Noah Sheidlower
- A ride-hailing driver earned about $200,000 in 2023 mainly driving private clients.
- He started his own LLC in addition to taking Uber and Lyft rides on the side.
- He said treating gig driving as a business has led him to achieve financial stability.
Trent T., 50, recently picked up a client in South Florida paying him $700 for an hour-long ride — about 25 times what he would make driving random Uber rides. It's more than he imagined just a few years ago working as a restaurant manager.
Driving private clients allowed him to pull in about $200,000 in 2023, more than most drivers.
One week, he made $8,300 doing private rides between stretches of Uber and Lyft driving. He started his own LLC and occasionally markets his independent driving business as a passenger. He's at the point where he hopes to drive less and hire more drivers, especially around boat shows and music festivals.
"You have to treat Uber and Lyft like a business if you're doing it full-time," Trent told Business Insider. "As long as you're cherry-picking your rides, you can make a lot of money, and it doesn't matter where you are."
He has two cars — a Tesla Model S and a Cadillac Escalade. He's driven private rides for high-profile celebrities, politicians, and sports stars.
His strategy has given him more financial security than he ever could have wished for. Still, he's trying to give back to drivers who haven't built up the client network or are forced to work long hours to make ends meet by speaking on podcasts and recruiting some for his company.
Nationwide, many drivers have previously told BI they're not making enough to care for themselves and their families. Gig-driving companies have previously told BI they are working to improve the driver experience, and Lyft announced in February it would guarantee weekly earnings for drivers at 70% or more of what riders paid. Still, some drivers say these figures aren't enough.
Trent said while driving for ride-hailing companies is not as profitable as it used to be, putting in more hours and learning strategies — from the fastest routes to the best times to drive — can help many drivers. Being creative and professional will go far, he said.
Driving for Uber and Lyft
Out of college, Trent worked for the Border Patrol on the Texas-Mexico border for five years, though he left his position after 9/11. He moved to Atlanta and joined the Federal Air Marshal Service for six years.
He decided to pursue a doctorate and teach college, as he had a master's in Russian history. However, he ended up in various management positions at Aldi, a furniture store, and Chick-fil-A, and he moved to Florida with his wife and her son in 2009. He worked in several other positions, such as a hospital director working 100 hours a week while driving for Uber and Lyft on the side.
In 2020 just before Christmas, he had a stroke, and doctors found six aneurysms in his brain. He was diagnosed with lupus vasculitis, an inflammation of blood vessels coupled with the immune system attacking its own tissues. He was given six months to live, and he refused some autoimmune suppressants fearing they wouldn't help. He thought that was it, as his parents and three siblings all died in their 40s of autoimmune issues.
"I actually went home and bought my land to be buried on in Tennessee and planned for my funeral," Trent said. "I quit my hospital job the next day. I had already done Uber and Lyft partially, so I was like, I'm just going to do this until I die, I'm going to enjoy my life and not work 100 hours a week."
His doctor didn't want him to work again and file for disability, but he decided to pursue driving full-time.
"This is literally the only job that I could probably physically do," Trent said. "At this point in my life, I know I probably only have three or four years left."
"I try to stay positive about everything, and I try not to let things bother me because if I do get stressed, I will be in bed for three days in pain," he added.
He improved quickly and decided to try to capitalize on driving as much as possible while setting a schedule that worked better for his health. He listened to podcasts such as The Rideshare Guy and accounts from successful drivers to learn the best strategies.
Starting an LLC
Within a few months, he created an LLC, got commercial car insurance, and started working on licensing. He said he needed at least seven cars to create his own car service, so he started working under his friend's limousine company license, paying for the stickers and giving a cut of his earnings to his friend. Doing so has helped substantially with tax write-offs, he said.
Last year, he said he drove 123,000 miles, rarely working more than 40 hours a week. He makes time to take naps, go to the gym, see movies, and take vacations between his rides.
One day a few weeks ago, he had 11 rides scheduled and pulled in $1,800. He estimates he now has about 120 private clients, including a handful of NFL players, politicians, and singers. Many he's gotten just through word of mouth or handing out business cards, and some rides have paid him over $1,000.
"I do rideshare quite a bit, but I do it mostly to build my client business," Trent said. "I give out my cards on long trips, drive business people, that type of thing. I kind of steal some clients from Uber. I do Uber and Lyft a lot when for instance, if I take somebody to Miami, it's a $300 trip for me, then I'll work in Miami or I'll try to get an Uber trip back home."
Because Trent has commercial insurance, he can take private rides without violating terms and conditions. Drivers can get deactivated if they are caught doing off-the-platform trips with Uber and Lyft passengers.
He's successfully maintained clients through professionalism, such as wearing dress shirts and khakis. He's also seen repeat clients who enjoy his higher-cost cars.
Trent said he's taught newer drivers in South Florida, particularly immigrants who rely on driving to care for their families, how to pull in more than just accepting random rides all day. He said he can often charge customers much less than what they pay for Uber or Lyft rides, and he still makes more.
"If I pick up somebody, and they're doing a $140 trip to Miami, all it takes is just getting to know the person and saying, 'What did you pay for this trip?' They'll say, 'I'm paying $275,' and I'm like, 'why don't you cancel and give me $200,'" Trent said. "Then you have a client for life."
He said taking private rides has helped him and other drivers maintain consistent income when competition on ride-hailing apps becomes more fierce.
He acknowledges some newer drivers have to accept every ride to build up their earnings and ratings on these platforms.
"It's hard when somebody is an immigrant here and their whole goal is just to make as much money as they can because they've got to support family," Trent said.
Perfecting the strategies
He said he often prioritizes driving in wealthier areas. The key, he said, is being cordial, arriving early to appointments, and keeping a spotless car.
"People just never know what others are going through," Trent said. "I remember when my dad died, I was angry about everything, and if I wanted to get in the car, I probably would have been grumpy too."
Accepting profitable rides has helped him offset his $6,000-a-month car payments for his two cars and $1,700 monthly payments for gas and electricity. His insurance runs him $400 a month, and he estimates his wear and tear amounts to $100 a week.
Another key, he said, is being strategic about when and where to drive, even when he only accepts higher-end rides. Especially during spring break when beaches are congested and traffic is often at a standstill, Trent said he only does beach rides if the money is right, as driving around chaotic areas has taken a toll on him in past years.
He's heard of drivers making $600 to $800 in a day driving around Miami Beach, though these rides often come with headaches, from angry passengers to drunk college students.
"I'm not a big confrontation type of guy, so I won't say I let people run over me, but if somebody's cussing me out or whatever, I'm not going to punch the guy," Trent said. "If you want to listen to your music for 15 minutes, and then shuts you up and keeps you happy, so be it."
During spring break this year, for instance, a group of kids tried to steal his iPad, while a random guy nearly forced another group of passengers into another car. He recalled a ride that paid him $41 for 1.1 miles, though it took nearly an hour and a half to complete the ride. He said it's always inconvenient when people get sand in his car or spill alcohol on the seats.
Trent said half of ride-hailing driving is customer service, which in some cases means the customer is always right. He said he recently had an angry passenger who yelled at him for making a wrong turn, though he knew to just apologize and move on.
"I try to talk to all my passengers because, for me, it's therapy. When I was given six months to live, this was my therapy, talking to people telling people my story, telling people not to give up," Trent said. "I try to teach drivers to find something in common with your passengers, so if you get somebody in the car that's pissed off about something, find out where they're from and deflect."
Are you a ride-hailing driver who's struggling to pay bills or has had recent success? If you'd like to share your story, reach out to nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.