Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Bus driver to cargo vehicle driver

A bus driver already meets 54% of what the cargo vehicle driver role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From bus driver
54 % overlap
Partial match
To cargo vehicle driver
10 You already bring
8 Still to learn
19 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

46.7/ 100

1 How much of what a cargo vehicle driver is expected to do is already part of a bus driver’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cargo vehicle driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A cargo vehicle driver role treats 10 of its required skills as things a bus driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • control the performance of the vehicle
  • interpret traffic signals
  • mechanical components of vehicles
  • operate GPS systems
  • read maps
  • road traffic laws

What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cargo vehicle driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bus driver background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held transport topography services
  • already held control the performance of the vehicle working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held mechanical components of vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held use communication devices working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held interpret traffic signals assisting and caring
  • already held stay alert communication, collaboration and creativity

All 10 carried skills, including the 10 the cargo vehicle driver role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 9 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn anticipate foreseeable problems on the road required
  • still to learn parallel park vehicles required
  • still to learn practice emergency stops required
  • optional, not held manoeuvre heavy trucks optional
02 management skills 2 required
  • still to learn supervise loading of cargo required
  • still to learn supervise unloading of cargo required
03 services 2 required
  • still to learn types of cargo required
  • still to learn vehicle cargo capacity required
04 business, administration and law 1 required
  • still to learn road transport legislation required
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a cargo vehicle driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held control the performance of the vehicle skill
  • already held interpret traffic signals skill
  • already held mechanical components of vehicles knowledge
  • already held operate GPS systems skill
  • already held read maps skill
  • already held road traffic laws knowledge
  • already held stay alert skill
  • already held transport topography knowledge
  • already held use communication devices skill
  • already held use different communication channels skill
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held manoeuvre heavy trucks optional
26 held skills the cargo vehicle driver role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adhere to transportation work schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
  • not needed by the target role assist disable passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role assist passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role clean road vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate clearly with passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
  • not needed by the target role drive in urban areas skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure vehicle operability skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure vehicles are equipped with accessibility equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role focus on passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations skill
  • not needed by the target role keep time accurately skill
  • not needed by the target role lift heavy weights skill
  • not needed by the target role manoeuvre bus skill
  • not needed by the target role organise vehicle breakdown support skill
  • not needed by the target role passenger transport regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform defensive driving skill
  • not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
  • not needed by the target role promote the use of sustainable transport skill
  • not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
  • not needed by the target role provide information to passengers skill
  • not needed by the target role tolerate sitting for long periods skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn road transport legislation required
  • still to learn types of cargo required
  • still to learn vehicle cargo capacity required
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a bus driver become a cargo vehicle driver?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A bus driver already covers 54% of what a cargo vehicle driver is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 10 of which the cargo vehicle driver role treats as required.

What skills does a bus driver need to become a cargo vehicle driver?

8 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is anticipate foreseeable problems on the road.

How hard is the move from bus driver to cargo vehicle driver?

Its learning distance is 46.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.