With this review, I plan on discussing why I love driving the graveyard or overnight shift as a Rideshare driver and it’s benefits! Everybody has a preference right? Some drivers love driving the morning shift, some enjoy the afternoons, while some others like myself enjoy driving overnight. Now some of you folks might be asking yourself why in the hell would the Rideshare doctor enjoy working overnight? Isn’t that more dangerous than driving the day shift? So to answer that question I would have to say that it depends on the circumstances. But of course I’ll get into that in more detail in just a little bit.
At #1RideShareDoc, my focus is on sharing not only my personal story, but also my 6 1/2 years of on the road experiences related to this massive, scary Rideshare industry. Let’s join forces and share these experiences so we can all grow strong as one together! Let me help prepare future Rideshare drivers for not only what’s the head of them, but for what’s going to be behind them as well. Let me help prepare future drivers and passengers on what to expect when dealing with these Rideshare companies. Rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, Via and Sidecar, just to name a few! Let’s begin..
This review will be divided into the following sections, for better absorption and clearer understanding purposes:
Introduction
Does It Really Matter When You Choose To Drive?
What Should A Rideshare Driver Expect When Choosing To Drive Morning/Afternoon/Evening Hours?
13 Benefits And/Or Reasons Why I Love Driving The Graveyard Shift A Rideshare Driver!
Is Driving Overnight Dangerous For A Rideshare Driver?
My Professional Conclusion For Graveyard Driving
Does It Really Matter When You Choose To Drive?
Everything matters when it boils down to a Rideshare driver choosing when they’re going to hit the road. Especially when it involves timing! That’s why it’s so important for every Rideshare driver to have a strong game plan put together for the day, the week and/or the month before deciding to accept or pick up their next ride. So it really does matter what day, what time of the day, what holiday, what weather conditions and events are taking place first before deciding to hit the road. Not mapping this out first could be deadly to a drivers true earning potential!
There are a few things that all professional Rideshare drivers should expect to endure when choosing to drive the morning, afternoon and/or evening shift hours (approx. 6am-8pm, Mon-Sun). Driving the graveyard shift is no different and can also present the same likely encounters. You’re just not as likely to encounter them as frequently as you would when choosing to drive the morning, evening and afternoon shifts. That being said, some common encounters a Rideshare driver might likely run into when driving during the day may include running into lots of:
Heavy Traffic/Rush Hour: Since driving mornings, afternoons and evenings are the more common hours of operation for most human beings, a Rideshare driver should expect to deal with not only more passengers during these hours, but more heavy traffic and commotion as well. This means more crowded streets which turns into more time consumption on the drivers end. Especially when referring to picking up and dropping off passengers! Not only that, but a Rideshare driver would also have to focus more due to all the cars moving around on the road.
So the chances of having an accident is even more likely to take place! Keep this in mind when choosing to drive the morning, afternoon or evening hours! Expect to run into lots of heavy traffic and everything else that has to do with heavy traffic when choosing to drive the morning, afternoon or evening hours!
City And State Workers: Now this can be a good thing and a bad thing for a Rideshare driver and I say this because most of the rides you’ll be completing will be rides that’ll involve you picking up and dropping off city and state workers who don’t drive. But what about those workers that do drive! This doesn’t exclude all the other city and state workers and people who drive and don’t need a Uber or Lyft ride. In other words, this doesn’t exclude all the other vehicles that’ll also be out on the road during those hours. So expect to run into lots of regular city and state employees when choosing to work the morning, afternoon or evening hours!
School Kids: Now this can also be a good thing and a bad thing for Rideshare drivers depending on the driver who’s accepting the ride and the kid that’s requesting it. Let’s start with the reason why I said that this could be a bad thing. Picking up school kids can be a bad thing because we’re not supposed to pick up passengers who are under the age of 18. No if, and’s or but’s about it! So when a driver decides to drive during elementary, middle and high school hours, the driver must also expect to receive more underage passenger requests than usual.
And if that driver is about following the rules that these Rideshare companies put in place, the driver would cancel that ride, which would be the part that turns this situation into a bad thing! A bad thing because that driver has just wasted valuable time that could have went towards a passenger who’s following the rules. This would only be considered a good thing if the driver doesn’t mind breaking the rules that these Rideshare companies put in place! If the driver doesn’t mind breaking the rules concerning age requirements, this shouldn’t be an issue at all! So expect to run into lots of kids and young adults when choosing to drive in the morning, afternoon or evening hours!
There’s more than a few reasons why your Rideshare doctor loves driving and working the graveyard or overnight shift. I might have already provided you with a few of those reasons without actually stating them, simply by sharing what I’ve already shared thus far. But to solidify my reasoning, I’ll try to sum them up into a list of about thirteen. That being said, a few of those reasons why I absolutely love driving the graveyard shift includes:
1.) Absolutely Zero Traffic Worries: Who doesn’t like being the only one driving on the road? When you’re the only one driving on the road, you can drive completely how you’d like to drive all the way down to the speed you’re driving at. Not saying that zero traffic makes me a reckless driver or something either lol. Just wanted to make that clear!
2.) Making More Money: Since there aren’t a lot of drivers who are willing to drive the graveyard or overnight hours, the drivers that do decide to work these hours tend to have more consistent rides coming through versus the day shift. Prices also tend to surge or go up for passengers during these really late and really early hours which also means more guaranteed money for drivers. A surging in pricing is what happens anytime there’s less drivers on the road than what the “demand” or the passengers require!
3.) Underage Pickups/Less Likely: What professional driver wouldn’t want a less likely chance of having to pick up someone’s child? Well when a driver chooses to drive the graveyard shift, the chances of them picking up an underage passenger becomes little to none. Who knows of an elementary, middle or high school that’s open during the overnight hours? Now you might have some parents who don’t care about their children going out past 12:00 a.m., but your average parent does!
4.) Less Concerns With Following Traffic Laws: Now I’m not saying that you don’t have to follow the traffic laws when driving at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. But let’s just say that it’ll be a lot easier on the nerves to not have to worry so much about following every single traffic law lol. Police won’t be sitting on every other corner, being in every other car that you’re driving past or cutting in front of lol. Just the thought of that fact alone relaxes my nerves tremendously. Add on top of that the ability to notice speed and red light cameras more efficiently. Driving over night is the best!
5.) See Almost Everything Coming: Now I’m not saying that you would see every single thing coming when choosing to drive the graveyard shift. But you would be able to easily notice the majority of things without needing to focus much! We’re talking about people, animals and objects on the road, traffic signs and/or traffic devices, criminals, law enforcement, traffic enforcement devices like speed and red light cameras and the pick up and drop off addresses of passengers!
6.) Focus Better: Since they’ll be way less distractions on the road during these hours, let’s just say that it’ll be a lot easier for a Rideshare driver to focus more on the passengers pickup and drop off locations. Not alone the traffic laws!
7.) Less Cars/Less Chances Of An Accident: With less traffic and congestion on the road, the chances of a Rideshare driver having an accident is literally slim to none! You could be the worst driver in the world and still manage to not cause any damage when making a wrong turn, driving up a one-way road the wrong direction or God forbid blowing a red traffic light!
8.) Sleepy Passengers/Less Talkative: If you’re the type of Rideshare driver that dislikes a talkative passenger or would prefer passengers that don’t talk as much, choosing to drive the graveyard shift might be just for you. You see when driving during the graveyard shift hours a driver is more likely to cross passengers who are sleepy and don’t feel like talking. But when driving during normal business hours, passengers are the complete opposite!
9.) Stand Out More/Better Noticed: It’ll be a lot easier for a Rideshare driver to stand out more. Not just for the passengers they’re picking up, but also for any and every other thing operating on the road as well. Standing out more or being easily noticed on both ends would bring with it a less likely chance of you running into someone or someone running into you. Standing out more or being easily noticed would also bring with it the ability to notice danger coming such as a person trying to rob you or a passenger trying to flag you down!
10.) Correcting Mistakes/Wrong Turns: When driving these late graveyard hours, let’s just say that it’ll always be easier to correct a mistake when needed. Or at least for me it is! Especially if I pass up a turn that was supposed to have been made or almost drove through a stop sign where I should have stopped. There won’t be anyone in front of me or behind me to get in the way of me making the stop or turn I was supposed to make. Well unless I happen to notice the police just before doing so lol. Just keeping it real folks!
11.) More Peaceful/Better Naps: If you ever feel tired or sleepy, catching a short nap won’t be hard to come by during these dark hours! Especially since those particular hours are the normal hours of sleep for most people. Not to mention the fact that it’ll be very peaceful and quiet making it inevitable for you to go to sleep. Sometimes even when you’re not trying to, if you were to ask me!
12.) Easier To Openly Use The Bathroom: Would you happen to have to use the bathroom really badly? Are you feeling a little lazy like you don’t want to have to search for a public restroom? Well search no further because when you’re driving in the early a.m. hours of the morning, using the bathroom on the side of someone’s business, in a park or in your car becomes easier than ever! I’m not saying that it’s okay to take a “number two” outside or piss in your car either. But hey, desperate times can sometimes cause for desperate measures lol!
13.) Drive The Way You Want To Drive: To sum everything up on this list, you’re basically choosing to drive the way you want when choosing to drive the late night and early morning hours of each day. That’s how I feel! You can do whatever you need to do when you need to do it, you can move however way you need to move when you need to move and you can see everything you need to see when you need to see it. I think that last statement sums up this entire list!
The short answer to this question is yes, driving overnight is very dangerous! Now even though there’re a few reasons why driving overnight is dangerous or can be dangerous, I’m going to focus on what I feel like is the biggest reason why driving overnight is dangerous. The biggest reason why I feel like driving overnight can be a little dangerous is because you’ll be completely by yourself in any and every given situation that could possibly take place.
You have to remember that no one’s normally outside during these hours and more importantly, no one’s awake! So if you just so happen to need some help, you would have no choice but to call the police. Just keep in mind that no one will be present to be a witness if things were to somehow snowball out of control!
My Professional Conclusion For Graveyard Driving
So in conclusion I would like to say that it’s always a good idea to have a game plan put together first before starting your career as a professional Rideshare driver. Never assume how the road conditions will be. Instead get a good idea by learning from those who came before you such as myself on what to expect before signing that dotted line as an Uber or Lyft driver. Understand that whether you’re driving in the mornings, afternoons, evenings or overnight that all shifts present the same possibility of something happening whether it be good or bad. The only thing that changes with each shift is the chances of something happening, whether that “something” be good or that “something” bad..
Now that I’m bringing this article to a close, do you guys have anything you would like to say or add to this review concerning Rideshare driving overnight? Do you have any more benefits that you would like to add to my short list when it pertains to my reasons why I love driving overnight? Do you disagree with something that I might have said concerning some of the things you deal with when driving the morning, afternoon or evening shifts? If so, I would love to hear it! Please feel free to leave your stories, thoughts, comments and concerns at the bottom of this review and I will be sure to respond back to you promptly.
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