Let's be honest: the delivery driver market in Canada is more crowded than ever.
In Toronto, drivers report competing with "hundreds of others" for Amazon Flex blocks that disappear in minutes. DoorDash has implemented waitlists to avoid "saturating the market with too many drivers." And everywhere you look, more people are signing up.
So what do you do when there are too many drivers fighting for too few orders?
The Saturation Problem Is Real
The Numbers
- 7.4 million Canadians are now doing gig work (CBC News)
- 22% of the adult population
- Most major platforms have waitlists in busy markets
- Block and order availability has decreased year over year
What Drivers Are Saying
From Indeed and driver forums:
- "It's very, very hard to get blocks. When one shows up, it's only up for minutes."
- "Amazon has hired too many drivers around the world." (Ridesharing Driver)
- "There are too many drivers and not enough orders."
- "Good blocks get grabbed fast — sometimes by bots."
The Platform Strategy
According to Ridester's research, platforms like DoorDash deliberately manage supply: "If DoorDash were to flood small markets with too many Dashers, it would spread the limited order volume thin. This would result in frustrated drivers who are barely getting any deliveries."
In other words: the platforms know there are too many drivers. They're just not telling you.
Why Single-App Drivers Lose
If you're only working one platform, you're:
- Competing with everyone for the same limited blocks
- Sitting idle when orders are slow
- Accepting bad orders out of desperation
- Making the platform's problem your problem
The platforms have oversupplied drivers, but YOU pay the price through lower earnings and wasted time.
The Escape Route: Multi-App Strategy
Here's what the top earners figured out: stop competing on one platform and diversify across many.
Instead of refreshing Amazon Flex for hours hoping for a block, they:
- Work across 2-4 platforms simultaneously
- Always have orders available from somewhere
- Never sit idle during paid hours
- Combine deliveries for maximum efficiency
Step-by-Step: Building Your Multi-App Strategy
Week 1: Assess Your Current Platform
Action Items:
- Track your current earnings honestly
- Count the hours spent waiting/hunting for orders
- Calculate your TRUE hourly rate
- Identify the slow periods on your main app
What to look for:
- When are orders/blocks hardest to get?
- What hours are you sitting idle?
- What's your average wait time between orders?
Week 2: Choose Your Second Platform
The Smart Pairing:
| If You Do | Add This | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Flex | Intelcom | Both are package delivery; similar skills |
| Uber Eats | Amazon Flex | Cover food (evening) + packages (morning) |
| DoorDash | Intelcom or Purolator | Food + packages = all-day coverage |
| Intelcom | Uber Eats | Fill gaps between routes with food |
Action Items:
- Sign up for ONE complementary platform
- Complete any required onboarding
- Learn the app interface and rules
- Do 5-10 test deliveries to understand the flow
Week 3: Master the Timing
Optimal Schedule Template:
| Time | Focus | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 6-10 AM | Package delivery (Amazon, Intelcom) | Morning routes pay well, less traffic |
| 11 AM - 2 PM | Food delivery (lunch rush) | High demand, good tips |
| 2-5 PM | Package delivery or rest | Finish any routes, recharge |
| 5-9 PM | Food delivery (dinner rush) | Peak demand, surge pricing |
Action Items:
- Map out which platforms are busiest when
- Create a weekly schedule template
- Test the schedule for one week
- Adjust based on what you learn
Week 4: Combine Your Routes
The Problem:
When you work multiple platforms, you end up with:
- Amazon packages going one direction
- Intelcom stops going another
- Food deliveries scattered throughout
The Solution: FlexMesh
FlexMesh lets you:
- Scan waybills from ANY carrier (Amazon, Intelcom, UPS, FedEx, etc.)
- Add food delivery addresses manually
- Combine ALL stops into one optimized route
- Deliver everything in the most efficient order
Action Items:
- Download FlexMesh
- When you have multi-platform deliveries:
- Scan all package waybills
- Add any food delivery addresses
- Follow the optimized route
- Track your time/distance savings
Week 5+: Scale and Optimize
Action Items:
- Review your 4-week data
- Identify your best platform combinations
- Cut platforms that don't pay enough
- Double down on what works
- Consider adding a third platform if gaps remain
The Results: Competition vs. Multi-App
| Approach | Hours/Week | Gross | Expenses | Net | Net/Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single app (fighting for blocks) | 30 | $450 | $180 | $270 | $9.00 |
| Multi-app (separate routes) | 30 | $700 | $250 | $450 | $15.00 |
| Multi-app + FlexMesh | 30 | $900 | $200 | $700 | $23.33 |
Key insight: Multi-app with route optimization earns 2.5x more per hour than single-app drivers.
Common Objections (And Answers)
"Isn't it confusing to manage multiple apps?"
At first, yes. But after a week or two, it becomes second nature. And FlexMesh eliminates the route confusion entirely.
"Won't I get deactivated for working other platforms?"
No. You're an independent contractor. The platforms cannot prevent you from working for competitors. Just don't accept orders from multiple food apps simultaneously (quality suffers).
"I don't want to work more hours."
You won't. Multi-app strategy means earning MORE in the SAME hours by eliminating idle time and optimizing routes.
"Sounds complicated."
Follow the weekly plan above. It's designed to add complexity gradually so you're never overwhelmed.
The Bottom Line
The delivery market is saturated. Fighting for scraps on a single platform is a losing game.
The drivers earning $1,500+ per week aren't working harder — they've escaped the competition trap through:
- Multiple platforms = always have work
- Smart scheduling = work peak hours on each platform
- Route optimization with FlexMesh = more deliveries, less driving
Stop competing. Start diversifying.
Sources:
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