Bus driver to dangerous goods driver
A bus driver already meets 43% of what the dangerous goods driver role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.6/ 100
1 How much of what a dangerous goods 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 dangerous goods driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A dangerous goods driver role treats 9 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
- health and safety measures in transportation
- interpret traffic signals
- mechanical components of vehicles
- operate GPS systems
- perform defensive driving
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A dangerous goods 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.
- already held transport topography services
- already held control the performance of the vehicle working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held perform defensive driving working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held mechanical components of vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held interpret traffic signals assisting and caring
- already held stay alert communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 9 the dangerous goods driver role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 5 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.
- still to learn anticipate foreseeable problems on the road required
- still to learn parallel park vehicles required
- still to learn manoeuvre heavy trucks required
- still to learn practice emergency stops required
- still to learn maintain logbooks required
- still to learn check dangerous goods transport unit required
- optional, not held maintain gas mileage records optional
- still to learn vehicle cargo capacity required
- still to learn hazards associated with loading dangerous goods required
- optional, not held international carriage of dangerous goods by road optional
- still to learn operate emergency equipment required
- still to learn transport dangerous goods required
- still to learn revise certifications for dangerous good transportation required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a dangerous goods driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 anticipate foreseeable problems on the road practise this
- 02 maintain logbooks practise this
- 03 parallel park vehicles practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held control the performance of the vehicle skill
- already held health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- already held interpret traffic signals skill
- already held mechanical components of vehicles knowledge
- already held operate GPS systems skill
- already held perform defensive driving skill
- already held stay alert skill
- already held transport topography knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain gas mileage records optional
- optional, not held international carriage of dangerous goods by road optional
27 held skills the dangerous goods driver role does not ask for
- 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 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 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 read maps skill
- not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role tolerate sitting for long periods skill
- not needed by the target role use communication devices 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.
- still to learn vehicle cargo capacity required
- still to learn hazards associated with loading dangerous goods required
- optional, not held international carriage of dangerous goods by road optional
Other moves recorded from bus driver
- tram driver 72% covered · moderate
- private chauffeur 61% covered · moderate
- taxi driver 60% covered · moderate
- cargo vehicle driver 55% covered · moderate
- school bus attendant 46% covered · moderate
- carriage driver 45% covered · moderate
- passenger fare controller 41% covered · substantial
- armoured car driver 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a bus driver become a dangerous goods driver?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A bus driver already covers 43% of what a dangerous goods driver is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 9 of which the dangerous goods driver role treats as required.
What skills does a bus driver need to become a dangerous goods driver?
11 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 5 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 dangerous goods driver?
Its learning distance is 56.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.