Hiring a new Driver (Training, Salary etc.)

[carboy]

Originally Posted by GTO

--->o snip o<---

Tx for your replies GTO, but it looks as if you are hiring the driver for your company/firm rather personal.

I would also welcome replies from people hiring for personal use.

[DirtyDan]

Last year I fired a full time driver who later stole money from me. I warned him, he did it again and I fired him. Since then I have hired drivers on a monthly basis when I feel I need them. Sometimes I will hire them for a couple days only for a trip. I hire taxi drivers who have valid licenses and who are known to me or recommended to me. If I find a "keeper" I will pay him 4000-5000 per month to be on call 24/7 and I give him one day off a week plus some holidays that we agree on as we go along. I find them a decent room on the road and they eat what I eat. I tell them not to pass on curves, not to take mobile calls will driving and not to drive agressively. It works out okay so far. I keep the keys, I handle ALL the money.

[bhp1]

Practical thread!
Btw, Im also looking to hire a driver, but they open such big mouths for salaries! How much a month should be ok?

[ECM]

Originally Posted by BAKIYA_2K12

...
A week later when i was in the car i asked him to top up the fuel for 500rs(one note) and again he received some money back and a bill for 500rs.
i got out of the car and asked the petrol guy how much did he fill for he said 500 sir,i asked him to call his manager he suddenly said that the driver asked him to fill for 400 only and got back 100 with a change of 20rs(three note)and 10rs(four note).
...

We should change our habits, personaly I come out of my car while filling it and stand near the front door, this does the job and no way driver can think of taking some off the pocket!

Originally Posted by GTO

Peon type of work. Picking up, dropping off things, cleaning etc etc.

I assign some kind of field work too (without the car of course).

Keep the keys with him. But let him STRICTLY know that he is not supposed to eat or sleep in the car.

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...
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I admire your practical sence GTO.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by bhp1

Practical thread!
How much a month should be ok?

Monthly salary for a full-time driver is directly dependent on the cost of living in the city where you reside

It can start anything from Rs.4k - 7.5k per month depending on which city you live.

When I hired a driver for my parents in Kanpur (a city with relatively low cost of living index), he used to charge Rs.3.5k p.m. (about 4 years ago) - a very sincere chap..

Earlier this year when I was looking for a driver in Bangalore, I came across a lot of characters whom I did not even hand over my car keys, leave alone taking a test of their driving skills.. But one thing I realized was that the going rate for driver's salary was between 5.5 - 8k p.m. in Bangalore (probably having one of the highest cost of living index in the country).

I also noticed that there are a lot of drivers you will come across who have been driving 3-wheelers or tempos and want to upgrade to 4-wheelers - therefore, beware! How do you identify such johnnies? Simple - the manner in which they would try to squeeze the vehicle in slightest of gaps available on roads is a dead give away

All the best for your driver hunt!

[carboy]

Anyone else want to take a shot at my questions.

Originally Posted by carboy

Reviving an old thread. I have gone through existing threads but they don't cover all my questions

I am looking to hire a driver.

- I doubt if I will need him more than a 3-4 times a week, so I was wondering if there is other stuff I can get him to do. Washing the car everyday is one thing - anything else people get their driver to do?

- What does your driver do on the days you just need him for an hour or 2?
Does he go home & wait for you to call him? or does he just wait in the car?

- Does your driver have your car keys through the day or do you just give him the keys when he is actually going to drive you some place?

- Any verifications/checks to do before hiring a driver (other thank checking if he has a license?)
There is talk of police verification in this thread - how does one go about getting that done?

- How many days off do you give your driver - scheduled/unscheduled?

- Is there any contract you get him to sign?

- If you need a wage receipt from him for tax purposes - how do you do that?

- What timings do drivers typically work?

- If some day you don't use the driver during the day at all, but need him for a couple of hours late in the day, do you pay any overtime?

- Do you need to inform your insurance company so that they cover any accidents when he is driving?

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by carboy

Anyone else want to take a shot at my questions.

Hey Carboy,

It seems you need a driver occasionally rather than on a regular basis. If this is indeed the case, as it was with me sometime ago when I was in Noida, I got in touch with a cab agency close to my place and they used to send across a driver (usually the same guy) on a need basis.

Since this agency was close to my place, it took him not more than 30 minutes to reach my place after making a call.. Charges - I think it was Rs. 200-250 for 4 hours.

Almost all your queries would be answered by this arrangement - if at all you intend to go for this kindda setup. And yes, he can give you a receipt from his agency for the charges which you could use for tax purpose.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

Hey Carboy,

It seems you need a driver occasionally rather than on a regular basis. If this is indeed the case, as it was with me sometime ago when I was in Noida, I got in touch with a cab agency close to my place and they used to send across a driver (usually the same guy) on a need basis.

Since this agency was close to my place, it took him not more than 30 minutes to reach my place after making a call.. Charges - I think it was Rs. 200-250 for 4 hours.

Almost all your queries would be answered by this arrangement - if at all you intend to go for this kindda setup. And yes, he can give you a receipt from his agency for the charges which you could use for tax purpose.

I tried looking for something like this in Pune - but couldn't find one.

Even posted this here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...axis-pune.html (Call Taxis in Pune)

but no responses.

Still open for this - if anyone knows any agency which provides drivers, let me know. Even receipts aren't required.

I found one in Pune City, but he isn't ready to come to Aundh.

[sukrit7]

Seems i'm the only lucky one around. Our driver is a gem, drivers very well, is totally against alcohol(my friend in the car was drunk once & driver went mad, said- bhaiya, aapko pata hai na, iske smell se hi mujhe ulte aate hai), we pay him 6k + overtime.
Gto - i don't quite agree with not letting them be free, that isn't fair, they do need their free time as well.
ps- our driver feels both cng & petrol, always returns the change, so the world isn't that bad. we even let him take the car home at times, \
according to me, if u find a nice one, let them be a part of the family.
+ he even makes me teach him english.
I called him a 'good man' the other day, he translated it. Not bad na ?

[bhojraj]

As mr Drifter mentioned , A reference from know people is always good.

Though it looks odd, Try to see the residence of the driver if possible.

Check the original licence if any clauses are appearing.

Thanks and all the best.

[ashish22]

our family driver is a gem of a person and very hard working. The biggest advantage is that he lives 2-3 kms away from our place so he's able to devote 100% to us. Also he's very polite and always proactive for additional work. Apart from driving and keeping the cars clean he also does some petty work in our factory like attaching stickers etc. No matter what work i or my family gives, he makes sure he does it and has never let us down! I think the major factor is that he uses lot of common sense which we hardly get to see in today's world.
and oh he's a very capable and safe driver. Can drive any car from alto to vRS. I believe he's an asset to our family.
mr.pogu since you live in delhi i'll ask him if he knows any good driver around.

[sharan35]

Living in a smaller city like Madurai has its advantages on areas like having a driver. My previous driver was with us for 15 years and he had to quit for family reasons. But still keeps visiting us. And our present driver is with us for almost 3 years now and a very sincere guy too. He does all other jobs like going to the market, grocery store and elsewhere we ask him to. No ego. He's almost like someone in our family. And we see that he is paid a cut above than what's being paid for a driver in the market. Like some replies in this thread, better we dont create opportunities for them to steal like, sending them to fill fuel alone.

These days with so many good cars, its a must that you maintain them well. I see many black colored cars on the roads much more than it used to be 5 years back. Definitely maintaining a black colored car without a driver would be a pain.

Above all there should be some luck to get a good driver. I know some of my friends who have had bad experiences with drivers who treat their kids differently when parents are not close. And if you get a feeling that someone alien is moving close with your family... that makes you feel very insecured.

But if its just to wash your car and dont need a full time driver, there are some services that offer to only wash cars on a daily basis. They come properly equipped and do a good job too.

[Evil]

Unless you are well versed with the local language (not just Hindi but regional ones like Marathi or Tamil), it is preferred to get a driver who is well versed with the regional language. This is helpful in any situation such as an accident, dealing with police or just asking for directions etc.

I personally prefer someone who is well built & is good at a physical fight but that depends upon the nature of your life/preferences.

You need someone who is a safe driver but can also drive very fast when the need arises. The most important characteristic of a safe driver is the ability to separate emotions and state of mind from driving. This means that if he pissed off for any reason at all (bad traffic, problem at his home etc); this must not affect his driving. You can test for this in several ways, such as telling him he will have to put in some hours extra at the last moment.

Treat them respectfully and you will have their respect and goodwill. If they are to run errands, clean the car etc, discuss all this prior to employing them; and issue directions courteously. Agree upon hours of duty, overtime compensation, whether 24 hour availability is necessary etc prior to employment.
Most importantly, never economize on their salaries. If the average salary for a driver in the city is Rs.5000, give them double if you can afford it or at least Rs.6000. This will breed loyalty and will ensure they are happy with the job. Again, don't be stingy with cash. Buy them food, give them bonuses on holidays etc. These people are very poor and can use & appreciate these sums of money more than you can.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by carboy

I tried looking for something like this in Pune - but couldn't find one.
Still open for this - if anyone knows any agency which provides drivers, let me know. Even receipts aren't required.

get in touch with 'Automobile Association of Western India' thier office is in clover centre nect to weset end in camp, try locating them on the net thru they thier bombay counterpart website Western India Automobile Association - WIAA Welcomes You
infact thier Delhi counter part provide host of other services such as cost to cost RTO related service, 24x7 breakdown services and amazingly even passport related service etc

PM me if you can't trace them in Pune

Thanks / Anupam

[Anupam]

get in touch with 'Automobile Association of Western India' thier bombay counterpart website Western India Automobile Association - WIAA Welcomes You

infact thier Delhi counter part provide host of other services such as cost to cost RTO related service, 24x7 breakdown services and amazingly even passport related service etc

they have the fascility of even hiring casual diver for couple of days, you can be assure of the credentials of the driver

else, try finding old retired drivers from MNC who have driven expensive cars of senior officials, u can trust them, the car is safe with them (but i doubt if they will drive 800) but they have limited endurance, you can only use them for for light requirments
they are low on performance but excellent on every other factor.

Thanks / Anupam