(Columbia, Missouri, September 16, 2021) – If you enjoy driving, then a career as a driver may be for you, as they offer great benefits and can be both rewarding and fulfilling. When you work as a driver, you are able to make a positive impact on the lives of others. For instance, some drivers provide safe transportation to school for kids. This keeps kids safe as they travel to and from school, but it also provides some extra time in the day for busy parents.
Similarly, some drivers provide transportation to different destinations for the elderly or those living with disabilities. This helps these individuals live independently and continue to enjoy the things they love, while also freeing up time for their loved ones who would otherwise be providing transportation. For many students or seniors, especially those in the most difficult situations, convenient and low-cost transit is the only thing that allows them to receive an education or other critical services.
As mentioned earlier, driving careers often come with excellent benefits, like good salaries, time off, and other perks. These benefits allow drivers to lead a comfortable life doing what they love. There are also many friendly interactions that drivers get to experience every day on the job, like meeting students, various professionals, the elderly, people living with disabilities, and more. These interactions present the opportunity to build and nurture relationships with these people every day as drivers transport them to their destinations.
At OATS Transit, our mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals throughout Missouri by providing safe, caring, and reliable transportation services. We safely transport passengers to their destinations, treat them with respect and compassion, as well as achieve and maintain maximum standards of performance.
If you or someone you know are interested in a driving career, keep reading to find out the top 7 benefits of a career in driving and why you should drive for OATS Transit.
What Are the Benefits of Driving Careers?
1. Job Security
Driving careers are one of the most readily available and secure jobs throughout the entire country. People are often on the lookout for alternative, reliable commuting services, whether it’s transportation to and from work, a ride to school, getting to appointments, or even help with living independently for older adults and those with disabilities. These are just a few of the many situations that keep the demand for drivers high. Because of this constant need, a driving career offers great job security and stability that you can count on.
2. Good Salary and Perks
A driver's salary might not match that of a white-collar employee in a blue-chip company, but it's fair compensation. Moreover, your pay increases as you gain more experience. Employers also offer additional perks on top of the salary, such as health and dental insurance, paid holidays, sick leave, retirement benefits, and other benefits common among full-time employees. Working as a driver can afford you a comfortable life both now and when you retire.
3. Flexibility
Working as a driver also offers great flexibility, which can be hard to find in other careers. You often only need to be on the road during pick-up and drop-off times. For instance, if your assignment involves picking up the elderly or people living with disabilities and taking them to go shopping, enjoy recreational activities, or to medical appointments, you will only be actively working while driving during those trips.
As long as you can keep up with schedules and consistently be on time, you can enjoy great flexibility, thanks to short working hours with breaks between trips. You can also fill in the breaks by reading a book or the newspaper, listening to music and podcasts, or even doing extra work to earn more money.
4. Minimal Qualifications
Perhaps the greatest benefit of pursuing a career as a driver is that it doesn't require advanced training, such as a college certificate, diploma, or degree. For instance, many driving opportunities only require a valid driver’s license in order to drive trucks, buses, or vans.
Besides the license, other requirements include undergoing an annual physical examination (vision and hearing tests), participating in a drug and alcohol testing program, a criminal background search, and possession of a safe driving record.
These requirements are much less stringent in comparison to the qualifications needed to get into many other careers out there. Even with less required qualifications though, a driver's job still offers impressive salary and growth opportunities.
5. Career Growth Opportunities
Once you begin a career in driving, you open yourself to extensive opportunities in the transport industry. You may start off working for a decently-paying company or organization, but as you gain more experience, you can move on to other high-paying driving jobs.
For instance, you can begin working driving a bus or a van, then move up to corporate and tour buses or even truck driving, which pay much higher. Essentially, the opportunities are limitless. You only need to get into the industry and then build your track record. And, as you explore new opportunities, the salary and perks will increase accordingly.
6. Job Independence
Do you loathe being confined in an office space with supervisors and bosses monitoring your every move? Driving careers offer you a way out. When working as a driver, one of the most important aspects of the job is building your routes. Thanks to technology, this can be done in real-time on an app installed on your vehicle. Once assigned, you then decide on the most efficient routes to follow to pick up and drop off passengers.
If you enjoy your own company, a career in driving will offer you plenty of it, especially during long trips. For instance, you can often plug in soft background music or podcasts and listen while you work.
7. Helping Others
A driving career offers you the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of others, especially when you work for OATS Transit. A large part of our service is transporting individuals with disabilities to workshops, day habilitation programs, or community employment. Our drivers also often take seniors shopping, to medical appointments, or the senior center, helping them to live independently and enjoy the things they love. We also help Head Start kids and college students get to school so they can continue their education.
If you’re looking to make a difference in your community with the work you do, then OATS Transit is the place for you. We are passionate about helping others and making sure they arrive at their destinations safely.
Why You Should Work for OATS Transit
If you’re interested in exploring the exciting benefits of a driving career, OATS Transit offers you the opportunity to actualize that dream. Since the early 1970s, we have been providing safe transport services to passengers across 87 counties in Missouri. We offer convenient transport services that enhance lives by transporting people all around the state, whether it’s getting people to work, driving kids to and from school, or enabling the elderly to live independently by driving them to recreational activities or medical appointments.
In addition to the benefits a driving position comes with, we are sure you'll share in the fulfillment that we find in providing a reliable transport solution for the elderly and disabled individuals in our state. The positive impact we make on our passengers' lives has been our driving force ever since our organization was founded, and we anticipate it will motivate you to give your best in your job.
Some of the benefits awaiting you, should you qualify to work with us, include;
Good salary
Health insurance
Dental and vision insurance
Paid holidays
Life insurance
403(b) tax-deferred annuity plans
Safety bonuses, among many other benefits
At OATS Transit, we are an equal opportunity employer. We offer our driver positions without discrimination based on race, color, sex, age, veteran status, nation of origin, or even disabilities that are unrelated to job requirements. If you're interested in driving for us, check our available positions here and apply today!
written by Dom Lincoln
NonProfitMegaphone
“Enhancing quality of life by providing safe, caring & reliable transportation services.”