The days of a kid on a bicycle prowling the streets with a canvas sack of newspapers are mostly gone. In most communities today, newspapers are delivered by adult subcontractors who use a car or truck to cover large geographic areas and hundreds of subscribers. But, sometimes, you may need to rent, lease, or purchase an appropriate vehicle. In most areas, this is a five- or seven-day-a-week commitment that can be accomplished in the predawn hours. For that reason, it is often a second job. Newspaper companies generally employ their own drivers or a trucking company to deliver large bundles of papers to newsstands and stores. Delivery to homes is usually subcontracted to individual carriers.
In this kind of job, the newspaper company will generally offer a fixed fee for each delivery. Many companies also pay a mileage reimbursement for use of your car. In some communities, carriers are directly employed by the newspaper company, earning a salary plus benefits and mileage reimbursement for the use of their own vehicle. Because most companies do the billing and collection by mail or by automatically charging credit card accounts, newspaper carriers can no longer count on weekly or monthly gratuities from customers. However, in some communities it remains common practice for regular carriers to receive a tip at Christmastime; some carriers encourage the practice by inserting a holiday card with their name and address in deliveries near the holiday. The most important thing is you have to make sure that your insurance agent can offer counsel about commercial vehicle insurance and liability coverage.