Do you want to hire a driver for your medical transport company? If YES, here are driver qualifications to look out for and how much salary you can pay.
Medical transport companies have long been saving the elderly and the disabled the cost of getting from place to place. Being old or bedridden or wheelchair bound should not be a reason to miss appointments or pay exorbitant ambulance costs. This is just one of the reasons that make medial transport businesses very lucrative.
The medical transportation business typically exists to take elderly and disabled patients from their homes to routine appointments and non-emergency checkups, then back again. Patients who use non-emergency medical transportation companies are usually on stretchers, wheelchair-bound, or rely on walkers or canes to move from place to place.
In almost all instances, these folks are simply unable to use traditional transportation services—like taxicabs or buses—to get from Point A to Point B due to their conditions.
When setting up a medical transportation company, one of the most important people to have on board the business is a driver. Of course you can be your own driver, but if you have more than one vehicle, you need to hire drivers for them. Medical Transportation Drivers typically provide payable appointments, while accurately submitting appropriate documentation for each trip via the online portal or to the office if it is thus required.
The candidate hired should be able to quickly, adequately and efficiently operate a smart phone or tablet device, such as an iPad. The employee must be able to obey all traffic laws, must have a valid CDL driver’s license and a clean driving history. The person to be hired must be polite and maintain a helpful overall demeanor when interacting with clients as well as administration.
The driver should have no problems with assisting clients in and out of the vehicles when needed and they have to be on time and equally efficient. The employee should also ensure proper upkeep of the vehicles they utilize by notifying the required authority immediately upon discovering mechanical issues/concerns.
A full-time medical transportation driver will be needed to work approximately 40 hours per week. A part time employee may work 2 – 4 days per week to provide relief for full time drivers and cover additional shifts. Both positions can include alternating Saturdays and maybe Sundays.
How to Hire a Medical Transportation Driver
Successful drivers can positively impact the bottom line of your medical transportation business. This is why it is pertinent that you hire a driver that can present your business in a good and acceptable light. By referencing prior training, managing time effectively, and adapting quickly to unexpected circumstances, a talented driver is able to increase company revenue and conserve resources.
When it comes to medical transportation, exceptional care need to be taken by drivers because of the delicate nature of their passengers. Any mistake in that regard that cost the company a lot in lawyer fees and compensations. For this this reason, a medical transportation company owner needs to be extremely careful when hiring a driver.
These are the qualifications you should look out for in a potential medial transportation driver before you should commit to hiring him or her.
- Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
- Ability to understand and follow traffic rules
- Navigation app, GPS, and route map reading skills
- Vehicle maintenance and troubleshooting
- Time management
- Customer service
- Communication skills
Minimum Requirements for Hiring a Medical Transportation Driver
- The employee shall possess a valid class “A” driver’s license with no restrictions and pass a driver’s road test as required by DOT to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
- A DOT Medical Card
- 21 years of age or older as required by the DOT to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
- Possess a valid DOT CDL Medical Card.
- Five years professional driving experience.
- Demonstrated ability to use basic computer software and applications.
- Demonstrated ability to understand and follow department procedures and practices.
- Demonstrated ability to comply with Intermountain Healthcare’s Motor Vehicle Driver Policy.
- Experience in a role requiring effective verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to load and unload carts and pallets.
- Demonstrated ability to safely drive in all weather and light conditions and therefore must have good vision physical agility and good motor skills.
- Willing to work a flexible schedule
- Must be willing to work weekends.
- Prior work references must be provided.
- A good driving record.
- No more than 3 minor violations in the past 3 years, no major violations in the past 5 years.
- At least 4 years of experience driving ANY vehicle
- To pass a pre-employment drug screen, physical and background check.
- Applicant will be required to obtain and maintain: First Aid Certification, CPR, Seizure Response and Sensitivity training during employment.
- Well Groomed
- Valid Driver’s License
- Clean Criminal And Driving Record
- Have A GPS or a Thomas Guide
- Highly organized with good follow-up skills
- Excellent communication and customer service skills
- Team Player
- Willing to work a flexible schedule
- Must be willing to work weekends.
- Prior work references must be provided.
- Prior experience as a driver
Physical Requirements
- Lifting, sitting, seeing, standing, squatting, kneeling, pushing, pulling, climbing, and walking
How to Find a Reliable Medial Transportation Driver
It is a fact that you cannot find the right candidate for a medical transport service just about anywhere. There are places you have to go through to get the most reliable drivers. They include;
- Medical hiring apps
With everything in the world getting digitized, it makes a whole lot of sense to send out a job advertisement for your medical transportation driver through a mobile app. Just enter your basic information like your pick/drop location, type of booking, and type of vehicle, and you’re all set to go. Listing through a related app will give you better chances of getting a more qualified driver.
- Hire via a website
Using a website to create a booking is similar to booking through an app. There are no manual interventions, and the entire booking process is streamlined with technology. It will also be easy for you if you use a related website.
- Hire a driver on call
This is the simplest way by which you can hire a driver. You can just call a driver service provider in your area and ask them to send you a driver. You just have to tell them your specifications and the nature of the job the driver is to carry out. It is indeed that simple.
- Hire a driver through an agency
An agency acts as a link between the drivers and the customers and it has a collated list of drivers who are available. You can send off a request to them detailing the kind of person you want as a driver and the sensitive duties you want the person to perform for you. It is a fact that not all drivers that fit into the role of a medical transportation driver. Some people just don’t have the patience of empathy.
- Hire a driver through referral
This is the preferred way of hiring a medical transportation driver because there is an already established sense of trust between the referee and referrer. Historically, this has been the traditional way, but websites are always there to help you find the blue-collar help with confirmed background checks and a list of references.
Running Evaluations on your Medical Transportation Driver
Medical transportation is a very sensitive business because of the nature of the people that you business would transport. You should know that if your drivers do not perform well, you and your business would answer for it. This is why it is very pertinent for you to run evaluations on your drivers before you hire them, and even after you have brought them on board. in this business, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Here are ways you can evaluate you medical transportation drivers to make sure that they are performing their duties efficiently.
- Have a Practical Skills Interview
Have the applicant demonstrate basic driving skills when the person has scaled the oral interview. You want to know that the driver can back up, accelerate smoothly through the gears, know how to lock in patients on wheel chairs and stretchers without issue.
- Run the CSA Driver Profile
Run the potential driver’s Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) profile as soon as you are legally able to do so. You undoubtedly have already run a motor vehicle report on all new drivers, however, running that CSA profile (again, once you have obtained legal permission to do so) will assist you in weeding out drivers who have a propensity to accidents, tickets, or other safety-related incidents that can be dangerous to patients and your vehicle.
- On-the-Job Evaluations
Within the first two weeks following the completion of training, have a manager follow the driver on the road. Do not tell the new driver in advance. The purpose of the following is just to evaluate their driving skill and adherence to company policy.
- 90-Day Review
Within the first three months of employment, invite the driver to sit down with management and discuss the job. You might do this as a 90-day review or simply an informal meeting to see how the driver likes the job if they have any input on day-to-day operations, or any comments or concerns.
How Much Salary Should You Pay a Medical Transportation Driver
The average Medical Delivery Driver salary in the united states is ,865 as of November 25, 2019, but the salary range typically falls between $18,943 and $27,392. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years the driver has spent in the profession.
But so far, this should be a guide to what you can pay your medical transportation drivers in the United States, for now.