. Adjust the hours and miles as necessary; they're examples, not all that important. Would you charge an hourly rate? $10? $25? Does that include mileage? I've heard the IRS reimbursement rate is .55/mile. Would you use this rate when paying a driver? Should you pay both an hourly rate and a certain amount per mileage or just a flat hourly rate? Do you pay only for time behind the wheel or total time? What's fair? Is there a better way?
I'm hoping some of you have more experience with this than I do, so I'd love to get your thoughts.
Brice

## Post 2 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 06-Dec-2013 0:46:50

A couple of questions:
1. Do you have any idea of how much fuel costs in your area?
2. The type of vehicle matters. Trucks and larger vans tend to be worse on gas than cars, by and large, but more in city driving than longer-distance driving.
Those things do matter. You obviously want to be sure to pay for the fuel, at the very very least. Beyond that...well, depends on the driver I suppose. My dad makes eleven bucks an hour driving people around for a guy who delivers trucks, but this is in Ontario and my dad's in a bit of a tough spot. I personally feel he should get a bit more money than that, so don't use it as a strict guide.
Like I say, cost of fuel is going to matter. I imagine this is going to cost you a fair little chunk of cash though, unless you get someone who doesn't mind driving and doesn't want a high hourly rate of some kind.

## Post 3 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Friday, 06-Dec-2013 18:36:09

Ok I can't give you direct numbers because my figgers come from before the economy went to shit, but here are some things to keep in mind:
If you are hiring a driver to take you somewhere, wait and bring you back, you have to compensate for the time they are there. The reason is, they are on your time, they can't get up and go do something else.
If you hire them to take you someplace, then they go do whatever and come back and pick you up, then you cover the trips only, and that includes the time it takes to get from where they are to you. I always paid for fuel separately: used my own card at the gas station to fill them up, don't nickel and dime it, or be a douche, lots of fancy suit and tie dudes are like that and drivers do hate that.
If they are a regular, spring on them the occasional perk, like maybe a sixer of good beer if they are into that, or whatever.
I haven't hired a driver like that since mid 2000s and they were an employee of my business so I managed that differently.
As an aside, when you're traveling on business, it can be a headache to have to call a cab company every day to and from work. I know now there are apps for this but still. What I did was, walk around the cab stand see if someone wants a week's steady work, they'll often give you a bit of a discount but don't go begging for it. You're really after the consistency. If they can do it, and are driving in the general area, it's a right beautiful thing to be able to count on a ride to and from work in a strange city, plus a ride back to the airport if you're not using the shuttle or your flight's too early for it.
You just gotta be flexible with this stuff, and I always just tanked them up with gas on my own card forget nickel and diming it into their expense, then take the receipt and write it off if you are a business.

## Post 4 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Friday, 06-Dec-2013 18:47:34

Gas is what? $4 a gallon or so now?
So consider your typical mommy-mobile minivan (hopefully) has a six cylinder engine in it, though plenty of gutless wonders do not and have 4. Thats gonna be 15 miles to the gallon.
Your typical economy hatchback or sedan like a Ford Escort is gonna be closer to 25 city driving 30 on the open road maybe. Many of the 4-cylinder small jobs are like that.
It's pretty easy to tell, and ask the driver what car they have then google the kind / model and miles to the gallon into Google and you should get a decent response. then you know what you are likely to spend.
Oh and gas tanks are usually ten to 15 gallons, some soccer mom specials I've seen have a little gassy swimming pool back there of about 20 to 25 gallons, and of course trailer trucks have bigger than that.
Also are you hiring someone who drives, or someone who is just willing to drive for you? Because if they drive a lot they will know what to alert you of, weather and road conditions and the like. If they are just trying to make a bit of extra money they may or may not have thought about that pair of chains for the back of the car which is going to be needed on that overpass where it snowed last night. Don't be a douche and charge under the minimum wage. I'm serions. People do that a lot, and I know business travellers who I've been with who made more money than all God's cgreen churches and they'll cheapskate someone for this. Pay a person a decent wage for decent work and you'll get what you deserve. Even if to you it's just under the table be decent and at least be paying the minimum besides gas and other things.
The difference is if you pay per mile, then do what the cab companies do in your area: Look it up and find out.
Here' what'll happen if you cheapshod it: driver has something else come up and can't make it. Oopps. sorry. It's not a real job, I'm just doing it for that schmuck that pays half what the cab companies get, or pays me $3 per hour.
I've been treated to the sight of a lot of suits frustrated and flailing on the corner after being a douche like that, while I got my ride which I paid full rate for, or a decent discount for a steady week's work, no more than ten percent off generally.
You know what minimum wage is in your state, so if you do hourly then beat that by some. Or better yet if you're not expecting your driver to sit and wait in between trips, find out what the cab company charges per mile and beat that by something. Don't knock yourself out, but be a gentleman about it, is all I'm saying.

## Post 5 by ArtRock1224 (move over school!) on Sunday, 08-Dec-2013 21:30:44

I really appreciate the advice. I've asked some local drivers what they would expect and gotten a few different answers. Another blind person told me to only charge for time spent "behind the wheel" -- so when I'm working they're considered off-duty and can do whatever they want even though they have to stay close by to take me home. This doesn't quite add up with Leo's advice in post 3, so again I'm glad I asked. I suppose it's also a good gesture to pitch in for lunch or whatever if you're on the road?
For the trip I outlined in my first post (8AM-2PM, 250 miles round-trip, six hours total, four hours behind the wheel), one cab company wanted about $200, one guy asked for $115 travel allowance and $10 per hour, bringing the total cost to about $175 if you factor in time spent wwaiting. That's a significant chunk of what I'd earn myself, so it hurts, just a little. But obviously transportation isn't free and I'm not trying to swindle anyone.
I would never charge someone under the minimum wage. That's why I asked what you all do: I've never needed to do this before and will admit I'm fairly naive about it all. for example, I learned from one guy that it's better not to pay "per mile" because they can't write it off as a deductible on their taxes ... right, didn't know that. OK.

## Post 6 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Sunday, 08-Dec-2013 21:37:38

Maybe I'm being a bit stingy, but a hundred and seventy-five bucks for six hours of work, two of which aren't really work at all...well, that's like thirty bucks an hour or thereabouts. That seems rather high to me. The cab company just wants to get you for as much as they can, I'm afraid.
From what I know about driving, and what you've outlined in your trip, I think I personally would be willing to pay about sixteen bucks an hour plus cost of fuel. That's ninety-six dollars plus another thirty to fifty for gasoline, I'd imagine, which is a little bit less than you're being asked to pay.
I'm just wondering how necessary this trip is for you anyway. You say it's a fair chunk of what you make; I don't mean to pry, but is it negotiable? Is it something you can avoid? After all, the bigger a bit it takes out of your finances, the more its feasibility has to be questioned. You'd know best of course.

## Post 7 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Monday, 09-Dec-2013 13:06:26

The reason someone would charge that much, SW, and I'm not defending at all, is that they're unable to earn as a driver during that time.
If they are a cab company, the cab driver is responsible for a daily fee to lease the cab. They have to make that up plus whatever they can earn above that. Most people don't know this. And, they have to pay for washes and gas and everything else except maintenance.
It's a rough life being a cab driver, and so if you expect them to be out of the way where they can't earn, they will charge you for it.
If they have to travel great distance and then travel back in order to pick someone else up for a cab run, they'll never break even unless they charge a lot. Gas and expenses won't let them. That's why cabs are mainly an emergency form of transport.

## Post 8 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 09-Dec-2013 23:04:22

Unless you live in Denver or New York city. Cabs are good ways to get about.
If I wanted to check more rates I'd call a car service, like a limo service and ask what the drivers are paid per hour. That might help.

## Post 9 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Tuesday, 10-Dec-2013 0:59:07

Oh, I know that much, Leo. I know cabs cost a fair amount because a cabbie can't make money otherwise. I'm not saying don't ever use a cab. I wonder a little at exactly where the line between "I'm losing money" and "I'm making a profit" really is, and how far above the line a one-way quote of a hundred and forty to the airport puts the driver, but I digress. Not knowing individual circumstances or company policies, suffice it to say that I'm just a touch wary, that's all. I've used many cabs in my time and am apt to use many more before I die.

## Post 10 by darksword (Generic Zoner) on Wednesday, 11-Dec-2013 11:29:59

It's unfortunate that in non-pedestrian friendly areas, there isn't a more cost effective way to get from one place to another for those of us that are non-drivers apart from parra-transit. In a way, it's very understandable why most people that can't drive tend to stay at home a lot. There's just not enough in the way of funds for them to be out and about more readily.

## Post 11 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Wednesday, 11-Dec-2013 14:16:45

If the Green movement had half a thimbulful of sense, they would see that to live blind is to live with a lower carbon footprint, and write grants to help some of you to move back to cities. Not always possible for those with kids like Bernadetta and DomesticGoddess: You have to go where the best schools are.
That will change as cities are becoming a lot more gentrified, something I am actually quite divided on but that is another topic.
Anyway that movement wants people to be more eco-friendly and could assist some of the most eco-friendly people on the planet -- the blind -- in becoming more so by moving to cities.
Just my thoughts.

## Post 12 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Wednesday, 11-Dec-2013 15:03:15

I should explain a tad bit further than I did earlier on the cab thing.
Most people don't know that the amount the cab driver charges is up to the cab company. When they start and stop the meter is sometimes a bit subjective, but it's a calculation of minutes and miles. It's not drawn out of a hat by the cab driver, in other words.

## Post 13 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 11-Dec-2013 17:35:05

Yup, I know that too. Sometimes a cabbie will be nice and not run a meter while he waits for you, or he'll round down if the meter is high, or he might leave it going even if he gets lost for instance. I know that the actual meter rates aren't up to him, and in many cases even the flat rates aren't up to him. They've been decided upon by the company, or by the government, or some combination thereof.

## Post 14 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Wednesday, 11-Dec-2013 17:55:18

Should have guessed on a blind site people would be more aware. However, you'd be shocked how many are not so aware. At least I have been over the years.