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DRIVING JOBS: The good, the bad and the really ugly!

Even if you love to drive, not all driving jobs are to be coveted

Mark Atkinson
Published: June 30, 2015, 11:35 AM
Updated: March 29, 2017, 3:21 PM

DRIVING JOBS: The good, the bad and the really ugly!

Here's a summary of some of the best and worst driving jobs we can imagine. ▲

Driving Jobs

Do you love to drive? Have you ever considered putting your driving skills to work? There are driving jobs and there are driving jobs... some more desirable than others. Some a lot more desirable than others! Here's a summary of some of the best and worst driving jobs we can imagine, along with some pros and cons for each and their average Canada-wide pay rates, where available. ▲

Automotive Journalist

Pros: Let's get this one out of the way right up front. To many of you, we automotive journalists must have the best job in the world. And it does have its perks: getting to drive an incredible variety of new cars, trucks and SUVs, and writing about them; trips to various auto shows around the world, or to new-vehicle launches at a long-list of spectacular venues. Assignments like putting a Corvette through its paces on a racetrack or crawling a new Jeep through the off-road Mecca that is Moab can be incredibly satisfying. Expenses while traveling – including air fare, hotel, meals on-site and internet access – are usually covered by the event's host. In all those respects, it's a great job! ▲

Automotive Journalist

Cons: There’s a reason people joke about auto journalists needing a spouse who makes a lot more money. While there are a few well-paid gigs, a large percentage of auto journos either just scrape by or have to find some other writing or different work to make up the slack. It doesn’t help that an investment of two or three days on a press trip may produce just one story, the fee for which may be mostly offset by airport parking fees, and that most also have to pay for the gas they use while testing vehicles at home base. According to a survey conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) the median fee for a vehicle review is about $350. Simply put, the ROI for time invested is scarily small, making it tough for many to survive doing only this job. ▲

Test Driver

Pros: Being on the inside of how a vehicle rides and drives, whether for an automaker itself or one of numerous suppliers or testing agencies, can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Having some engineering or mechanical knowledge may be helpful but it's not always necessary. Being able to drive safely and consistently and following precise procedures, in a broad range of weather and road conditions, is essential. Pay rates can vary but because the employers typically are established corporations, they tend to be near the top of the range for driving jobs. ▲

Test Driver

Cons: Test driving is not all sunshine and roses, however. Pushing a vehicle to and beyond its limits may be exciting but that's a very small subset of the test driving job, most of which is geared towards evaluating reliability and durability. Vehicles have to be tested not only in different environments and extreme temperatures, but also on multiple road surfaces, including medieval-like roads where drivers are limited to half-hour stints because of the beating they take. And, believe it or not, there’s a real chance of boredom because of the sheer amount of repeated testing all done exactly the same way, often on relatively short road loops. ▲

Stunt Driver

Pros: Talk about living the dream! Having the skills, patience and ability to do things according to plan repeatedly is a major requirement. As is being able to recall the minute details of every step in how a stunt is planned and executed. If you’re able to build a reputation as someone who is reliable with a strong work ethic, you can build a satisfying career. Statistics for Canadian stunt drivers are not readily available, but in the U.S. it can be quite lucrative: the average pay is around $70,000 USD a year, with some earning well into six figures. ▲

Stunt Driver

Cons: Being even an inch wrong in one direction or another can mean a real chance of severe injury or death. And after paying to receive your official training at one of several reputable stunt schools, beginners might struggle to bring in more than $5,000 USD annually. ▲

Pizza Delivery

Pros: The pluses include potentially scoring a righteous tip after arriving at a big house party; and not being stuck in the actual restaurant itself, especially during the sweaty summer months. Many places also require you to use your own vehicle, so if you like driving your car, it works out well, although fuel and wear and tear are on your own tab. ▲

Pizza Delivery

Cons: Stress levels can be high, mostly around things like missing time guarantees. While the customer might enjoy free pizza if it's late, it usually comes out of the driver’s take-home pay, which, given an average salary of $23,317 really is significant. Same with prank deliveries to unsuspecting addresses, or getting stiffed on a tip from rude customers. Other food delivery jobs have a much higher pay scale at $27,396 on average, although they include route drivers who fill vending machines and other orders. ▲

School Bus Driver

Pros: Let’s get the obvious out of the way: in order to even consider being a school bus driver, you have to love kids. There’s no getting around it. And, like the students, you also get a couple months off during the summer. ▲

School Bus Driver

Cons: Those two months off are usually unpaid, however. And beyond the screaming, sometimes nasty passengers, drivers also have to successfully navigate the potentially nastier helicopter parents who religiously deny their prodigy doing anything wrong. Add in the awkward hours, thanks to the required split shifts, and it’s no wonder that keeping experienced drivers is a challenge. The average salary of $33,778 on WowJobs.ca is somewhat lower than most other CDL (Commercial Driver's Licence) careers. ▲

Over the Road/Long Haul Truck Driver

Pros: Piloting the largest and heaviest vehicles allowed on public roads requires a very different set of skills from driving a car or pickup and truckers take pride in their abilities. OTR drivers have some of the highest average salaries among drivers at $51,600.But long-haul truckers are continually trying to balance the distance traveled in a day against the regulations limiting how many hours they can legally be behind the wheel. ▲

Over the Road/Long Haul Truck Driver

Cons: Special licences aren’t cheap or easy to acquire. And, depending on which province the trucks are based in, they could have limiters that prevent excessive speeds. The lifestyle of little physical activity, excess stress, poor nutrition and being away from families for extended periods certainly isn’t for everyone. ▲

Tractor Trailer Driver

Pros: All the same restrictions and challenges as long-haul truckers apply, but there's a better chance of sleeping in your own bed every night. ▲

Tractor Trailer Driver

Cons: Short hauls could be even more stressful since a greater portion of travel may be done in-town rather than on highways. Because of the lack of overnights and associated expenses, salaries average commensurably lower at $41,900 on WowJobs.ca. ▲

Snow Plow Driver

Pros: Getting and keeping roads and parking lots clear during a severe storm is performing a real service that’s integral to public safety and prosperity. There must be a great sense of satisfaction for doing so under pressure. The salary of $39,130 generally also covers other maintenance or construction work during the summer months if on a city or government contract, or landscaping and other outside labour for a private company. ▲

Snow Plow Driver

Cons: The life of a snow-plow driver is one that gets very little respect. They get called in at any hour of the day or night and generally work long tiring shifts in a slippery, cold and dangerous environment. The risk of hitting property or people is very high, as is the potential damage or injury to other drivers who try to get past one on the highway ▲

Dump Truck Driver

Pros: If you were a really big fan of your Tonka toys, there’s a chance of realizing your childhood fantasies by piloting some of the largest vehicles ever made: the million-dollar Caterpillar 797 and other unimaginable machines can be found in the hundreds operating in the oil sands. If you’re working in such an enormous pit mine, then there’s the sheer scope of the project could make up for many complaints. ▲

Dump Truck Driver

Cons: But there's not much to enjoy when driving more normal-sized dump trucks on public roads. The ride is often back-breaking and, when loaded with sand, stone or gravel, it can be maddeningly slow. The job carries an average salary of $37,250 according to WowJobs.ca. ▲

Taxi Driver

Pros: Getting to ignore all the driving laws and parking regulations at will! And sometimes meeting and conversing with interesting passengers. ▲

Taxi Driver

Cons: It's one of the most dangerous driving jobs in Canada. Even in smaller towns there’s always a risk of getting mugged or worse. And a high probability of having to clean out vomit, blood, urine or worse, depending on where and when your shift ends. Some drivers rent time in a registered cab that someone else owns, which means the car gets little or no down time. Repairs not only cost money to fix but every minute spent out of service is potential revenue lost too. In Canada’s largest city, a shift driver makes an average of $31,000 a year according to a report quoted in the Metro newspaper, while WowJobs quotes $36,100 nationally. ▲

Garbage Truck Driver (and loader!)

Pros: It could be worse, you could be the one operating the heavy equipment on the landfill itself. Municipalities are moving towards automated integrated lifts to aid in tipping cans into the trucks. And it's one of the better paying jobs here at $33,035. ▲

Garbage Truck Driver (and loader!)

Cons: Remember chuckling when garbage men started on the whole sanitation engineer rebranding? It's not really funny. There is still plenty of back-breaking labour involved, including yard waste bags, broken objects and containers not designed to fit the standard sizes. Besides the risk of injury, the stench that permeates the truck, the cab and your clothes would turn most people’s stomachs. ▲

Septic Pump Truck Driver

Pros: Um… not unemployed? ▲

Septic Pump Truck Driver

Cons: There’s no amount of money or perks that could convince most people to even consider it as an occupation. But for those who have the constitution, you get our utmost respect, especially since the average salary runs around $23,350 in Canada. It's an even worse job than being on a garbage truck thanks to the requirement of handling all the vacuum intake lines by hand. And the ear-splitting sound of the pump filling a 2000-litre tank, loudly slurping and sucking up all the disgusting sludge in septic tanks and porta-potties? Naaaasty!   ▲
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