Mehedy Hasan Sahad

9 Qualities Professional Drivers Need To Have Do you like going out on the open road and driving a vehicle? If you do, there is a possibility that you are interested in being a professional driver. But driving as a professional driver requires a lot more than driving as a leisure activity! Being a successful driver comes with a lot of hard work and dedication. After all, this kind of job requires much more than just driving. There are several essential skills you should have to become successful in your driving career. If you wish to become a successful commercial driver, consider developing the skills mentioned below. 1. Great Driving Skills If you desire to be a commercial driver, you are likely to know that you must be a ‘Pro’ in driving skills in order to drive professionally. It may sound easy to do, however, great driving skills require a lot of hard work and practice. You need to know accurately what you're doing when you get behind the wheel of a car, van, or truck. Professional drivers must have excellent driving skills. This ensures their safety, the success of the projects they are working on, and the safety of others. 2. Vehicle maintenance Drivers should be acquainted with vehicle maintenance and be able to conduct any related activities to guarantee that the vehicle is safe to drive. They must be able to do basic things including top up the engine's water, check the lights, and check the oil levels, etc. During a driver's shift, his vehicle may break down or malfunction. It is helpful to have at least basic maintenance knowledge to solve simple mechanical problems that may occur unexpectedly. 3. Familiarity with the Traffic Laws and Regulations If you’re going to be a professional driver, you need to have great knowledge about traffic rules and regulations. Therefore, professional drivers must be familiar with and adhere to all traffic laws to avoid causing loss to the company they work for. They must always remain up to date on new road regulations and laws. 4. Responsibility and Reliability Commercial drivers are responsible and dependable for the things they do on the road. They confront many difficulties over the course of their work, and they must be able to respond accordingly. Not only are they liable for themselves, but also for other people and things in their vehicles. Some companies don’t take responsibility if something happens to the driver on the road for his mistakes. On the other hand, commercial drivers are required to deliver goods or valuable items from one place to another. If something gets stolen or damaged during the journey, the driver is obliged to pay compensation. 5. Physical Strength and Fitness One of the most important qualities of a great driver is physical fitness and strength. A driver spends most of his working hours behind the wheel, driving his vehicle. Apart from that, they are often required to load and unload goods in the vehicle. They are also expected to lift heavy items. Thus, they must be physically healthy and fit for all the work they are expected to do. 6. Concentration Being able to concentrate is what all drivers must have to drive safely. Driving for hours on the road isn’t an easy thing to do. Drivers should be attentive and alert to avoid any unexpected accidents. Their eyes should be on the road at all times and ready for any obstacles. They should also be able to work under pressure and focus on what needs to be done in an emergency. 7. Navigation Being a driver requires you to deliver goods from one place to another, and this includes going to many unknown places. Likely, you won’t know all the roads and places, but to be a good driver, you need to know how to navigate and how to read a map, both digital and analog, to go to any places you are required to. You should have strong navigation skills to refrain from getting lost on your route. 8. Communication While skills behind the wheel are vital for drivers, there are other attributes that are necessary too. For instance, you'll need good communication skills, both written and verbal. As a commercial driver, you need to collaborate with many different people, including dispatchers and customers. While you'll spend most of your time out on the road, when you arrive at your destination you'll often be communicating with a customer and this is a part of your job. You may also be required to deal with difficult situations, such as a customer who is unhappy with your delivery or angry at it being late. A good driver has the communication skills to handle these occasions in a calm and professional manner. Therefore, having good communication skills will help you solve any potential issue. 9. Time-management Drivers are occasionally required to work under tight deadlines, and as a result, they must know how to make the most of their time. You are often required to pick up something from a location for your company. You will often have a strict schedule to follow to ensure that you deliver the goods you are carrying at their destination in a timely manner. Hence, managing time carefully is expected from you. Driving jobs need you to do more than just driving vehicles. It requires you to have a lot of non-driving skills to do the job efficiently. It is wise to consider having these skills to become a successful professional driver. 10 Websites to Find Driving Jobs In Cape Town If you are thinking of getting a driving job, you are at the right place! There are many dedicated employment websites for job listing on which you can find driving jobs. Every day, plenty of jobs are being posted on these websites. I’ve sorted out some of the best websites to find driving jobs here in Cape Town. Make sure you have the skills mentioned above before applying for the job. 1. Indeed.com Indeed is the largest job listing site in the world. You will find numerous driving jobs here. 2. Glassdoor.com Glassdoor is another job listing website. You will find many driving jobs on this site. 3. Pnet.co.za Pnet is a South African job listing site. Every day many driving jobs are posted here. To find available driving jobs in Cape Town, log in to the website, type ‘Driver / Driving jobs’ in the search bar, set the location to ‘Cape Town’, and hit ‘Find Jobs’. 4. Gumtree.co.za Gumtree is mainly an online classified advertisement website, though it has a job listing service in it. To find jobs on this website, you have to click on the ‘Jobs’ menu. 5. LinkedIn.com LinkedIn is the largest B2B social media. It is helpful for you to create a profile on this website if you are currently looking for jobs or want to build up your career. This website will automatically notify you when a job is posted which matches your skills. 6. Careers24.com Careers24 is a South African website for job listing. Apart from job listing services, this website has many courses to strengthen your skills. It also gives career advice and counseling. 7. Careerjunction.co.za Careerjunction is another South African job listing site. Many big companies directly post jobs here. You can browse jobs by category and place on this site. 8. Jobmail.co.za Jobmail is a job listing site for South African. You can search for jobs by keywords and places. It also gives training and courses to the professionals. 9. Adzuna.co.za Adzuna provides a variety of jobs for South Africans. You can find your desired jobs here by searching job titles. 10. Bestjobs.co.za Bestjobs provides a variety of jobs including driving jobs for young individuals who are desired to build a career in this sector. You can apply to any job you like and build up your career!