5 Tips to Overcome Gig Work Slowdown

A gig work slowdown is real. Fewer orders, tighter tips, more drivers online, and higher operating costs can turn a “good week” into a frustrating grind. The mistake most drivers make is responding with more hours instead of better strategy. When the market gets crowded, efficiency becomes the advantage.

Below are methods that consistently help drivers stabilize earnings during slow periods, based on what works in the field and reinforced by broader discussions about side gigs becoming less profitable in a tough economy. (Link to the original article is included at the end.)

Why Slowdowns Hurt More Than People Expect

Slowdowns are not just “less volume.” They create a compound effect that hits your bottom line from multiple angles:

• Oversupply of drivers, more people jump into gig apps when money is tight, spreading demand thinner.
• Margin compression, tips soften, base pay stays flat, and fuel and maintenance still cost the same (or more).
• More wasted time, more waiting, more declines, and more dead miles.

Core Principle: Stop Optimizing Gross Pay and Start Optimizing Net Pay

Most drivers track deposits and call it “income.” That is gross pay. Net pay is what matters, gross minus vehicle costs, dead miles, and wasted time.

Use Tools to Turn Guessing Into Decisions

• DS calculator to estimate true earnings after mileage and operating costs.
• Earnings trackerto identify which apps, shifts, and zones are your top earners.

Tactic 1: Multi-App With Rules, Not Chaos

Multi-apping is not about stacking five apps and taking everything. It should give you options so you can be selective and reduce idle time.

Simple Multi-App Rules That Work

• Only run 2 to 3 apps at a time.
• Set a minimum standard for acceptance, based on dollars per mile and dollars per hour.
• If one app is slow, rotate to the next without forcing bad offers.

Tactic 2: Protect Your High-Performing Schedule Blocks

During a slowdown, the market can be “dead” at 2 p.m. and “alive” at 6:30 p.m. Earnings often concentrate into fewer windows, so you need to treat those windows as priority shifts.

High-Probability Demand Windows

• Breakfast and lunch clusters near offices, hospitals, and campuses
• Dinner rush in dense residential zones
• Weekend late mornings and early evenings
• Event exits, concerts, sports arenas, fairs

For rideshare, work predictable demand windows. Airport runs, commute blocks, weekend evenings, and event exits can still perform, even in tighter markets.

You can also read our article here on tips to find the best hotspot areas.

Tactic 3: Cut Dead Miles First, Not Hours

In a slowdown, you can work the same hours and still earn less because dead miles increase. Dead miles destroy net earnings.

What Are Dead Miles?

Dead miles are miles you drive that do not generate pay.

In gig work, this usually includes:

• Driving to a pickup or busy area with no pay attached
• Driving back from a drop-off to a busy area (the “return trip”) without an order.
• Repositioning, circling, or cruising while waiting for a good offer.
• Detours caused by poor routing, traffic, or wrong entrances that add distance without increasing payout.

Dead miles are one of the fastest ways your net earnings get crushed, because your car is still burning fuel and accruing wear (tires, brakes, oil, depreciation) even though revenue is not increasing. Two drivers can earn the same gross pay, but the one with fewer dead miles keeps more profit.

How to Reduce Dead Miles

• Avoid long-distance offers unless payout covers the return risk.
• Stay in zones where you can chain orders.
• End trips near areas with repeat demand.
• Use a reposition rule, if you go 10 to 15 minutes without a good offer, move.

Tactic 4: Be Selective With Order Types and Gig Types

Common Time Leaks to Watch

• Aim for higher paying gigs
• Give priority to gigs that pay you the best worth of your time and efforts.

Tactic 5: Run Weekly Reviews and Make One Change at a Time

If you change everything at once, you will not know what worked. Review your performance weekly and adjust one variable at a time.

Weekly Review Questions

• What was my best hour of the week and why?
• What was my worst hour and why?
• Which platform produced the best net earnings?
• Which zones or store types slowed me down?

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If Nothing Seems to Work, Here’s the Reset

If the market is truly saturated, you still have options:

• Narrow your scope, fewer hours, only peak windows, only top zones.
• Expand your mix, add one complementary platform that fits into how you want to work.
• Shift the goal, focus on efficiency and process improvements so you are positioned when volume returns.

Get Access to the Tools That Make Slowdowns Easier

When gig work slows down, the drivers who track their numbers and adjust faster usually come out ahead. If you want access to tools like the earnings tracker and earnings chart so you can see what is actually working for you, register for a free account below.

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Original reporting referenced in this article: 4 side gigs that don’t make sense in this tough economy (MSN).