How to Hire a Driver for Your Company: Licence Checks, Pay and Interview Questions

"Driver" covers very different jobs. A chauffeur for a managing director needs polish, discretion and flexible hours. A staff cab driver needs punctuality and knowledge of pick-up routes. A tempo or truck driver needs a transport licence, loading awareness and stamina for long trips.

Write down the vehicle, the typical day, the start and end time, whether outstation trips are involved and whether the driver will also handle small tasks like bank runs or courier drops. These details shape the licence you need and the pay you should offer.

• Personal or executive driver: car (LMV), flexible hours, good grooming and manners.
• Staff transport driver: LMV or bus licence, fixed routes, early starts or late drops.
• Goods vehicle driver: transport licence for the vehicle class, loading and paperwork awareness.
• Outstation driver: comfort with highways, night driving rules and overnight halts.

Make sure the candidate's licence covers your vehicle. A licence for light motor vehicles is the usual requirement for cars and many small vans, while heavier goods and passenger vehicles need the appropriate transport category. If you are unsure which class your vehicle needs, check with your RTO or the vehicle dealer.

Verify every licence online through the Parivahan Sewa website or the mParivahan app. You can confirm that the licence is genuine, valid and covers the right class. Look at the issue date too; it tells you how long the person has actually been licensed, which is a better guide than the experience they claim.

1. 1Ask for the original licence and a clear photo of both sides.
2. 2Check it on Parivahan or mParivahan for validity and vehicle class.
3. 3Compare the name, date of birth and photo with Aadhaar or another ID.
4. 4Note the licence expiry date and set a reminder before renewal is due.
5. 5For goods or passenger vehicles, check any additional badge or endorsement required in your state.

Drivers want to know the vehicle, the hours, the area and the pay. Be honest about early starts, late nights and weekend duty. Hidden surprises are the main reason drivers resign in the first month.

On BetterJobs, you can type a short line like "Driver for company Innova, Gurugram, 9 to 7 with occasional outstation" and the AI drafts a full job description in a few minutes. Your post also appears on Google Jobs, where many drivers search.

• Sample headline: Company Driver – Innova – Gurugram – Day Duty with Occasional Outstation
• Requirement line: Valid LMV licence with at least three years since issue, knows Delhi NCR routes.
• Pay line: Monthly salary plus overtime after 10 hours and outstation allowance per night (state your figures).
• Facility line: Driver rest area, weekly off, PF and ESI as applicable.

Never hire a driver without sitting in the vehicle with them. Use the actual vehicle they will drive and a route that includes traffic, a narrow lane, a U-turn and parking. Twenty minutes is usually enough to see how they handle the car and the road.

Watch for smooth braking, mirror use, lane discipline, use of indicators, speed in busy areas and phone use. A driver who glances at their phone during a test will do it far more on a normal day.

• Starts only after seat belts are on and mirrors adjusted.
• Keeps a safe distance and does not tailgate.
• Handles reverse parking calmly without repeated corrections.
• Respects red lights and pedestrian crossings even when the road is empty.
• Does not use the phone while driving.

Driving skill is only half the job. Punctuality, honesty with fuel and expenses, and calm behaviour in stressful traffic matter just as much. Ask practical questions and listen for responsible, specific answers.

Ask for one or two previous employers' numbers and call them. A short question such as "Was he on time, and would you trust him with your family?" works well.

• "Your passenger asks you to drive faster because they are late. What do you do?"
• "You have a minor scrape in a parking lot and no one saw it. What would you do next?"
• "How do you keep track of fuel, toll and parking expenses?"
• "What basic checks do you do on the vehicle before a long trip?"
• "Have you ever had a challan or accident? What happened?"

Drivers in India often work long, uneven hours, so be specific. Define normal duty hours, when overtime starts, how it is calculated, what happens on outstation nights and how a weekly off is given. Write this in the appointment letter to avoid disputes later.

As a rough guide only, company car drivers are often offered around ₹15,000–₹25,000 a month in metros, with experienced executive drivers and heavy vehicle drivers sometimes earning more. Pay varies by city, hours and vehicle, and must not fall below your state's minimum wage for the category.

Where applicable, EPF (12% of basic plus DA from each side, subject to wage ceiling rules) and ESI (for employees earning up to ₹21,000 a month) apply to company drivers too. Working hour and overtime rules are now also shaped by the Labour Codes in force since 21 November 2025, so check the latest notifications or consult a payroll professional.

Keep the vehicle's insurance, PUC, fitness certificate and permits up to date, and make sure the driver knows where the papers are kept, physically or in DigiLocker. Set a clear rule on alcohol and phone use, and explain that breaking it means immediate action.

Maintain a simple logbook or app record of trips, fuel and kilometres. It protects the driver as much as the company if questions come up. For larger fleets, consider adding a mechanic for routine maintenance or hiring separate delivery boys for last-mile drops so drivers focus on longer routes.

Some warning signs show up early if you look for them. A licence issued only a few months ago while the candidate claims eight years of experience is one. Vague answers about why they left their last two jobs, or a reluctance to share a previous employer's number, are others.

During the road test, watch for impatience: honking constantly, cutting lanes or arguing with other drivers. These habits rarely improve once the driver is alone with your vehicle. Also notice whether the candidate arrives on time for the test itself; a driver who is late for an interview is often late for pick-ups.

Expense handling is the other area to watch. If a candidate seems unclear about keeping fuel bills or toll receipts, set up a simple system from day one, such as fuel cards, FASTag recharge by the company and a weekly expense sheet shared on WhatsApp.

• Licence issue date does not match claimed experience.
• No reference you can actually call.
• Phone use or aggressive driving during the test.
• Late arrival for the interview or road test.

Good drivers are loyal when they feel trusted. Pay overtime on time, give them a place to rest and eat, and avoid calling them at midnight for non-urgent work. A small festival bonus and a word of thanks after a long outstation trip go a long way.

If you need drivers in several cities, post location-specific jobs, for example to hire drivers in Delhi, and manage applicants in one place.