Home Delivery Business: Newspaper Route

So many years ago, one iconic snapshot that ranked along with the Boys Scouts and Leave it To Beaver was the neighborhood paperboy. Youths engaged in the task would gather around a paper shack either early in the morning or after school in the afternoon. They would load their paper bags and sling them over their shoulders like a huge bib, or mount them on the handlebars of their bicycles. Off they would go, delivering all the news that was fit to print right to the neighbor’s front door.

Today adults with pick-up trucks and SUVs have usurped the kids. With circulations dwindling and reliability of delivery a challenging issue, this has become the norm with newspaper delivery nationwide. The new breed of carrier takes on a different responsibility than their younger counterparts from yesteryear. Many do it to earn extra money to make ends meet operating as independent contractors based from home offices. The routes are much larger than before as part of a cost saving strategy by newspapers that are having difficulties making ends meet themselves.

An independent contractor/carrier can make as much as $750.00 per week if they have a huge route and a small area to cover. Rising fuel costs are taking a big bite out of profits and some resourceful carriers are coming up with clever ways to cut consumption of fuel. One such move is designing routes where the courier does not need to make a left turn. In the end, this actually saves fuel if applied properly.

“I took this as a steady second income,” said Scott Deek, speaking of an early morning route he runs for a Puget Sound area publication. Deek and his wife are building another home-based business they hope will pay off soon. “But I am spread out and the fuel costs are killing me.”

Like most carriers, Deek receives a 1099 tax statement and the paper handles the collections and billing of the routes. This is also thought to increase reliability, efficiency and save money. The contactor’s main responsibility then is to ensure that delivery is steady and on time. However, the job still takes a bit of dedication as for most routes, it a 7 day a week commitment.

Posted:Monday, September 22, 2008