How to Hire a Driver to Drive You in Your Own Car

Hiring a driver to drive you in your own car is a much different experience than hailing a cab or using an Uber.  When hiring a personal driver for your own vehicle, you will need someone who is respectful of your personal space, and who takes extra caution with your property.  The benefits of being driven in your own vehicle are immense, and range from reduced cost to increase comfort.  Whether you want to turn your car into a mobile workstation or just really love your spacious SUV, the experience is incomparable.

Having completed over 100,000 rides for over 10,000 clients, you could say we have a pretty good idea of ‘workflow’ of making our clients happy.  As a company, we focus on bringing on a diverse set of skilled professionals, but we know each client is different.  While most people don’t like a chatty driver, there are clients out there who enjoy a gregarious driver.  Some people hate it when their driver shows up in a suit, and some clients don’t trust any driver under 40.  As a company it’s our job to match our clients with the best fit, but it always makes it easier if clients have a good idea of what they are looking for from us.

Here are 5 steps you can take to make sure your time is maximized, your stress is eliminated, and your goals are achieved.

1. Your Driver's Personality

This is the hardest part, and also the part that most people skip, but leads to the most issues.  A lot of the time, we will point blank ask clients this question, especially if they plan on using their driver frequently.  Unfortunately, when put on the spot, most people can’t articulate what kind of person they get along with the best.  And that’s just fine!

I definitely don’t recommend going down the rabbit hole that is online personality quizzes, but in our experience, the best driver for you is usually the one most like you.  We’ve seen this work well in the past.  Are you generally quiet?  Are you the gregarious life of the party?  Do you hate driving above the speed limit?

2. Your Driver in Context

Ok, so general personality compatibility is good, but we all wear many hats, and sometimes those hats make us act a little different.  I know when I am on my way to an important meeting, my personality is not the same as when I’m on my way to a Mets game.  

When you are hiring your driver, think of the occasion, and try to identify what’s your most important need.  If you’re heading to a long day of appointments and then on to the airport, you will want someone who is a navigational genius, because complexity kills, and you need every advantage you can get.  You’re all about business today, and you probably don’t have the bandwidth to tolerate anything other than logistical perfection.

Conversely, if you’re picking up some friends and heading downtown for dinner, some bar hopping, and a concert, you’ll want someone who is a little more fun, who is patient, and who is open to going out of their way to making your night the best it can be.

3. Finding the Best Driving Service

Before you can start making your requests, you will need to find the best service provider.  Sure, you can always post an ad on Craigslist, but we all know where that goes.  You will get responses from unknown, unvetted, and potentially risky drivers.  You may find a diamond in the rough, but chances are you will not be hiring your ideal driver this way.

The most important aspect of a driving service is their longevity and their client feedback.  You hire a professional company because they do the screening for you, but if the company hasn’t been around long enough, they will not have the data to back their claims.  You want to find a company with drivers that have been reviewed by clients like you.  You want to find a company that has a defined quality assurance plan.  

The next most important consideration is the company’s footprint in your area.  When you finally contact the company, we hope you’re going to have some specific criteria for your driver.  If the company you call only has one or two drivers in your area, your options are going to be limited.  Sometimes companies that advertise a national footprint only have a token presence in the areas they claim to serve.

While there are other factors, the third main factor is customer service.  Read the reviews, and find out which companies excel in personalizing the experience.  You can go with an app-based company, but if you really want to get the most out of your time, you’re better off speaking with a human and letting them know your arrangements and needs so they can find the personal driver just for you.

4. Take Your Driver for Test Run

This step is extremely important for clients looking for a regular driver.  When I say regular, it could once a day, once a week, or once a month.  In the end, you are looking for a driver you can rely on, who can get to know your routine, and who you can feel comfortable with.

In our experience, many clients will start off with a small trip, like going to the airport or getting a ride to work.  Once you have given us your criteria, we will match you with the best fit, but the only way to be sure is to actually take a ride with them.  We find that 99% of the time (ok I made that up but it is almost always) we get the right driver and the client is happy.  Psychologically, this is a nice way for you to ease into using a service without making any big commitments.

5. Driver Retrospective - Don’t Settle for Less

The final piece of the puzzle is to make sure you don’t settle for less.  If you were less than thrilled about your driver, ask for another one!  There is nothing rude about this, it is our job to make you happy, and if you’re not totally in love with the service, let us know.  

At iDriveYourCar, our system tries to pair you with drivers who you’ve had a positive experience with in the past.  On the other hand, we will never send you a driver who you’ve rated less than 5/5 in the past.  At our company, as we assume it is with others, we will never share your negative review with a past driver.  Drivers will receive a quarterly undated summary of their reviews, and any common phrases that appear in their comments.  Expecting the best is your right as a customer, and you deserve only the most professional personal driver.

I hope next time you think you may need a driver, you follow our buying guide and get the most out of the service.  To find out more about how we can help you hire a driver, please check out our Chauffeur Placement page and feel free to drop us a line anytime.