5 July 2023

What are the requirements to become a Chauffeur driver

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If you enjoy driving and want to get involved in a public-facing profession, the Chauffeur driver is definitely an option to consider. Meeting the requirements to become a Chauffeur driver is the first thing to do when approaching this profession.

In order to get the Chauffeur driver license, you will have to meet a number of requirements, of both personal and professional nature. These requirements can vary in each country. In some countries, for example, you’ll have to have reached a specific age, but also have an additional license other than the normal one to drive motor vehicles.

Here’s the list of the requirements of a Chauffeur driver and useful skills to do this job successfully.

What does a Chauffeur driver do

The Chauffeur service is a service that allows you to rent a car and a private driver to handle a transfer or a trip.

The Chauffeur driver is a professional who practically manages the journey: his task is to listen and accommodate the customer’s mobility requests, accompanying him wherever he requires.

Among the Chauffeur driver’s duties:

Accompany the customer or a group of customers to their destination, picking them up from their chosen place of departure;
Define the best itinerary to manage the transfer;
Take care of the passengers’ needs, ensuring maximum levels of comfort and privacy;
Manage car maintenance and inspection activities, ensuring the safety of the vehicle.

Chauffeur driver’s requirements to practice the profession

The laws regarding becoming a Chauffeur driver vary depending on the country where you intend to work. The typical requirements include:

Holding a valid driver’s license for a minimum of three years
Being at least twenty-one years old
Possessing a thorough knowledge of local geography
Holding a valid permit or license for the profession
Meeting the physical criteria required for the job. For example, in London, you must adhere to the standards set by DVLA Group 2
Having a clean criminal record.

Personal requirements

You will need to be at least 21 years old to be a Chauffeur driver. This requirement is directly related to the years of “seniority” in driving: at least three years.

In addition, you will need to meet specific moral requirements, such as having no criminal records.

Finally, you will have to prove that you have fulfilled your compulsory education by certifying that you have attended a certain number of years of school; at least a middle school diploma is required.

The license

In some countries you’ll need to have an additional license to practice the profession. For example in Italy you’ll have to have the KB certification. It is an additional license to the B that is obtained by passing a written and oral exam.

The skills of a Chauffeur driver

Speaking of Chauffeur driver’s requirements, it is also essential to delve into everything related to expertises, that is, what you will need to be able to do to do this job to the best of your ability.

We can divide the Chauffeur driver’s skills into two groups:

The hard skills of a driver, i.e., the technical skills directly related to your role
Soft skills, which are the “horizontal” skills that relate to you personally and are not specific to your profession.

Let’s look at some examples together.

Hard skills of a Chauffeur driver

Speaking of hard skills, the expertises of a private Chauffeur driver are:

Knowledge of the Highway Code and laws: a good driver is fully aware of the Highway code and knows how to drive safely, respecting the limits;
A safe driving style, coupled with the ability to react promptly to emergency or unexpected situations, are two excellent requirements for a Chauffeur driver;
An excellent sense of direction and a deep knowledge of toponymy;
Knowledge of the vehicles he drives. A driver will need to be familiar with routine maintenance procedures, keep track of periodic checks to be made, and handle situations of mechanical incidence, breakdowns, or road problems that might occur suddenly.

Soft skills of a Chauffeur driver

Speaking of soft skills, a driver must:

Communicate at best with customers. A good driver has excellent communication and expressive skills. His job is to listen carefully to customers’ instructions and requests and to provide information related to the trip;
Anticipate customers’ wishes and needs, ensuring a pleasant travel experience;
Know how to respect customers’ privacy and be confidential;
Be flexible and adapt quickly to itinerary changes and possible unforeseen events;
Have excellent standing and know the “code of conduct” of a driver to handle important personalities such as politicians, VIPs and celebrities. In this regard, if you want to acquire this knowledge, the LiMO course is what you need.

Become a Chauffeur driver and run your business with LiMO

Now that we have seen all the Chauffeur driver’s requirements, you can approach the profession and get off on the right foot by joining the LiMO community.

LiMO is the largest Italian community of Chauffeur drivers. By joining LiMO, you will have access to several opportunities for professional growth, thanks to the software for drivers and a marketplace where you can exchange rides with other drivers.