Tips in Hiring a Personal Driver

There may be times when you really don't want to tire yourself by driving your own car especially if you travel a lot for business endeavors. With the daily traffic, trouble looking for parking and other things you may encounter on the road, you're most likely already stressed-out before you arrive at that meeting. You may want to consider hiring a personal driver. You can't just hire someone who knows how to drive. Let me share some of the things that, based on my opinion, you may want to consider when you want to hire someone as your personal driver.

The first thing you need to consider is your own security. Make sure you require police clearance and/or any government-issued document that will authentically state that the person has a good record and does not have any criminal records in the past. The history of that person should also be explicitly stated especially if there is previous experience in the job. This doesn't mean though that the person is not qualified but consideration for these cases will be on a personal basis depending on the employer.

Aside from criminal records, if there's a way for you to check the driving history and records of the applicant then do so. Check for the number of tickets this person had, check for previous accidents both the applicant's fault and vice versa. The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in the US or any equivalent government institution handling driving records in different countries may be able to provide you that information.

Another thing that you should consider is the applicant's health. Ask for a medical certificate stating that he or she is fit to work as a driver. Look for specific medical conditions especially when it comes to vision, hearing and mental health. You can always verify the certificate from the physician or the facility but what you can do is to have an impromptu medical check-up. You can pay for it yourself or refer the applicant to a cheap facility for the tests and consultations.

You should also see if the driver can indeed work for you. Try to test him or her out. Ask the applicant to drive you somewhere and try to evaluate the performance based on driving skills, decision making and temper. The latter is among what I'd check out for so I'd try to test the applicant in heavy traffic. One thing that I've personally observed is that employers usually choose applicants who are very familiar with the areas the employer usually goes to. I know quite a lot of them. And of course, it would be a major advantage if the driver you're looking to hire knows automotive repair and maintenance.

In a lot of cases, applicants may be referred to you by a family member or a friend. This will be a bit less risky in a way since someone you know can vouch for that applicant. Check for previous experience and why he or she is being recommended to you. How long has the applicant been working and for whom?

Accepting an applicant as a personal driver will most likely be subjective depending on the employer. We have different preferences but these are just some of the things that you may want to consider if you're looking for a personal driver. If you're having doubts then that's more than enough to investigate more about the applicant.