Fayetteville, WV (WOAY) – William Jennings spends most of his workday behind the wheel. As a Spark delivery driver based in Fayetteville, he logs more than a hundred miles a day picking up curbside orders and delivering groceries across Fayette County and as far as Summersville and Beckley.
The cost of those miles is climbing. According to AAA, regular unleaded in the Beckley area now averages $4.45 a gallon. A year ago, it was under three dollars.
“I fill up, I want to say every three days, and it cost me probably around $35, because I have a pretty good car, pretty good on gas, but it still, it climbs, it climbs up. It seems to climb up weekly,” Jennings said.
The financial pressure has followed him home, forcing him to cut back on spending.
“I’ve had to cut back on some expenses personally at home and put some other things on the back burner, such as house repairs, small projects and stuff like that,” he said.
Jennings says customers may not realize how directly gas prices affect the drivers who deliver to them. Gig workers like him depend heavily on tips, and when customers live far from the pickup point, the math can fall short.
“What are the main things I would like customers to know is that this affects everybody. As gig workers, we do rely on customer tips mainly for a lot of our income. So the reason I say it affects them is because in terms of tips, we expect to be compensated, especially if they live a distance from Fayetteville, like Gauley Bridge or Summersville. And that doesn’t always happen,” he said.
When a job’s pay doesn’t justify the fuel cost, Jennings turns it down. A delivery to Beckwith, about eight miles from the Fayetteville Walmart, might pay around $15. With the return trip factored in, he says it isn’t worth it, and when tips don’t cover the cost of a long haul, drivers pass on the job entirely.
“Just the sheer amount of miles plus wear and tear, insurance we pay. If you’re trying to struggle or if you’re trying to survive in this economy, this current gas economy, then it’s not always easy because a lot of people are out there driving SUVs and pickup trucks daily. And that’s even worse than my hybrid, which is good on gas. So especially if you drive a delivery job, you kind of feel it the most. And I have,” Jennings said.
