As war enters fifth week, those who use own vehicles for work are left scrambling.

Uber driver Leslie Sherman-Shafer drives her Toyota Corolla in Alameda on March 23. Terry Chea -The Associated Press.

By The Associated Press

Leslie Sherman-Shafer, an Uber driver in the San Francisco Bay Area, likes to start each shift with a full tank of gas.

It used to cost her around $25 to fill up her Toyota Corolla. She's spent closer to $40 since the Iran war began and pushed up the average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline by $1. Sherman-Shafer, a retired dental office assistant who picks up Uber passengers five days a week, said she's putting in extra hours to cover the difference.

"We don't get reimbursed for gas. We rely on the generosity of the tip," Sherman-Shafer said. Some passengers have tipped more to compensate for higher gas prices, but most don't tip at all, she said.

Driving a car, van or truck is a big part of many Americans' workdays. Nearly 27% of civilian workers cited driving as a physical demand of their jobs last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Millions of drivers use personal vehicles for their work, from delivery and ride-share providers like Sherman-Shafer to self-employed electricians, nannies, home health care aides and real estate agents.

As the war enters a fifth week and continues to disrupt global oil supplies, many of those workers are now scrambling to make ends meet. The national average price for gas reached $3.99 per gallon on Monday, up 34% from a month earlier, according to AAA. In California, gas prices stood at $5.877 a gallon on Monday, up 27% from $4.643 a month ago.

"With everything going up, it's impossible to save a dime," Sherman-Shafer said.

Some companies compensate employees for using their own vehicles, including the cost of gas. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service sets a standard mileage rate every year that businesses and private contractors can use to calculate tax deductions. Alpine Maids, a housekeeping company based in Denver, pays cleaners the 2026 federal reimbursement rate of 72.5 cents per mile for the distance they drive to clients' homes.

But with gas prices spiking, that money is not going as far, said Chris Willatt, a former geologist who now runs Alpine Maids.

"Our maids drive their own cars, so it's kind of like their paycheck got smaller," Willatt said. "They're all upset."

Willatt said he reduced how often maids must report to the office, from daily to once a week, and rejiggered cleaning assignments so employees aren't driving as far between clients. If gas prices climb further, he said he might increase what he charges customers so he can pay workers more.

Molly Kenefick, the owner of Doggy Lama Pet Care Inc. in Oakland, said she recently raised her gas reimbursement rate to 80 cents per mile for 15 employees who use their own vehicles to pick up dogs and take them for hikes around the Bay Area. The rate increase will stay in place until gas prices in their area drop below $5 for at least a month, she said.

Kenefick said she planned to raise prices for the company's services in May. But she doesn't want to increase them too much because she's worried she'll lose clients. So Kenefick is also dipping into her savings to pay for gas.

"The economy is hard for people. Everybody's under strain," she said. "I can take some of the load and the company can take some of the load, provided this doesn't go on too long."

Ride-hailing and food delivery platforms that rely on gig workers don't reimburse drivers for gas, but some are offering temporary incentives in response to rising gas prices. DoorDash, Uber, Lyft and Instacart are providing more than the usual cash back on gas purchases for drivers who use company-branded debit cards. DoorDash and Instacart are giving a weekly fuel payment to drivers who travel 125 miles or more making deliveries.