Drive with HDS

Drive with Houston Delivery Services

Deliver catering and restaurant orders across the Houston metro as an independent contractor — on your own schedule, in your own vehicle, paid for every completed delivery.

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Compensation

What you earn

You are paid per completed delivery under the current Independent Contractor Agreement, which is where every amount and eligibility rule lives.

Paid per completed delivery

Compensation is earned on a per-delivery basis under the current Independent Contractor Agreement. Nothing is earned until a delivery is completed and marked complete in HDS systems.

Customer tips pass through to you

Eligible customer tips are paid in full to the driver for completed deliveries, in accordance with the current agreement. HDS does not retain, deduct or condition any portion of them.

You see the order before you accept it

Relevant order information is available in the driver platform before you decide whether to accept an available delivery.

The agreement is the source of truth

Current payment amounts, eligibility requirements, waiting-time compensation, cancellation compensation and every other payment term are defined in the Independent Contractor Agreement presented during onboarding.

Review the current terms

The Independent Contractor Agreement sets out the current payment amounts, eligibility requirements, waiting-time compensation and cancellation compensation. You read it in full and accept it as part of your application, before any delivery.

Review Current Driver Terms

HDS does not guarantee any minimum volume of orders, hours or earnings, and may modify, adjust or suspend compensation structures — including the earnings floor — subject to applicable law and any required notice. The governing terms are in the Independent Contractor Agreement you accept during your application.

Beyond the delivery

When things do not go to plan

Cancellations and restaurant delays are part of the work, so the agreement addresses them directly.

Cancelled while you are at the pickup

Eligible cancellations may qualify for cancellation compensation under the current Independent Contractor Agreement. Eligibility is determined from order status and HDS system records.

Cancelled while you are en route

Eligible en-route cancellations may qualify for compensation according to the current agreement and verified order status.

The order is not ready

Eligible restaurant delays may qualify for waiting-time compensation according to the current agreement. Eligibility is determined using the scheduled pickup time and HDS system records.

Eligibility for each of these depends on HDS system records — GPS data, timestamps and dispatch logs — confirming your status. The current amounts and the conditions attached to them are set out in the Independent Contractor Agreement.

How it works

You run your own business

Driving with HDS is an independent contractor arrangement, and the terms below are what that actually means day to day.

You choose when you work

You have complete discretion over when, where and how long you provide services. HDS does not set shifts, minimum hours or mandatory availability requirements.

You can decline any request

You keep the full and unrestricted right to accept, decline or ignore any delivery request, without penalty or retaliation.

You choose your own route and method

Route selection, timing and method of performance are yours to decide. You are not subject to employee-style supervision, discipline systems or performance quotas.

You are an independent business

You are engaged as an independent business entity — not an employee, partner or agent — and you are responsible for your own taxes, insurance, licensing and business expenses.

Requirements

What you need to get started

The essentials HDS asks every driver for. You supply and maintain all of them at your own expense.

A valid driver's license

A current driver's license appropriate for the jurisdiction where you provide services. You upload a copy as part of your application.

Auto insurance

Insurance coverage for delivery operations, maintained at your own expense and meeting the minimum limits set out in the contractor agreement. You upload proof during your application.

Your own vehicle

You provide and maintain the vehicle you use, along with fuel, maintenance, repairs and all other vehicle costs.

A smartphone

Order coordination, pickup timing and delivery status all run through the HDS platform, so you need a phone that can use it.

Applying

How the application works

Six steps, in this order. Your progress saves as you go, so you can stop partway and pick it back up.

Communication consent
You confirm that HDS may contact you by text message and phone about your application and, if you are approved, about your deliveries.
Independent Contractor Agreement
You read the agreement in full and accept it electronically. Your acceptance is recorded against the exact version you were shown.
Your information
Name, contact details, address, preferred area and an emergency contact, plus two eligibility questions you answer directly.
Documents
You upload your driver's license and proof of auto insurance. Both are required before you can continue.
Training material
You review the HDS driver training material and acknowledge that you have read it. There is no test or quiz.
Review and submit
You submit the completed application. Your progress is saved as you go, so you can stop and come back to it.

After you apply

What happens next

How HDS handles your application once you have submitted it.

We review your application

Our team reviews your submission and the documents you uploaded. Each document is reviewed on its own, so one item needing attention does not sink the whole application.

We may come back for more

If something is missing or unclear, we email you a secure link to supply just that information — you do not start over.

You hear from us either way

You are notified by email once a decision is made, and you can check your application status at any time.

Approved drivers get portal access

On approval you receive login instructions for the driver portal, where your documents, notifications and agreement all live.

Driver portal

Once you are approved

Approved drivers get a portal account for everything that has to stay current.

Your documents

See what is on file, what has been approved, and what is coming up for renewal — and upload replacements directly.

Renewal reminders

HDS tracks expiration dates on your compliance documents and reminds you ahead of time so your access is not interrupted.

Your agreement

The version of the contractor agreement you accepted stays available to you, along with any newer version you are asked to review.

Notifications

Account and compliance messages from HDS in one place, rather than scattered across your inbox.

Questions

Straight answers

Including the ones with answers you might not want to hear.

Am I an employee of Houston Delivery Services?

No. Drivers work with HDS as independent contractors, not employees. The contractor agreement is explicit that nothing in the arrangement creates an employment relationship, and you are responsible for your own taxes, insurance and business expenses.

How is my pay for a delivery worked out?

Compensation is per completed delivery, and the agreement sets a minimum that a completed delivery reaches. Customer tips count toward that minimum rather than being added on top of it — if your tips reach the minimum you keep the full tip and HDS pays nothing further; if they fall short, HDS pays the difference. The current amounts and worked examples are in the Independent Contractor Agreement you review and accept during your application.

Does HDS take any part of my tips?

No. The agreement states that all customer tips are paid in full to the contractor for completed deliveries, and that HDS does not retain, deduct or condition any portion of them.

Am I guaranteed a minimum number of deliveries or a minimum income?

No. HDS does not guarantee any minimum volume of orders, hours or earnings. Compensation is earned strictly per completed delivery — nothing is earned until a delivery is completed and marked complete in HDS systems.

What if an order is cancelled after I have already accepted it?

Eligible cancellations may qualify for cancellation compensation under the current Independent Contractor Agreement, and the agreement treats being physically present at the pickup location differently from being en route to it. Eligibility in both cases is determined from order status and HDS system records — GPS data, timestamps and dispatch logs.

What if the restaurant is not ready on time?

Waiting time compensation applies when you are at the pickup location at or before the scheduled pickup time and the order is not ready. It is measured from the scheduled pickup time — never earlier — and the current amounts are set out in the contractor agreement you accept.

Can I still drive for other delivery companies?

Nothing about working with HDS requires you to stop providing services elsewhere — you decide when and how much you work with HDS. The full terms of your relationship with HDS are in the contractor agreement.

Can HDS change how much I am paid?

HDS may modify, adjust or suspend compensation structures, including the Earnings Floor, at its discretion and subject to applicable law and any required notice. The notice terms are set out in the agreement.

Independent contractor status

Drivers provide services to Houston Delivery Services as independent contractors, not employees. HDS does not withhold taxes, provide insurance coverage, set shifts or guarantee earnings. You are responsible for your own taxes, insurance, licensing and business expenses. The full terms — including compensation, cancellations, waiting time, termination and dispute resolution — are set out in the Independent Contractor Agreement, which you read in full and accept during your application.

Ready to drive with HDS?

Start your application now, or sign in if you already drive with us.