Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other Salary
The median motor vehicle operators, all other salary in the United States is $37,180 per year ($17.87/hour). Salaries range from $26,540 at the entry level to $66,500+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 46,880 motor vehicle operators, all other jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 6% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Distribution
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Annual Openings
Education Required
Training Needed
Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for motor vehicle operators, all others.
Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other (BLS SOC 53-3099) is the residual passenger-driving classification that covers shuttle-bus drivers, limousine and executive-car drivers, valet operators, ambulette and non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) drivers, funeral limousine drivers, and specialty ride-hail seats β anything on wheels moving people that doesn't fit into the taxi, transit-bus, school-bus, or heavy-truck buckets. Typical seats: Uber Black / Uber SUV / Uber Comfort premium and Lyft Lux driver-partners; airport-shuttle operators at SuperShuttle, ExecuCar, GO Airport Shuttle, and Prime Time Shuttle; NEMT drivers at MTM Transit, Access Services, LogistiCare / ModivCare, Veyo, and Verida contracted through state Medicaid transportation brokerages; ambulette drivers at hospital-system contractors; funeral limousine and hearse drivers at Dignity Memorial, Service Corporation International (SCI) locations, and independent funeral homes; hotel and casino shuttle drivers at MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn; campus and university shuttle drivers contracted through First Transit, Transdev, and MV Transportation. BLS reports 46,880 employed with a median of $37,180, p10 $27,760, p90 $56,220. Entry drivers $28-38k; established $38-55k with tips at airport-shuttle and executive-car seats; senior lead / dispatcher $50-72k; owner-operator livery / small-fleet $65-120k+ before expenses. The biggest earnings lever is stacking a CDL Class B with Passenger (P) endorsement, TSA-cleared airport transit access, and a paid-per-trip contract at an executive-car or NEMT dispatcher β this triple stack moves a driver from $32k hourly hourly employer-provided vehicle to $60-95k contract per-trip owner-operator.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
How to Become a Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other
- 1Get a base state driver's license + 3+ years clean driving recordBaseline requirement at every dispatcher and every ride-hail platform. Zero DUI / DWI in the last 7-10 years, no reckless-driving convictions, and typically no more than 2-3 moving violations in the last 3 years. A clean MVR (motor vehicle record) is the gate β many drivers with otherwise strong credentials get screened out here.
- 2Complete a state-approved chauffeur / for-hire driving course + get the state chauffeur's licenseCommunity-college or private-school programs 8-40 hours; $150-450. New York City TLC For-Hire Vehicle Driver course is 24 hours + a state-administered exam. In California, TCP endorsement through a CHP-approved training program plus DMV Class C with Passenger endorsement for 10-15 passenger vans.
- 3Get a CDL Class B with Passenger (P) endorsement for shuttle and 16+ passenger seatsCommunity-college CDL programs 3-8 weeks; $3-7k typically employer-reimbursed at First Transit / Transdev / MV Transportation / MTM Transit. FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) required for first-time CDL applicants since Feb 2022. Passenger endorsement adds 4-8 hours of classroom + a road test at the passenger-capacity you'll operate.
- 4Complete TSA STA + airport SIDA badging if targeting airport-shuttle / airport-livery seatsTSA Security Threat Assessment application $79 + fingerprinting; airport SIDA badge issued by the airport operator after employer sponsorship, drug test, and background check; airfield-driving permit after airport-specific training. Total onboarding 2-6 weeks. Airport seats pay 15-30% above street-livery seats and generate 2-3x the tip volume from business travelers.
- 5Start at a shuttle / ride-hail / NEMT dispatcher at $28-38k + tipsFirst seats β university / campus shuttle at First Transit / Transdev / MV Transportation; airport shuttle at SuperShuttle / ExecuCar / GO Airport Shuttle; NEMT at MTM Transit / Access Services / Modivcare / Veyo; hotel and casino shuttle at MGM / Caesars / Wynn. Uber Black / Lyft Lux driver-partner is a per-trip contractor path β vehicle-owned, requires black-on-black late-model luxury sedan or SUV.
- 6Move into a paid-per-trip executive-car / airport-livery seat at $38-55k + tips3-5 years in seat. Contracted executive-car dispatchers (Boston Coach / Carey International / EmpireCLS / RMA Worldwide / Dav El BostonCoach) run on hourly-plus-tip or per-trip contracts with better vehicles, corporate-account riders, and airport transfers as the bulk of volume. Repeat corporate accounts (bank managing directors, law-firm partners, biotech executives) double utilization.
- 7Advance to lead driver / dispatcher / owner-operator at $50-95k+8-15 years in seat. Lead driver / driver trainer at a shuttle or NEMT operator; dispatcher at an executive-car operator (in-office scheduling and driver management); owner-operator with 1-4 vehicles under a livery permit and TCP / TLC authority. Owner-operators at 3-vehicle scale in a top-5 metro (NYC, Boston, DC, SF Bay, LA) clear $95-165k gross with $45-85k net after vehicle costs, insurance, and permit fees.
- 8Move into fleet management / operations / small-fleet ownership at $65-135k+12-20+ years. Operations Manager at a shuttle / NEMT / executive-car operator; owner of a 3-15 vehicle livery fleet with W-2 drivers; NEMT brokerage subcontractor with a state-Medicaid transportation contract. Small-fleet ownership scales earnings above the driver ceiling but requires DOT operating authority (MC Number), commercial auto insurance ($8-15k per vehicle annually), and workers-comp discipline.
Career Progression
- β’Execute assigned trip manifest β passenger pickup, drop-off, on-time-performance discipline
- β’Pre-trip and post-trip DVIR inspection; report defects to dispatch and shop
- β’Passenger service β luggage handling, wheelchair securement (NEMT), door discipline, quiet-cabin discipline at executive-car
- β’Maintain clean MVR + pass random drug-and-alcohol testing under 49 CFR Part 40
- β’Handle repeat corporate accounts (bank / law-firm / biotech executive riders) with assigned-driver-preference discipline
- β’Airport-transfer volume β meet-and-greet at baggage claim, on-time-performance at 98%+ despite flight-delay variability
- β’Mentor entry drivers on defensive-driving, passenger-service discipline, and route selection
- β’Own vehicle prep between trips β interior cleanliness, water bottles, phone-charger cables, luggage-handling
- β’Lead driver β train new hires; own the on-time-performance scorecard for a driver group of 6-15; audit DVIRs and vehicle presentation
- β’Dispatcher β schedule trip manifests; route optimization; handle no-shows and reassignments; interface with corporate-account clients
- β’Owner-operator β own 1-2 vehicles under a state chauffeur / TCP / TLC permit; contract to executive-car dispatchers (Carey, EmpireCLS, Dav El) on per-trip basis
- β’Handle DOT / state / airport regulatory compliance β DOT physical, drug-and-alcohol program, commercial auto insurance renewals, permit renewals
- β’Operations Manager β run a driver roster of 15-60; own on-time performance, safety scorecard, and driver retention; interface with corporate clients and airport / hotel property managers
- β’Small-fleet owner β hold DOT operating authority (MC Number for interstate) or intrastate authority; run 3-15 vehicles under W-2 driver model; carry commercial auto ($8-15k per vehicle) + workers-comp + garage-liability insurance
- β’Handle regulatory / permit renewals, contract negotiation with dispatchers and corporate accounts, and driver-training program administration
- β’Own P&L for the operation β vehicle depreciation, fuel, maintenance, insurance, permits, driver wages, dispatcher / office staff
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through a typical shift at your last driving seat.technical
Q2. Describe how you'd handle an intoxicated or hostile passenger.situational
Q3. Describe a difficult trip you handled β weather, traffic, or client emergency.behavioral
Q4. Why passenger driving rather than freight / delivery / heavy-truck?culture
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Resume Template β Established Driver β executive-car / airport-livery (3-8 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
- βΈExecutive-car driver at Boston Coach servicing Logan Airport (BOS) transfers and Financial District corporate-hourly accounts; 14 trips per shift avg, 98.4% on-time performance FY24.
- βΈTop-5 driver by client-rating (4.94 / 5.00) on the East Boston roster of 42 drivers; assigned-preference-driver status for 8 repeat corporate accounts.
- βΈCDL Class B with Passenger (P) endorsement + Massachusetts Chauffeur's License + TSA STA + Logan SIDA badge current. NSC Defensive Driving Course DDC-8 completed FY23.
- βΈ$44k base ($22/hr, 40 hr/wk) + $11k in tips + benefits + $150/mo cell-phone allowance. Clean MVR 8 years; zero reportable accidents; zero missed DOT medical exams.
What Gets You Rejected
- βAny DUI / DWI conviction in the last 7-10 years β automatic screen-out at every dispatcher and every ride-hail platform.
- βMore than 2-3 moving violations in the last 3 years β insurance-rating gate; dispatchers pay 15-40% more in commercial auto for a driver with a marginal MVR.
- βAny 49 CFR Part 40 drug or alcohol test refusal or failure in the FMCSA Clearinghouse β lifetime record; blocks return-to-duty at any CDL-required seat until the return-to-duty process is completed with a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP).
- βLapsed DOT medical examiner's certificate β a driver who lets the Med Card lapse creates immediate dispatch-side risk and can lose seniority at a W-2 seat.
- βVehicle presentation failures at executive-car β dirty interior, expired vehicle inspection sticker, missing luggage-handling equipment; a single client complaint on presentation is a coaching event.
- βHistory of on-time-performance below 95% at airport-shuttle or NEMT β the on-time scorecard is the most-audited metric at dispatchers and drops in performance are visible.
- βInability to demonstrate wheelchair-securement / ADA-lift operation at NEMT seats β 4-point tie-down and occupant restraint are the specific documented skills auditors check.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βCDL Class B + Passenger (P) endorsement β moves the driver from 15-passenger van seats to full shuttle-bus seats and typically adds $3-6k to base at W-2 shuttle operators.
- βTSA STA + airport SIDA badge β the airport gate; adds $4-9k in annual tips at Uber Black / Lyft Lux airport queue and $5-12k in tips at executive-car airport-transfer seats.
- βMetro premium β NYC (TLC-plated), Boston (Logan), SF Bay (SFO), LA (LAX + Beverly Hills), DC (Reagan / Dulles), Chicago (O'Hare / Midway), Las Vegas (McCarran) pay 20-40% above US median for the same seat.
- βNEMT specialty premium β wheelchair-securement + ADA-lift + medical-transport-protocol training adds $3-6k over a standard shuttle seat and opens Medicaid-transportation-broker per-trip contracts.
- βRepeat corporate-account assignment β an assigned-preference-driver status for 6-12 repeat corporate riders doubles utilization and adds $8-18k in tips annually vs a random-assignment driver.
- βClean MVR + zero-accident-year bonus β many W-2 dispatchers pay a $500-2,000 annual safety bonus for a zero-accident year; ride-hail platforms surface these drivers to premium queues.
- βOwner-operator path β 1-vehicle contracting to an executive-car dispatcher (Carey, Boston Coach, EmpireCLS, Dav El) on per-trip basis clears $65-125k gross / $35-65k net vs a $44k W-2 driver seat.
- βFluency in a non-English language β Mandarin / Cantonese / Spanish / Russian / Farsi / Arabic-fluent drivers command a $2-5k premium at executive-car dispatchers with corporate accounts in those language markets.
- βOff-hour / graveyard-shift differential β 10pm-6am shifts at airport-shuttle and NEMT typically pay a 10-15% shift differential; some drivers stack this for the earnings and the reduced traffic.
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Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
Top Paying States
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $74,710 | +100.9% |
| District of Columbia | $69,870 | +87.9% |
| Hawaii | $61,110 | +64.4% |
| Washington | $59,730 | +60.7% |
| Oklahoma | $57,550 | +54.8% |
| Utah | $56,140 | +51.0% |
| Arizona | $55,680 | +49.8% |
| New Mexico | $54,270 | +46.0% |
| South Dakota | $53,790 | +44.7% |
| Alabama | $52,100 | +40.1% |
Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Savannah, GA | $74,770 | +101.1% |
| Anchorage, AK | $74,710 | +100.9% |
| Vallejo, CA | $73,280 | +97.1% |
| Salinas, CA | $71,140 | +91.3% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $64,800 | +74.3% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $64,600 | +73.7% |
| Chambersburg, PA | $64,150 | +72.5% |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $62,910 | +69.2% |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $62,460 | +68.0% |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | $62,230 | +67.4% |