SetaJobs role guide
What driving for a living actually involves
By Reliance Marema · Founder & Editor · Reviewed August 2026
SetaJobs’ guide to professional driving posts in South Africa, written for someone applying for their first one.
What the work actually involves
Driving for a living is only half driving. A shift starts with a pre-trip inspection — tyres, lights, brakes, oil, water, load security — and your signature saying you did it. Then loading, paperwork, the route, a signed proof of delivery at each stop, fuel and toll records, and a post-trip check at the end. Delivery work is many short stops under time pressure. Long-distance freight is few stops, long hours and nights away from home.
Hours, conditions and demands
Your hours are whatever the route dictates, and early starts are normal. Long-distance work means sleeping on the road. You are responsible for a vehicle worth far more than your salary and for the load on it, so a traffic fine, a fuel discrepancy, damage or a late delivery each generate a report with your name on it. Tracking and driver-behaviour scoring are standard in South African fleets — harsh braking, speeding and idling are recorded and reviewed with you.
What employers screen for
The licence and permit are checked first and hard: the correct code for the vehicle, a valid Professional Driving Permit, and no disqualifying endorsements. Employers then look at your driving record and outstanding fines, run criminal and sometimes credit checks for cash or high-value loads, and put you through a practical driving assessment before making an offer. Dangerous goods work requires the relevant PrDP category and hazchem training on top.
What you usually need to get in
A valid licence of the code advertised, a PrDP, a South African ID and usually Grade 10 to Grade 12. Experience is stated in years and it is verified. A forklift licence, hazchem, first aid or defensive driving all count, and cross-border work requires a valid passport. South African adverts still overwhelmingly say “code 10” and “code 14” for what your licence card calls C1 and EC.
Where this work leads
Drivers move up by code and by cargo: from light delivery to a rigid truck, then an articulated combination, then specialised loads — tankers, refrigerated, abnormal, dangerous goods — each paying more because fewer people are certified for it. Off the road, experienced drivers move into fleet control, dispatch, route planning and driver training, posts that specifically value someone who has actually run the routes.
Questions people ask about professional driver work
- What is a PrDP and do I need one?
- A Professional Driving Permit. You need one to drive goods vehicles above 3 500 kg, to carry passengers for reward, or to carry dangerous goods. You apply at a licensing centre with a medical certificate and a police clearance, and it must be kept current.
- Do unpaid traffic fines matter?
- They can end an application. Fleet employers check, because fines attached to their vehicles become their problem, and a poor record tells them how you will treat their trucks.
- Can I drive professionally with no experience?
- It is harder, because insurers price experience. The usual way in is a smaller vehicle, a delivery route or a driver learnership, then building verifiable years before applying for long-distance work.