How to become a corporate driver | What Qualifications You Needed

Do you enjoy driving heavy vehicles? Would you like to travel to different locations and get paid for it? Do you love to communicate with different people? Are you looking for a lucrative career with just a high school degree? and are you searching for the question “how to become a corporate driver”?

Well, if your answer is ‘YES’, a career as a corporate driver or company driver or commonly known as the truck driver might be for you. In Australia, a corporate driver earns an average salary of $61,000. Also, this career option is expected to grow more in the coming years and lead to more job opportunities across nooks and corners of Australia.

But before you decide to work as a corporate driver and succeed in this profession, you need certain skills like love to do practical work, good knowledge of road rules, good physical fitness, excellent communication skills, customer service skills, and ability to work in a team, good eyesight, safe driving skills, and safety-consciousness.

If you are interested in this career field and have the required skills, the question arises ‘How to become a corporate driver?’  It is not too difficult to become a corporate driver. With the right education and corporate driver training from a reputed organization, you can do wonders in this career field.

Who is a corporate driver?

Today more and more youngsters are choosing this challenging career. A corporate driver commonly drives large goods vehicles or heavy goods vehicles. In Australia, a heavy combination (HC) truck driver has the licence to drive trucks or prime movers. On the other hand, multi-combination (MC) truck drivers are qualified to drive heavy vehicles like pneumatic tankers, road trains, and end tipper trailers.

Apart from being a thrilling job, a corporate driver job can give you a good salary. The average salary for a beginner is around $ 1500 per week.

For experienced drivers, the average salary for a heavy vehicle driver in Australia is $61,000.  Moreover, for heavy combination (HC) & multi-combination (MC) Truck drivers the average salary is around $80,000 to $120,000 approximately. From a monetary point of view, a company driver job pays you much more than the average salary.  Also, to become a company driver there is no need for some fancy degrees. Just a high school degree is enough to choose this career field.

Before you decide to become a corporate driver it is important to get the right corporate driving training.  Here in this article, every small detail related to how to become a corporate driver will be discussed.

Qualifications required for corporate driver:

In Australia, there is no need for any kind of formal education to become a corporate driver. But, there is the requirement of informal training which you can get from corporate driver training courses.

You are eligible to become a company driver if you can fulfil the below-mentioned criteria.

• Must have completed a high school degree.
• You must have an unrestricted driver’s licence from a state-level licensing authority. Each state in Australia has a different authority and the rules and regulations vary from state to state.
• You must have an excellent driving record that highlights your credentials as a responsible driver.
• You must have a clear idea regarding the type of vehicle that you would want to drive. Some of the options include Light rigid (LR), Medium Rigid (MR), Heavy Rigid (HR), Heavy Combination (HC), or Multi combination (MC) heavy machines.
• Depending upon the choice of your vehicle, you must clear the Heavy Vehicle Competency Assessment test. Once you clear the test, you will get a specific truck driving licence. This licence is a must if you want to build a career as Heavy Rigid Truck Driver, Multi Combination Truck Driver, Medium Rigid Truck Driver, or Heavy Combination Truck Driver.
• Along with the licence, you must also complete a Certificate III/IV in Driving Operations through TAFE or from a reputed corporate driving training institute. The particular course is very important as it teaches you to manage fatigue, a common problem that can result from long hours of driving.

In case, you get a job transporting cargoes carrying dangerous substances, then you must have a special licence. Along with a licence, there might be the need for a medical certificate, an eyesight test, a good driving record, and proof of completing the relevant training course.

Duties and Responsibilities of a corporate driver:

When you research how to become a corporate driver, give particular focus on the duties and responsibilities of a corporate driver. It is not everyday driving and you must take the profession very seriously.  Some of the key duties and responsibilities include:

• Taking receipts and picking up the cargo from one destination and delivering them to the desired destination.
• Verifying the loaded cargo as well as checking the condition of cargo throughout the trip.
• Navigating routes with the help of a GPS system can help reach the destination safely and in a short time.
• Must be able to find out the road and traffic conditions beforehand and plan the trip accordingly.
• Being a company driver you must adhere to all road safety rules and regulations.
• Helping during loading and unloading of goods while observing safety requirements.
• A corporate drive also has the responsibility of processing payments in different methods.
• Verifying loading documents, checking the condition of goods, and receiving certification of deliveries.
• Must check that the cargo delivery complies with load limitations and safe weight distribution.
• Taking care of the vehicle is a big duty of company drivers. They must know the proper way to clean and maintain the vehicles.
• They need to keep a record of the servicing schedule and take the vehicle for timely servicing.
• Another important duty of a company driver is keeping a log of travel. All the dates and kilometres must be properly mentioned.

How to learn corporate driving:

When it comes to becoming a corporate driver, there is no requirement for special education. But to operate heavy vehicles,  a special license is necessary. The licence mostly depends upon the type of vehicle you wish to drive.

Also, there is a need for an excellent driving record.  In case you are subjected to any kind of unlawful act, the licence will not be issued or else it will be cancelled.

The government-issued licence is applicable to the particular type of vehicle you want to drive. Also, the licence will specify the area where you can drive. Different states of Australia follow different rules and regulations regarding issuing a licence for corporate drivers.

Contact your local roads and traffic authority. it is very necessary  To know about the rules. You can find information on their official website or you can personally go and visit the officials. Proper knowledge is a must.

In the meantime, you can also enrol at a corporate driving training centre to complete a Certificate III in Driving Operations. This will help a lot in your career graph.

It is advised to begin your career at a local business and gradually move up the ladder for better job opportunities because reputable organisations prefer hiring corporate drivers with some years of experience.

If you are interested in driving for companies that need drivers for jobs like delivering money, moving hazardous materials, or driving limousines, advanced training is necessary.

In Perth, you can find many reputed driving schools for corporate driving training courses. For instance, at Driving School Perth, a Unit of Aventus Driving School, you can find various driving lesson courses to meet the criteria of different people.  The team of authorized driving instructors trains people to meet their career goals.

Conclusion

To become a corporate driver, all you need is a heavy vehicle license!  To get corporate driver training always choose a reputed driving school like Driving School Perth.  This reputed driving school will teach you all the basics of how to become a company driver and even assist you in getting the licence.