Hiring guideRead at source, 29 September 2026
How to Recruit Ambulance Drivers: The Second Seat, the State Rules and the People Who Fill It
To recruit ambulance drivers, first confirm what your state and your payers require of the second crew member, because in many services the driver must be an EMT. If a driver seat is allowed, recruit people with clean driving records who want a path into EMS: EMT students, medical transport drivers and patient transporters. Lead the ad with the shift pattern, pay and a paid EMT course, ask about the license and credential only, and call back the same day.
First, decide whether you are hiring a driver or an EMT
Medicare's rule, 42 CFR 410.41(b), requires an ambulance to be staffed by at least two people who meet state and local requirements, and on a basic life support vehicle at least one of them must be certified at minimum as an EMT-basic. The second seat is left to state and local law, your contracts and your medical director. If they require both crew members to be certified, you are recruiting EMTs, and our EMT job description is the right starting point.
Driver training rules vary widely. NHTSA's 2019 study found that 17 of the 38 states that responded to its review (44.7 percent) had specific requirements for ambulance operators to complete an emergency vehicle operator course (EVOC), and that only one state, California, issued an ambulance driver certificate. The California DMV still issues it: an applicant must be at least 18, hold a valid license, pass the ambulance driver exam, submit a medical examination report and complete a Live Scan fingerprint request. Check your own state EMS office before you write the requirements.
A CDL is rarely the question. Under 49 CFR 383.5, a commercial motor vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or is designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver (or is used to transport hazardous materials). Check the weight plate before you write "CDL required."
Who you are recruiting
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 count 14,300 ambulance drivers and attendants (except EMTs) in 2025, projected to fall 1.3 percent to 14,100 by 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year and a May 2025 median wage of $35,450. The same projections count 181,900 emergency medical technicians, with a median of $44,470, 5.8 percent projected growth and about 13,800 openings a year. The driver-only pool is small and shrinking; the certified pool is where the growth is. BLS says some EMTs and paramedics work extended shifts, such as 12, 18 or 24 hours, and spend considerable time "kneeling, bending, and lifting."
Where to find ambulance drivers
- EMT students and applicants. People enrolled in or waiting for an EMT course want a way in. A driver seat with a paid course is the offer.
- Non-emergency medical transport and wheelchair van drivers. They already move patients and keep schedules with facilities.
- Patient transporters and hospital aides. Used to lifting and moving patients safely.
- Professional drivers with clean records. Delivery, shuttle and school bus drivers who want healthcare work.
- Volunteer fire and EMS members. They know the work and often want paid shifts.
- Referrals from your crews. EMTs know who is thinking about the field.
- Social ads. Most of these people are not searching for "ambulance driver." A Facebook or Instagram ad reaches them in your service area. Employment ads run in Meta's Special Ad Category: no targeting by age, gender or ZIP code, and at least a 15-mile radius.
What to pay ambulance drivers
The BLS median for ambulance drivers and attendants was $35,450 a year in May 2025, against $44,470 for EMTs. That gap is your recruiting message: start as a driver, certify as an EMT, move up a pay step. Put the driver rate and the certified rate in the ad. The ambulance driver job description has the wage section and a template.
How to write the ambulance driver ad
Candidates check three things first: the shift pattern, the pay, and whether you will pay for their training. Say them in the first two lines.
- "Ambulance Driver, 24 on / 48 off. [Pay range]. We pay for your EMT course."
- "Drive for [Service name]: interfacility transport, days, no nights."
- "Start driving now, certify as an EMT, earn more. Apply in one minute."
Be honest about the work: lifting patients with a partner, cleaning the unit after every call, exposure to illness. It saves you the applicants who would quit in week two.
Screening questions for ambulance drivers
- Do you have a valid driver's license? (Yes / No)
- Which of these do you hold? (EMT / EMR / CPR or BLS / EVOC / None yet), matched to what your state requires
- Can you lift and move patients with a partner? (Yes / No)
- Our shifts are [pattern]. Can you work them? (Yes / No)
Leave the driving record review and the background check to later steps, and tell candidates in the ad that both are part of the process. See healthcare background checks for what is commonly required.
Speed and follow-up
Applicants for entry-level EMS roles often apply to several services the same week. Text within minutes and book a ride-along or a meet-the-crew visit quickly. With Boostpoint Connect, each applicant gets a text as soon as they apply and your team answers from a shared inbox.
What it costs to recruit ambulance drivers on social
Boostpoint's 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark has no role family for ambulance drivers, so the closest guide is the Healthcare & Senior Living sector: a median of $15.42 per applicant, a middle half of $7.89 to $39.61, a blended $11.47 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median was $13.88. The apply experience explained 70 percent of the variation in cost between campaigns, so keep the form to the four questions above. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Staffing the rest of the crew? See how to hire EMTs and paramedics, the EMT shortage data, and the healthcare recruiting hub.
Frequently asked questions
How do you recruit ambulance drivers?
Confirm what your state requires of the second crew member, then recruit people with clean driving records who want a path into EMS: EMT students, medical transport drivers, patient transporters and volunteer responders. Lead the ad with shift pattern, pay and a paid EMT course, and call back the same day.
Do ambulance drivers need to be EMTs?
Not always. Medicare's rule in 42 CFR 410.41(b) requires two crew members who meet state and local requirements, with at least one certified at minimum as an EMT-basic on a basic life support vehicle. Whether the driver must also be certified depends on your state, your contracts and your medical director.
Where can I find ambulance drivers?
EMT programs, non-emergency medical transport companies, hospital patient transport teams, volunteer fire and EMS departments, crew referrals, and Facebook and Instagram ads aimed at your service area.
Do ambulance drivers need a CDL?
Only if the vehicle meets the federal commercial motor vehicle definition in 49 CFR 383.5, such as a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more or a design for 16 or more passengers including the driver. Check the weight rating and seating of your units.
How much do ambulance drivers make?
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except EMTs, had a BLS median wage of $35,450 a year in May 2025. EMTs had a median of $44,470.
What is EVOC and is it required?
EVOC is an emergency vehicle operator course. Requirements vary by state: NHTSA's 2019 study found 17 of the 38 responding states had specific EVOC requirements for ambulance operators. Some services provide it at orientation.
What does it cost to recruit an ambulance driver on Facebook?
Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark has no ambulance driver family. The Healthcare & Senior Living sector ran a median of $15.42 per applicant, with the middle half between $7.89 and $39.61. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Fill the second seat, and build your next EMT class
Boostpoint Attract runs your ambulance driver and EMT ads on Facebook and Instagram, with the creative made for you. Add Boostpoint Connect to text every applicant the moment they apply and keep the conversation going in a shared inbox.
Book a DemoSources: 42 CFR 410.41(b); 49 CFR 383.5; NHTSA, Characterizing Ambulance Driver Training in EMS Systems (December 2019); California DMV, Driver License Certificates and Endorsements; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, EMTs and Paramedics; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; BLS, May 2025 median annual wage; Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.