How to hire a car porter

How to hire a car porter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step car porter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a car porter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new car porter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a car porter job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The car porter hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A car porter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, car porters from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of car porter salaries for various roles:

   Type of Car Porter	Description	Hourly rate
   Car Porter	Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.	$10-16
   Automotive Detailer	An automotive detailer typically works at car shops and dealerships, where they primarily focus on the upkeep of a car's interior and exterior. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding the clients' needs and preferences, cleaning the vehicles according to protocols and client requests, scraping off dirt, coordinating with paint technicians and mechanics, operating devices and machinery such as vacuums and buffers, and adhering to timelines and budgets... Show more	$10-16
   Auto Detailer	An auto or car detailer is an employee who provides internal and external cleaning services for vehicles according to the clients' needs. Auto detailers provide the necessary cleaning services that can include steaming the interiors, vacuuming the carpets, and applying waxes and polishes... Show more	$11-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Vehicles
   • Customer Delivery
   • Customer Service
   • Transport Vehicles
   • Car Dealerships
   • Safety Policies
   • Car Lot
   • Toyota
   • License Plates
   • Vehicle Inventory
   • Body Shop
   • Service Drive
   • Test Drive
   • Dealer Trades

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage stock of the vehicles; document vehicle locations and individual VIN numbers.
   • Prepare cleaning solutions as necessary and follow safety procedures as prescribed by OSHA.
   • Clean windows, glass partitions and mirrors using soapy water, surface cleaner, sponges and squeegees.

   More car porter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your car porter job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A car porter can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, car porters' average salary in mississippi is 39% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level car porters 35% less than senior-level car porters.
   • Certifications. A car porter with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a car porter's salary.

   Average car porter salary

   $13.45hourly

   $27,981 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level car porter salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average car porter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$34,732	$17
   2	New York	$33,318	$16
   3	New Hampshire	$32,378	$16
   4	Massachusetts	$32,292	$16
   5	Minnesota	$29,972	$14
   6	Colorado	$29,746	$14
   7	Ohio	$27,779	$13
   8	Illinois	$27,766	$13
   9	Nebraska	$27,469	$13
   10	Iowa	$26,996	$13
   11	Michigan	$26,741	$13
   12	Tennessee	$25,982	$12
   13	Florida	$25,467	$12
   14	Texas	$24,989	$12
   15	South Carolina	$24,804	$12
   16	Georgia	$24,471	$12
   17	Pennsylvania	$24,143	$12
   18	North Carolina	$23,654	$11

   Average car porter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Asbury Automotive Group	$29,999	$14.42	12
   2	Sandy Alexander Inc.	$29,789	$14.32
   3	Integrated Dealer Systems	$28,392	$13.65
   4	Howard Orloff Imports	$28,390	$13.65
   5	Lithia Motors	$28,387	$13.65	2
   6	Toyota of Hollywood	$28,173	$13.54	25
   7	Hogan	$28,167	$13.54
   8	Lone Star Valet	$28,146	$13.53
   9	Classic Toyota	$28,092	$13.51	2
   10	LES STANFORD CHEVROLET CADILLAC	$28,034	$13.48	4
   11	Randstad North America, Inc.	$27,992	$13.46
   12	Moss Bros.	$27,783	$13.36
   13	ManpowerGroup	$27,643	$13.29
   14	Kelly Services	$27,425	$13.19	4
   15	Towne Auto Group	$26,302	$12.65

4. Writing a car porter job description

   A car porter job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a car porter job description:

   Car porter job description example

   The typical schedule for this position is Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm with a Saturday rotation. This position offers a competitive wage plus generous benefits including medical, dental, vision, prescription, voluntary life insurance, flexible spending account, a 401k plan, and paid time off.

   We have great perks including numerous opportunities for growth and development, holiday celebrations, and monthly team member recognition awards. In recognition of our team's loyalty and dedication, we celebrate their milestone employment anniversaries at 5-year intervals with service awards including gifts, company-paid trips, and more!

   
   

   ABOUT BOBBY RAHAL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

   Bobby Rahal Automotive Group is a car dealership group with a culture of caring where the customer service we provide is second to none. We pride ourselves on being honest and transparent in all facets of our business. If something does not have value, we will not offer it to our clients.

   Our car dealership team members are dedicated to upholding the high standards we've created by our past performance and accept the challenge of upholding those high standards to ensure our successful future. This is why we offer competitive compensation and great benefits. Come work in a positive, diverse, fun environment with exceptional career growth opportunities!

   
   

   QUALIFICATIONS

   • Valid driver's license and clean driving record
   • Ability to drive a manual transmission or the willingness to learn
   • Physical ability to be on your feet for extended periods of time
   • Ability to work in all weather conditions

   Are you a hard worker that is attentive to detail and well-organized? Do you enjoy working outside? Are you respectful of others and their personal property? Are you a customer service rockstar? If so, you may be perfect for this position at our car dealership!

   
   

   ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR TEAM?

   If you feel that you would be right for this Car Wash Porter position at our car dealership, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application so that we can review your information. We look forward to meeting you!

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find car porters for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your car porter job on Zippia to find and recruit car porter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting car porters requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new car porter

   Once you've found the car porter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new car porter first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a car porter?