NEMT Driver Job Description: Free Template With Duties, Physical Demands, and Pay

A job description is the first page a new driver reads, and the page you reach for when a driver says a task was never part of the job. Write it from the work your vans really do, date it, and give the same version to everyone who applies for that job.

How to use this template

1. Pull your broker and state rules first. Copy the minimum age, years licensed, driving record limit, and required training from each broker agreement you hold into Part 5. When two of them differ, use the stricter rule.
2. Pick the levels of service the driver will run. Ambulatory sedan, wheelchair van, stretcher van, or a mix. Strike the duty rows that never apply, such as stretcher work for a sedan driver. If the terms are new, see level of service.
3. Mark each duty essential or marginal in Part 3. A duty is essential when the job exists to do it, or when nobody else on the shift can take it over. A driver who arrives alone has to secure the wheelchair, so that duty is essential. Washing the van at the end of the week may not be.
4. Write real numbers in Part 4. Weigh your folded wheelchairs and your heaviest bag of equipment. Time a normal shift behind the wheel. Count how often drivers kneel to attach tie-downs on a busy day. A number copied from a warehouse job is hard to defend.
5. Fill in the pay and overtime lines in Part 1. Give the pay plan (hourly, per trip, or day rate) and a real range in dollars. Check the state table below before you post anywhere.
6. Sign and date it before the ad goes up (Part 7). When duties change, write a new version with a new date instead of editing the old one, and keep both.
7. Hand it out with the application. Give it to every applicant with Part 1 of the driver application. On hire, file the copy the driver signed in the driver file.

Where to find drivers and how to screen them is in how to hire NEMT drivers. The office role has its own job description in how to hire a NEMT dispatcher.

The template

Part 1: The job at a glance

Field	Fill in
Job title (such as NEMT driver or wheelchair van driver)
Company name and address
Service area (counties or cities)
Reports to (name and title)
Levels of service (ambulatory, wheelchair, stretcher)
Vehicles driven (sedan, minivan, ramp van, lift van, stretcher van)
Full time or part time, and hours a week
Usual start and end times, weekends, and on-call days
Pay plan (hourly, per trip, or day rate)
Pay range in dollars (lowest to highest)
Overtime status (paid time and a half after 40 hours a week: yes or no)
Benefits (health insurance, paid leave, retirement, bonuses)
Training paid by the company before the first trip
Applications close on (date)
Version date

Part 2: Job summary

Summary (two or three sentences)
Sample: Drives riders to medical appointments in a [vehicle type], helps each rider in and out at the level of help on the trip sheet, and keeps a complete record of every ride.
Our summary:

Part 3: Duties

Mark each duty E (essential) or M (marginal), and write how often it happens: every trip, daily, weekly, or now and then.

No.	Duty	E or M	How often
1	Inspect the vehicle before each shift: lights, tires, brakes, ramp or lift, tie-downs, first aid kit, fire extinguisher. Report any defect before driving.
2	Drive safely and obey traffic laws, with no phone use, texting, or headphones while the vehicle moves
3	Follow the daily trip sheet and arrive inside each pickup window
4	Get out of the vehicle at every stop to open and close the doors
5	Give the level of help on the trip sheet: curb-to-curb, door-to-door, or hand-to-hand
6	When the pickup is not at the curb, go to the door, announce arrival, and show company ID
7	Run the ramp or lift, and load and store wheelchairs, walkers, and canes
8	Secure each wheelchair with four tie-downs and a lap and shoulder belt before the vehicle moves
9	Check that every rider’s seat belt is fastened before moving, using a belt extender when needed
10	Check child safety seats, and refuse the trip when a required seat is missing
11	Welcome service animals
12	Make sure each rider is safely inside the destination before leaving
13	Record pickup and drop-off times, odometer readings, and signatures for every trip
14	Keep rider information private: no trip sheet left in view, no rider details shared
15	Call dispatch about delays, no-shows, refused rides, and changes
16	Report every accident, injury, or incident to dispatch at once, then complete the written report
17	Give first aid within your training, and call 911 in an emergency
18	Clean spills with the spill kit and keep the inside of the vehicle clean
19	Fuel the vehicle and turn in receipts
20	Stretcher trips: work as a two-person crew to load and unload the stretcher
21	Other:
22	Other:

Part 4: Physical demands and working conditions

Demand	Our number or answer	How often
Push a rider in a wheelchair up a ramp or onto a lift (rider and chair together, up to ____ pounds)
Lift a folded wheelchair, walker, or bag into the vehicle (up to ____ pounds)
Kneel, squat, or bend at floor level to attach and release tie-downs
Steady a rider who stands, turns, and sits (describe the help allowed)
Help a rider on steps (up to ____ steps; our rule on carrying riders: ____)
Sit and drive (up to ____ hours at a time, ____ hours a shift)
Get in and out of the vehicle (about ____ times a shift)
Work outside in heat, cold, rain, and snow
Clean up body fluids with gloves and the spill kit
Read a trip sheet and a map or phone navigation, and fill out trip records
Speak with riders, facility staff, and dispatch in English (other languages: ____)

Part 5: Qualifications

Requirement	Our rule (copied from broker agreements and state rules)
Minimum age
Years holding a driver’s license
License class and any endorsement or for-hire permit
Driving record limit (moving violations and at-fault accidents in the last 3 years)
Criminal background check (which checks, and how often)
Drug and alcohol tests (before hire, random, after an accident, on reasonable suspicion)
Exclusion list searches (OIG, SAM.gov, state list) before hire and every month
Training before the first trip (passenger assistance and securement, defensive driving, first aid, CPR, HIPAA, fraud, waste, and abuse)
Proof of eligibility to work in the United States
Other broker or state requirements

Part 6: Statements for the job post

Statement	Use it? (yes or no)
We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To ask for one, contact ________ at ________.
After a conditional job offer, this job requires a criminal background check, a driving record check, and a drug test.
We are an equal opportunity employer.
Applications close on ________.

Part 7: Version and sign-off

Field	Entry
Version number and date written
Written by (name and title)
Date first posted, and where
Date replaced by a newer version
Driver’s name and date received
Driver’s signature

Why the written duties matter under the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act protects a qualified person who can do a job’s essential functions, with or without a reasonable accommodation (29 CFR 1630.2(m)). The rule lists the evidence of which functions are essential. A written job description prepared before you advertise or interview is one piece. The others include your own judgment, the time spent on the task, what happens if nobody does it, and the experience of past and current drivers (1630.2(n)(3)).

A function can also be essential because few employees are available to share it (1630.2(n)(2)). That fits a small NEMT company, where the driver who arrives alone does every task on the trip. Part 3’s E and M marks and Part 4’s numbers are where you record that judgment, before anyone applies.

These federal rules apply once you have 15 or more employees for at least 20 weeks in this year or last (1630.2(e)). The EEOC notes that an employer below that size may still be covered by a state or local anti-discrimination law. Before an offer, ask applicants whether they can do the listed duties, not about their health. The questions to use instead are in how to hire NEMT drivers.

States that require pay in the job post

No federal law requires pay in a job ad, but as of October 2, 2026, 14 states and the District of Columbia do for many or all employers. Three are new this year: Virginia since July 1, 2026, Maine since July 29, 2026, and Connecticut since October 1, 2026. Use the rule for the state where the driver will work.

State	Employers it covers	What the post must show
California	15 or more employees	Pay scale: the hourly or salary range you expect to pay at hire
Colorado	Any employer with an employee in Colorado	Pay or pay range, a general description of benefits, and the date applications are expected to close
Connecticut	Any employer with 1 or more employees	Wages or wage range and a general description of benefits
District of Columbia	Any employer with DC employees	Lowest and highest pay. Health benefits must be shared before the first interview
Hawaii	50 or more employees	An hourly rate or salary range that reflects the expected pay
Illinois	15 or more employees	Pay scale and benefits, or a link to a public page with them
Maine	10 or more employees	The range of pay you will offer, or that pay is commission only
Maryland	Any employer, for work done at least partly in Maryland	Wage range and a general description of benefits and other pay
Massachusetts	25 or more employees in the state	The salary or hourly wage range you expect in good faith to pay
Minnesota	30 or more employees at Minnesota sites	Starting pay range, never open ended, or a fixed rate, plus a description of benefits
New Jersey	10 or more employees over 20 calendar weeks	Hourly wage or salary, or a range, plus benefits and other pay programs
New York	4 or more employees	Pay range and a job description
Vermont	5 or more employees	Pay or pay range. Tipped jobs show the base wage
Virginia	Any employer	Wage, salary, or a range set in good faith
Washington	15 or more employees	Wage scale or salary range, or the fixed wage, plus benefits and other pay

Delaware is next. Its law, signed September 26, 2025, starts September 26, 2027 for employers with 26 or more employees and requires the pay range and a general description of benefits in every posting. Some cities add their own rule: New York City has required a good-faith pay range in job ads since November 1, 2022. In California and Illinois, when a job board or staffing company posts the ad for you, you must give it the pay scale to include (Labor Code 432.3; 820 ILCS 112/10).

Where the duties and qualifications come from

Federal Medicaid law sets a short list for every NEMT driver: not excluded from federal health programs, a valid license, and company processes for state drug law violations and for sharing each driver’s driving history with the state (Social Security Act 1902(a)(87), explained in CMS guide SMD 23-006, September 28, 2023). States and brokers add the rest, such as Virginia’s minimum of age 18 with two years licensed (rules updated May 26, 2026) and age 21 in MTM Health’s standard agreement (January 1, 2023 version, posted by Pennsylvania). The full list by state is in NEMT driver requirements.

The duties in Part 3 follow the same rules. Virginia’s fee-for-service NEMT rules require drivers to:

• get out of the vehicle to open and close the doors
• give curb-to-curb, door-to-door, or hand-to-hand help, as the manifest shows
• go to the door, announce themselves, and show ID when the pickup is not at the curb
• secure every wheelchair and check every seat belt before the vehicle moves
• confirm each rider is safely inside before leaving

The same rules call for four securements and a lap and shoulder belt at each wheelchair station, and a driver and an assistant on every stretcher van. MTM Health’s agreement adds seat belt extenders, service animals, child seats, and no headphones on duty. The federal job database O*NET (updated 2026) lists operating vehicles with equipment such as wheelchair lifts, to transport and secure passengers with special needs, among the job’s tasks. For hands-on steps, use the wheelchair securement checklist.

Overtime status and what to pay

Write the overtime status in Part 1 so every driver knows the rule from the first day. The Labor Department’s Fact Sheet 19 (revised November 2009) says the Motor Carrier Act exemption needs interstate transportation, and it never covers dispatchers or office staff. Even for interstate work, overtime applies in any week a driver works on vehicles of 10,000 pounds or less, unless the vehicle is designed or used to carry more than 8 people, including the driver, for pay. Mark the job as overtime eligible, and see NEMT driver overtime for how to figure it on trip pay.

For the range, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts NEMT drivers as shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (occupation 53-3053), a group its definitions say includes nonemergency medical transporters. In May 2025, that group earned a median of $18.09 an hour at special needs and other ground transportation companies, and the middle half earned $16.65 to $22.05. State figures and pay plans are in NEMT driver pay.

How long to keep each version

Keep every dated version, not just the current one. If you have 15 or more employees, the EEOC’s rule at 29 CFR 1602.14 requires keeping records having to do with hiring for one year from the date of the record or the hiring decision, whichever is later, and until a discrimination charge is resolved if one is filed. Since January 1, 2021, Colorado has required employers to keep job descriptions and wage rate history for each employee for as long as the person works there, plus two years. Delaware’s 2027 law will require at least three years.

The simplest rule is to keep each version for as long as anyone hired under it works for you, plus three years. For every other record your company keeps, see NEMT record retention.