Ambulance Driver Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
An ambulance driver job description is harder to write honestly than it looks, because the person driving an ambulance is very often an EMT, not a separate driver. The driver-only role does exist — it is a small occupation, and it depends on your state’s staffing rules. This page explains where the role fits, gives you a template to copy, and covers what it pays.
Ambulance driver or EMT? Be honest about which job you have
The federal occupation is ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians (SOC 53-3011). BLS counted 14,300 of them in 2025. The same projections count 181,900 emergency medical technicians (SOC 29-2042). That gap reflects how many services staff their trucks: the driver is one of the EMTs, and the two crew members swap seats.
The legal floor explains why a driver-only seat is possible at all. Medicare’s ambulance rule, 42 CFR 410.41(b), requires a vehicle furnishing ambulance services to be staffed by at least two people who meet state and local requirements, and at least one of them must be certified at minimum as an EMT-basic for a basic life support vehicle, or as a paramedic or EMT authorized for advanced life support on an ALS vehicle. The second seat is left to state and local law.
So before you post, check three things: what your state EMS office requires of the second crew member, what your payers and contracts require, and what your medical director will accept. If your state requires both crew members to be certified, you are hiring an EMT, and our EMT job description is the right template. If it allows a certified driver or emergency vehicle operator in the second seat, the rest of this page is for you.
What an ambulance driver does
O*NET’s reported titles for the occupation include ambulance driver, driver medic, emergency care attendant (ECA), emergency vehicle operator, EMS driver, chair car driver and medical van driver. The task list is not just driving. Rated most important:
- Placing patients on stretchers and loading them into the ambulance, usually with help
- Replacing supplies and disposable items on the unit
- Accompanying and assisting EMTs on calls
- Earning and maintaining the required certifications
- Driving the ambulance, or assisting the driver, to transport sick, injured or convalescent people
- Giving first aid such as bandaging, splinting or administering oxygen
- Changing soiled linens and equipment, cleaning the rig, and doing minor vehicle maintenance
- Reporting the facts of accidents or emergencies to hospital staff or police
The work context is closer to EMS than to driving jobs.
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Working in an enclosed vehicle | 98% every day |
| Decisions that affect other people | 93% every day |
| Dealing with the public rated extremely important | 89% |
| Physically very close to others (near touching) | 87% |
| Exposed to disease or infections | 86% every day |
| Very high responsibility for others’ health and safety | 78% |
| Distracting or uncomfortable noise | 64% every day |
Those numbers are the case for writing this posting like a clinical support job, not a driving job. Infection exposure, lifting patients and working inches from strangers in distress are what a candidate needs to know before applying.
Ambulance driver job description template
Copy this into your ATS, replace the bracketed fields and delete what your state does not allow. It assumes a certified driver or emergency vehicle operator working alongside an EMT or paramedic.
Job title
Ambulance Driver [/ Emergency Vehicle Operator / EMS Driver] — [Shift pattern], [Service name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Service name] is hiring an ambulance driver to operate our [BLS / ALS / non-emergency] units in [service area]. You get the crew and the patient there safely, help move and care for patients alongside our [EMTs / paramedics], and keep the unit stocked, clean and ready for the next call.
[Shift pattern, e.g. 24 on / 48 off or 12-hour days]. [Pay range]. [Whether we pay for EMT certification if you want to move into the patient-care seat.]
What you will do
• Drive the ambulance safely in emergency and non-emergency mode, following state law and our emergency vehicle operating policy
• Complete the vehicle and equipment check at the start of every shift
• Help load, secure and unload patients on stretchers and stair chairs
• Assist the [EMT / paramedic] with patient care within your certification, including [CPR / first aid / oxygen]
• Restock supplies and clean and disinfect the unit after every call
• Report vehicle problems and do minor maintenance
• Communicate with dispatch and hospital staff by radio and phone
What you need
• Valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets our insurance standard: [standard]
• [State-required driver credential, e.g. emergency vehicle operator certification, EMR, or none]
• [CPR / BLS certification, or completion within X days of hire]
• [Emergency vehicle operator course completion, or completion during orientation]
• Able to lift and move patients with a partner, up to [weight] with equipment, and to work in all weather
• [Minimum age required by our insurer, if any]
Nice to have
• EMT certification or enrollment in an EMT course
• Experience in patient transport, healthcare or professional driving
• Knowledge of [county / service area] streets and facilities
What we offer
• [Pay range], [overtime and shift differential]
• [Paid EMT course, and the pay step when you certify]
• [Benefits and eligibility date]
• [Shift schedule and how trades work]
How to apply
[One step. Name, phone, license yes/no, certifications held.]
Ambulance driver requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Driver’s license and record | Required. State your insurer’s motor vehicle record standard in the posting; it is the most common disqualifier. Our guide to MVR checks covers how the check works. |
| Certification | Set by your state and your service. List exactly what is required at hire and what you will train. O*NET’s education survey for the occupation shows 36 percent of respondents saying a post-secondary certificate is required, 24 percent a high school diploma and 15 percent less than a high school diploma. |
| Emergency vehicle operator training | NHTSA publishes an Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (Ambulance) national standard curriculum, recommended for anyone who operates an ambulance; states and services adopt and adapt it. If you run your own version, say it is provided at orientation rather than requiring it at hire. |
| CDL | Only if the unit meets the federal commercial motor vehicle definition in 49 CFR 383.5: a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or designed for 16 or more passengers including the driver. Check the weight rating plate on your units before writing “CDL required.” |
| Experience | BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training and no prior experience as typical. Ask for none; train it. |
| Background check | Expected in patient care. Say so in the posting. Our guide to healthcare background checks covers what is commonly required. |
Customizing it by setting
911 and emergency response
Emergency driving is the core risk. Name your emergency vehicle operating policy, your call volume and your shift pattern. Many 911 services will want the second crew member certified, so check your state rules before using a driver-only title here at all.
Interfacility and scheduled transport
Hospital discharges, dialysis runs and transfers between facilities, mostly in non-emergency mode. This is where driver and attendant roles are most workable. Emphasize patient handling, punctuality and working with facility staff.
Wheelchair van and non-emergency medical transport
If the vehicle carries seated or wheelchair passengers and is not an ambulance, the job is closer to a medical shuttle driver. Our shuttle driver job description covers that role, including when a larger van needs a CDL.
Hospital-based services
Hospital-run ambulance services often combine driving with in-building transport between runs. Say so, and see the patient transporter job description for the in-building half.
What ambulance drivers earn
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except EMTs, had a median wage of $35,450 a year, about $17.04 an hour, in May 2025. Emergency medical technicians had a May 2025 median of $44,470. That second number is what your driver becomes worth once certified, and it belongs in your posting as the reason to take the job.
BLS projects the driver and attendant occupation to decline 1.3 percent, from 14,300 in 2025 to 14,100 in 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year. EMTs are projected to grow 5.8 percent over the same decade, with about 13,800 openings a year. The driver-only role is shrinking while the certified role grows. The typical entry education BLS lists for EMTs is a postsecondary nondegree award. Our analysis of the EMT shortage covers the staffing picture in more depth.
What it costs to reach an ambulance driver
Our benchmark has no role family for EMS drivers, so the closest fit is the sector. Healthcare & Senior Living campaigns ran a median cost per applicant of $15.42 on Meta, with the middle half between $7.89 and $39.61, a blended figure of $11.47 and a 16 percent apply rate, across 553 campaign-months. The all-role median is $13.88.
The lever is the application. Across the benchmark, applicant conversion explains about 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. Ask about the license and the certification on a short form; leave everything else to the phone screen.
Staffing the rest of the crew? See the EMT and paramedic job descriptions, EMT interview questions, and healthcare recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document. The ad has to stop someone who was not looking for an EMS job.
- Lead with the shift pattern and pay. Schedules like 24 on, 48 off are a recruiting point in their own right.
- Say what you pay for: EMT course, CPR, emergency vehicle operator training.
- Name the step: “Start as a driver, certify as an EMT, move up a pay grade.”
- One-step application with a license question.
The full argument is on job ad copywriting.
Frequently asked questions
What should an ambulance driver job description include?
The certification your state requires for the driver seat, the shift pattern and pay, the emergency and non-emergency driving duties, patient lifting and first aid duties, the driving record standard, whether you provide emergency vehicle operator training, and whether you pay for an EMT course.
Do ambulance drivers need to be EMTs?
Often, but not always. Medicare’s rule in 42 CFR 410.41(b) requires two crew members who meet state and local requirements, at least one of them certified as an EMT-basic or higher. Whether the second crew member, often the driver, must also be certified depends on state and local law and on the service. Many services staff both seats with EMTs.
What does an ambulance driver do?
They drive the ambulance in emergency and non-emergency mode, help load and unload patients on stretchers, assist EMTs and paramedics with first aid, restock and clean the unit, do minor vehicle maintenance, and report details of incidents to hospital staff or police.
How much do ambulance drivers make?
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except EMTs, had a median wage of $35,450 a year, about $17.04 an hour, in May 2025. Emergency medical technicians had a median of $44,470.
What is EVOC training?
EVOC stands for emergency vehicle operator course. NHTSA publishes an Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (Ambulance) national standard curriculum, recommended for anyone who operates an ambulance, which states and services adopt and adapt for their own training.
Do you need a CDL to drive an ambulance?
Only if the ambulance meets the federal commercial motor vehicle definition in 49 CFR 383.5: a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or a vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver. Check the weight rating on your units.
Is ambulance driver a growing job?
No. BLS projects the ambulance driver and attendant occupation to decline 1.3 percent between 2025 and 2035, to 14,100 jobs, while EMT employment is projected to grow 5.8 percent.
What qualifications does an ambulance driver need?
A valid driver’s license with a clean record, whatever certification the state requires for the driver seat, usually CPR, the ability to lift patients with a partner, and comfort with infection exposure and emergencies. BLS lists a high school diploma and moderate-term on-the-job training as typical.
How much does it cost to recruit an ambulance driver?
We do not have an EMS driver role family, so the closest benchmark is the sector: Healthcare & Senior Living campaigns ran a median of $15.42 per applicant on Meta, with the middle half between $7.89 and $39.61 and a 16 percent apply rate.
Other job description templates
Hiring ambulance drivers and EMTs?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of people who are not on a job board is the part we do.
Wage, employment, projection, education and training data for ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians (SOC 53-3011) and emergency medical technicians (SOC 29-2042): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025–35 and May 2025 OEWS. Tasks, job titles, work context and education survey: O*NET OnLine 53-3011.00. Ambulance staffing: 42 CFR 410.41 (eCFR). CDL definition: 49 CFR 383.5 (eCFR). Emergency vehicle operator curriculum: NHTSA, Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (Ambulance) National Standard Curriculum, via ems.gov. Read at source 28 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.