I never told my insurance company I was delivering pizzas. It sounded expensive.
Later I had another job which required some driving in my own car with much higher limits and a statement indicating your vehicle was being used for business purposes. They required a policy letter indicating this prior to starting the job. I sent my agent an email, she followed up with a call, quadrupled my liability coverage and added a “for business use” designation and it was about an extra $50 every six months. It was cheap enough that I kept the higher coverage after giving up the job.
I told my insurance company, and there was zero impact on my rates. It was kind of strange – I had Michigan no-fault insurance on my Texas-plated vehicle while I lived in Texas. Because I was in the Army and a Michigan resident, the insurance was valid, but because I was in a non-no-fault state, I guess they felt safe that they could subrogate or something.
And lest anyone be confused, yes, I was delivering pizzas part time after work while I was in the Army. That job provided my car payment for me.
I was a manager for a Pizzeria a few years ago. My owner required a certification, in any manner your insurance company would give it, that you were cover to deliver out of your POV (personally owned vehicle).
Some companies give this freely, some offer a rider policy and some outright forbid driving for delivery…so, it depends.
i had driver get in a few fender benders and it was alway pretty easy to resolve if they were driving prudently.
We have a friend who owns a pizza place. My husband, until he got FT employment, would drive for him on the weekends. He’d only use our 20-year old wreck for deliveries.
You should see some of the antics some places go through. In Chicago, a lot of restaurants make the delivery drivers independent contractors. They’re not on the payroll- the driver buys the food from them, sells it to you for the same price, and collects a delivery charge and tip. What he’s up to once he leaves the store? Their name’s Bennett and they’re not in it.
This can lead to a sticky situation for the driver when problems arise. I refused a food order because it was wrong, and the restaurant insisted that’s what I ordered - poor guy was stuck as he’d already paid for my order and they wouldn’t take it back, but I wasn’t paying for food I didn’t order.
I managed a pizza place for eight years in the 90s, and none of my drivers told their insurance company. None of them reported their tips fully either.
Maybe it’s just the area where we live, but my wife and I often comment on how nice and new the vehicles are when we get a delivery every couple weeks. These are obviously personal vehicles, not company vehicles. I’m talking about cars and trucks less than two years old and in very good condition. We doubt it’s the great tips we give, but think it might have to do with most of the delivery people being students at a nearby state university. It’s obvious, if you drive around the campus, that a lot of parents get really nice vehicles for their kids when they send them off.
I know this is an elderly thread but: I’d be terrified to do anything like this without having the insurance company on board. Just too risky if anything bad happened and someone was injured. A victim would go after you, your parents (if it was a family car), and the company and you can be sure the company has enough lawyers to avoid getting stuck with the bill.
The companies that would retroactively clock an employee out are in violation of labor laws, in addition to being slimeballs.
My son considered applying for a delivery job, thinking he could use my car. I put the kibosh on that right away - oh HELLS no. I was not letting an inexperienced driver risk himself, other drivers, and our family’s financial well-being for 8 bucks an hour. Plus we were already paying about 150 a month just to cover him without a delivery job.
