How I Balance My Radio Job & DoorDash in Amarillo

As a delivery driver in Amarillo, I’m technically a contractor — which means I’m my own boss. I pick my hours, and DoorDash isn’t my employer in the traditional sense. That pretty much means you are your own boss.

"Contract Employee” Really Means for Dashers

Delivering food as a contract employee, you are not an employee of DoorDash. You don't have to work at a certain time. You work when you want. The employees can't threaten your job at DoorDash because they are mad about something. They can try, but it won't work.

The bad thing about being your own boss and wanting to stay a Platinum Driver for DoorDash, which I am, and which I do. There are things I need to do to keep it from day to day.

The Platinum Status Requirements

I have to have 100 completed deliveries in the past 30 days. It's a rolling scale. So if last month I delivered 8 deliveries on a certain day, when I make it to that point of the next month, 8 deliveries will drop off. If I don't still have 100 deliveries at the start of the day, I lose Platinum.

I don't want to lose Platinum because then I can deliver whenever I want, and they say I will get better offers. I also have to have an acceptance rate of at least 80 percent. Again, if I dip down, I lose the status.

Strategizing Around Busy Weeks

This week, we are in the middle of Help 4 The Holidays, and I am working long days. I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time to go out and work my side gig. So I planned ahead. I knew I needed a certain number of deliveries within a certain time to not lose the 100 orders I needed. I am sitting fine on the acceptance rate.

So, as of the week before Thanksgiving, I had to have about 35 deliveries that week, so I wouldn't have to go out during Help 4 The Holidays. So that was my goal. I didn't work on Thanksgiving because I didn't want to. I am still there were still orders.

So I was still working my job at the radio station and doing all of my regular responsibilities while trying to get two weeks of deliveries in during a short period. Luckily, I busted it that week and got all of my deliveries.

The Safety Net: Platinum Passes

The funny thing is, I do have 3 of 3 Platinum Passes available. Which just means if I dip below any of my numbers, I could claim a pass. That would give me Platinum Status again for a week to get my numbers up. I could always fall back on that, but I didn't want to use it if I didn't have to.

Besides, why not do the extra deliveries? I mean, Thanksgiving week is a good week to work extra. The tips are a lot better, and that was my real motivation.