By J. Devine, Dale County Chronicle
Delivery drivers across the Wiregrass and beyond are feeling the strain of historically high gas prices, as fuel costs continue to cut into already narrow earnings for workers who rely on personal vehicles to complete food and package deliveries.
Drivers for services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and similar platforms say gasoline is one of their largest daily expenses, and even small increases at the pump can quickly determine whether a shift is profitable.
Because these workers are classified as independent contractors, they are responsible for all operating costs, including fuel, maintenance, and repairs.
Many drivers say they have been forced to become more selective about the deliveries they accept, often prioritizing shorter trips or orders with higher-paying tips in an effort to offset rising fuel expenses. Others report reducing hours or avoiding driving during peak price periods altogether.
The Dale County Chronicle spoke with two food delivery drivers who deliver for DoorDash, a popular service that allows customers to order nearly anything quickly delivered right to their front door.
“It’s crazy,” one delivery driver who wants us to only identify her by her first name, Ashley.
“Even before the gas prices went through the roof, we barely made decent profits because we have to pay for the gas and take care of the wear and tear on our own car,” she added.
“Now, after working a full shift, I would guestimate that…out of the average of $60-$70 in tips for the full day….I end up having to spend at least $20 or more in gas. That doesn’t even take into account oil changes and extra maintenance, tires, and stuff like that. It’s really making it hard to live off this,” Ashley added, pointing out she works two jobs in order to “barely scrape by.”
Ashley added she is grateful that she has the opportunity to work and says “others have it even worse than me,” but it’s just so hard to stay positive right now.”
Tim, another driver located in Dale County, was much more emphatic in his displeasure with what he described as a “[expletive] hard situation. Man, I’ll just say this: things have got to get better quick or my family is going to have to figure something else out. We already have to choose between which groceries to buy and which bills to pay in full and which ones to pay on as we can,” he said. The frustration and desperation were obvious in his voice.
“I got a girlfriend and a little one depending on me, and even though I work about 50 hours or more each week, we just aren’t making ends meet. Before the rise in gas prices, we were able to get by a little better, but now, it’s squeezing us real hard, man. Some days, I just don’t [expletive] know how we are going to make it. We used to could survive on my primary job, but I started Dashing last year because the prices of literally every [expletive] thing kept going up and up thanks to the tariffs, greedy businesses, and other factors. It just seems like things just keep getting worse when I thought things would be a lot better by now,” he added.
Economists say the price increases are tied to global supply disruptions rather than normal seasonal trends. These supply disruptions, experts say, are a direct result of the U.S. war against Iran and Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation.
A University of Alabama at Birmingham economist explained that the situation is being driven largely by constrained global oil flow through key shipping routes.
“So, when we think about what’s going on right now geopolitically with petroleum products, a large percentage of our petroleum products, so that is crude oil, natural gas, and even helium…l all of that goes through the Strait of Hormuz,” the economist said in a recent analysis of Alabama fuel prices.
The economist also noted that this is not a typical seasonal increase seen during summer travel months.
“This is not a seasonally induced price spike,” he said. “If we looked at June 2025, gas prices in Alabama would be about a dollar per gallon cheaper. So, this is something that’s outside the norm of seasonal gas prices.”
He added that prices are likely to remain elevated as long as global supply chains remain disrupted, noting that “every day that it doesn’t return to normal… we kind of have a backlog of oil that’s not coming through.”
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage for global oil shipments, has been a major point of concern in international energy markets. Disruptions in that region have contributed to volatility in crude oil prices, which in turn impacts fuel costs at the consumer level in states like Alabama.
For delivery drivers, those global pressures translate directly into reduced earnings. With no mileage reimbursement or fuel subsidies built into most gig work models, drivers say they absorb the full impact of price increases at the pump.
Some companies have introduced limited relief programs, including temporary fuel surcharges or discount programs tied to company payment systems, but drivers say those measures fall far short of offsetting real-world fuel costs.
As gas prices remain elevated, drivers across Alabama say the gap between rising expenses and relatively flat delivery pay continues to widen, making gig work increasingly difficult to sustain as a stable source of income.
