There are different forms of jobs that will require a driver. Drivers may fulfil many roles that involve the transport of people or goods. The main qualification for this type of driving is a commercial licence and additional licensing depending on the type of vehicle that is being driven. A bus/van driver and a truck driver are two kinds of drivers that are often used for the transport of people and goods respectively. Other driver’s include chauffeurs who will typically transport wealthier people and also taxi drivers who will transport passengers on a pay per use basis.
A bus driver or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses for a living. Bus drivers normally drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They typically drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In England a different term, coach drivers, is used to describe drivers on long-distance routes and school trips. There are many kinds of bus drivers, including those who work for both public state and federal governments and private enterprise, including charter companies.
In the United States, to obtain a position as a bus driver generally necessitates that the individual be the holder of a commercial driver’s license or CDL and specialized training for the vehicle. Some other forms of educational and vocational training may also be required, however this will depend on the region or place of employment. Bus drivers should also have certain social skills for interacting with their passengers, which is a regular occurrence. In general bus drivers who work for local government transportation agencies earn more than those who work for employers in the private sector.
In the United Kingdom drivers must pass the Passenger Carrying Vehicle or PCV practical driving and theory test. People who have more than three penalty points on their regular drivers license are not permitted to become bus drivers. In the past, before the introduction of one-man buses on many city routes, the bus driver had no actual contact with the passengers, because the tickets were sold by a bus conductor. In recent times many buses are fitted with closed-circuit television in an attempt to protect drivers from an increasing number of attacks on drivers which has become problematic for many British cities because of the decreased desire for professionals to enter the field.
A truck driver or as he or she may be commonly referred to in the United States and Canada as a trucker, a truckie in Australia and New Zealand, a lorry driver or driver in Ireland and the United Kingdom, is a person who makes a living as the driver of a truck, typically a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck. Truck drivers provide a very essential service to industrialized societies by transporting finished goods and raw materials over land, normally to and from manufacturing plants, retail and distribution centres. To become a truck driver a person is should have a license that corresponds to the type of truck that is being driven. The licensing for trucks or HGV will be alloted based on the category of truck that the driver desires to drive. There are two categories N2 and N3 with N2 enabling the driver to drive a vehicle with a maximum allowable mass (MAM) of 12 tonnes and the N3 allowing above 12 tonnes.