Transport Driver

Go Kid Go regularly adds transport drivers to its staff, mainly because the company has grown consistently for many years.

This page provides answers to questions that job candidates often ask during their interviews. We strongly suggest that you explore other parts of our web site for additional information about our company.

1. What are a Go Kid Go transport driver’s responsibilities?
2. What are the job qualifications?
3. Is this a full-time or part-time position?
4. Is this a salaried or hourly position?
5. How much does the job pay?
6. What pre-employment screening is done?
7. What training is provided?
8. Are medical or dental benefits available?
9. What are the company’s hours of operation?
10. How many hours does a transport driver normally work each week?
11. What happens in the summer when school isn’t in session?
12. Are drivers “on call?”
13. Does a driver get to pick his or her hours?
14. What communities in Greater Milwaukee does Go Kid Go serve?
15. How far do drivers travel each day?
16. Does a driver need to know all the streets in all the towns in the metro area?
17. Does a driver always have the same route?
18. How do drivers clock in and out?
19. Who hires Go Kid Go?
20. Where do you take kids?
21. What kind of vehicles does Go Kid Go use?
22. What kind of safety equipment is in each van?
23. How do I apply?

1. what are a go kid go transport driver’s responsibilities?

The two most basic responsibilities are:

• Drive as safely as possible at all times
• Pick-up and drop-off passengers on time, as defined by the daily route schedule

For the full job description, click here.

2. what are the job qualifications?

Candidates for the Go Kid Go transport driver position must:

• Be at least 25 years old
• Have at least five years of driving experience
• Have a valid WI driver’s license
• Have a clean motor vehicle record
• Have a working computer and internet access in their home
• Be able to read a map, use an atlas, and follow written and spoken directions
• Have excellent communications and problem-solving skills
• Enjoy working with kids

3. is this a full-time or part-time position?

Go Kid Go hires only part-time employees

4. is this a salaried or hourly position?

All positions within Go Kid Go are paid on an hourly basis.

5. how much does the job pay?

New transport drivers begin at $10.00/hr. After a three-month training period, during which the employee becomes familiar with the company and it’s policies and procedures, the hourly rate can go up to $12.00/hr. After the first rate increase, raises can occur after 1,400 on-the-clock hours, depending on job performance.

6. what pre-employment screening is done?

In addition to interviews, candidates are given the opportunity to review the company’s policy manual and participate in two “ride-alongs” with existing staff members. If a candidate is still interested in joining our staff after completing these steps, he or she then submits a job application, and undergoes:

• Personal and past employment reference checks
• A criminal background check through the WI Dept. of Justice
• A caregiver background check through the WI Dept. of Health and Family Services
• Additional background checks through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access
• A background check through the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender database
• A motor vehicle record check
• A 10-panel drug screen test, eye exam, physical exam, and TB test, all conducted by staff at Concentra Medical Center

7. what training is provided?

All drivers receive behind-the-wheel, safe driver training when first hired, and then on a regular basis afterwards. Go Kid Go uses the Smith System—a company with over 50 years of experience in the safety field—and we have our own on-staff trainer. This training is supplemented with additional safe driver educational programs and materials throughout the year.

Drivers also undertake solo “common stops runs” and “ghost runs” that help familiarize them with the locations of long-time customers, and with their initial routes and schedules. During these runs, drivers also become familiar with the vehicles and the equipment in them.

In addition, Go Kid Go provides training in customer service, the proper use of in-vehicle technology, and in the company’s policies and procedures. It usually takes 16 to 20 hours to complete a new driver’s initial training.

8. are medical or dental benefits available?

Go Kid Go does not yet offer medical or dental benefits.

9. what are the company's hours of operation?

Go Kid Go operates year-round, Monday through Friday, between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. We provide transportation outside these hours by special request. Between mid-June and late August, Go Kid Go usually experiences a drop in demand that enables staff members to have more flexible schedules, or more time off.

It is important for potential employees to understand that they will be expected to minimize absences during the school year, from September through June. Most of the company’s yearly business occurs during this time, and it is vital that staff be available as much as possible during this time. School vacation periods—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break—help make it easier for employees to comply with this requirement.

10. how many hours does a transport driver normally work each week?

Go Kid Go drivers generally work between 15 and 25 hours per week during the school year, although those willing to work split shifts can work more.

11. what happens in the summer when school isn’t in session?

During the summer months fewer hours are available, especially in mid- to late August when many kid-oriented summer programs end, although hours are available and staff is still needed. It’s difficult to specify an average number of hours in the summer because it’s hard to predict how many riders we’ll have, and when—and how many—drivers will choose to take vacations.

12. are drivers “on call?”

No. Drivers receive their schedules a day in advance, via the company web site. For example, Wednesday’s route schedules will be made available to drivers the day before, on Tuesday, sometime after 5:00 p.m. Once school begins, usually by late September, drivers often have routes and schedules that remain fairly consistent from week to week. However, it is important to note that drivers’ schedules are likely to change from time to time. See the answer to question #13, below, for more details.

13. does a driver get to pick his or her hours?

Yes, to some extent, but not completely. Transport drivers can express a preference for a.m. hours, p.m. hours, or a split shift. Each day, when the next day’s routes are being planned and scheduled, we do our best to accommodate the drivers’ preferences.

However, a Go Kid Go transport driver must have the ability—and willingness—to be flexible with start and end times. Go Kid Go offers “customized” transportation services, that is, our customers tell us when and where they want us to go. To meet their unique needs, it is often necessary, when scheduling routes for a given day, to ask a driver to alter his or her start or end time.

Unpredictability is part of our business: we never know who is going to request service, or what their special needs might be. To meet their needs, and thrive as a business, we need to be flexible, and we need drivers who are flexible, too.

14. what communities in greater milwaukee does go kid go serve?

Go Kid Go serves communities in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha counties.

15. how far do drivers travel each day?

It depends on their route and schedule. Most drivers probably travel 100 or more miles per day.

A Go Kid Go Transport Driver does not stay in one community or one area of town. He or she might start in Muskego, travel to New Berlin, then to Grafton, then Menomonee Falls, and finally to Waukesha. This is an extreme example, but it occurs on occasion.

It is important for candidates to understand that driving on the area’s expressways, driving at night, and driving in the winter—sometimes in severe weather—are integral parts of the job.

16. does a driver need to know all the streets in all the towns in the metro area?

No, although the more a driver knows about Greater Milwaukee the better.

To help drivers find their way, each GKG vehicle is equipped with a Garmin Nuvi 350, a mobile navigation device that uses GPS signals to determine the vehicle’s location, and detailed maps to provide drivers with turn-by-turn directions. Each vehicle is also equipped with a high-quality, well-indexed road atlas, and fold-out maps for select communities. Go Kid Go also has office staff assigned to monitor the fleet during our busiest times of day; part of their responsibility includes helping drivers find their way.

17. does a driver always have the same route and schedule?

Yes, when possible. This offers advantages to both the driver and our riders. However, it is important to understand that it isn’t always possible.

Go Kid Go aims to provide its customers with a highly flexible and responsive service. This means that we frequently adjust driver routes and schedules to accommodate changes made by our customers.

Go Kid Go is also a growing company, one that wants to attract new customers. Adding new customers also means modifying driver routes and schedules.

To drivers, this means that their schedules can, and will, change throughout the year.

18. how do drivers clock in and out?

The Garmin Nuvi 350 is programmed with software that enables it to function as a time clock. Drivers clock in and out using the Nuvi.

19. who hires go kid go?

We receive and fulfill service requests from families, and from institutions, organizations, and businesses that serve families. For example, a large percentage of our business comes from the region’s suburban school districts, including most of those in Milwaukee County. We also serve school districts in Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha counties.

20. where do you take kids?

Many of our riders travel only between home and school. However, we transport kids anywhere their parents or caregivers want them transported. This includes, but isn’t limited to, meetings, appointments, classes, after-school programs, lessons, events, and activities.

21. what kind of vehicles does go kid go use?

Our fleet consists mainly of recent model minivans. We also have one 15-passenger van, and one 10-passenger van in our fleet.

All our vehicles undergo safety inspections three times each year: before the start of school, during winter break, and during spring break.

Our vehicles are well maintained. We have long-standing, exclusive relationships with several area firms for mechanical work, body work, and preventive maintenance.

22. what kind of safety equipment is in each van?

Each vehicle in the fleet contains the same safety equipment, all of which is stored in approximately the same place in each vehicle. A partial list of the equipment in each van includes:

• A cell phone and charger
• A first aid kit
• A fire extinguisher
• A flashlight
• Disinfectant wipes
• Waterless hand wash
• Sterile gloves
• Heavy-duty paper towels
• Shout™spot removing wipes
• An accident kit that includes a disposable camera
• Two Graco-brand booster seats

The “Safety” page on our web site contains additional information.

23. how do I apply?

Click here to connect to our application for employment. Print it out, complete it, sign it, and mail or fax it to our office.

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