Life on the road
If you love driving, then consider doing it as a job. If life on the open road takes your fancy, consider one of the following career paths.
Be a taxi driver – two types of taxis, hackney carriages can be hailed on the street, or private hire vehicles must be booked in advance. Licensing requirements vary from council to council, but you will most likely need to undergo a medical check, a Criminal Records Bureau check, and have a driving licence. There may be a test of local area knowledge.
Be a bus, coach, or minibus driver – you’ll need advanced driving skills for this challenge. You’ll need to learn how to handle a larger vehicle and about the safety of your passengers. To be a professional driver, you’ll always have to have the following attributes:
- To be a good driver and be responsible for what they do while driving
- Ability to fully concentrate on what they are doing
- Have reasonable anticipation of what could happen around them
- Patience with other road users
- Confidence in the ability to drive safely
Being an LGV driver – obtaining a licence to drive large goods vehicles can open up many opportunities for driving for a living. You could deliver materials or produce for shops, drive box containers or curtain-sided vehicles, drive tankers containing hazardous materials, or refrigerate produce using a temperature-controlled vehicle. These vehicles will most likely be fitted out with Chapter 8 Chevrons. For more information on Chapter 8 Chevrons, go to Vehicle Chevrons.
Become a specialist vehicle driver – these vehicles don’t fit into the other categories, including agricultural or forestry tractors, road rollers, track-laying cars, and mowing machines. You won’t need a licence to use these vehicles off-road, but age limits exist.
Being a driver means providing a valuable service to many people. You can earn an excellent wage and be out and about every day, which might sound fantastic if you can’t stand being in an office environment. Being a delivery driver, for example, means collecting goods and loading vehicles, planning daily routes for on-time deliveries, keeping accurate records relating to fuel, mileage, and deliveries, unloading goods at customer locations, and returning undelivered cargo at the end of the shift.
You can become a test driver if you’re one of the select few. Test drivers, motoring journalists, and some salespeople will be lucky enough to get paid to drive new cars. Manufacturers use test drivers to check the safety and performance of a wide range of new vehicles yet to be on the market.
