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What does an interstate bus driver do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Interstate bus driver responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real interstate bus driver resumes:

  • Conduct deliveries of medical equipment throughout Florida, collect payments, and ensure proper cleanliness of medical equipment
  • Observe high safety standards including strict federal HazMat regulations.

Interstate bus driver skills and personality traits

We break down the percentage of Interstate Bus Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CDL, 95%

    Dispatched for one year, transition to CDL driving position capable of operating buses, limousines, and executive transport equipment.

  • OTR, 5%

    Drive OTR to designated locations delivered materials to costumers in timely manner

Hearing ability. One of the key soft skills for an interstate bus driver to have is hearing ability. You can see how this relates to what interstate bus drivers do because "bus drivers need good hearing." Additionally, an interstate bus driver resume shows how interstate bus drivers use hearing ability: "provided clients with transportation to their medical appointments including therapy, dentistry, hearing and dialysis. "

Physical health. Many interstate bus driver duties rely on physical health. "federal and state regulations do not allow people to become bus drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their operation of a bus," so an interstate bus driver will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways interstate bus driver responsibilities rely on physical health: "maintain dot rules, physical and logs. "

Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of interstate bus drivers is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday interstate bus driver duties, as "bus drivers regularly interact with passengers and must be courteous and helpful." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "obtained customer signature or collects payment for goods delivered and delivery charges according to company policy. "

Hand-eye coordination. interstate bus driver responsibilities often require "hand-eye coordination." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "driving a bus requires the controlled use of multiple limbs on the basis of what a person observes." This resume example shows what interstate bus drivers do with hand-eye coordination on a typical day: "time management and customer location coordination key to ensuring many different deliveries occurred on time. "

Patience. Another common skill required for interstate bus driver responsibilities is "patience." This skill comes up in the duties of interstate bus drivers all the time, as "because of possible traffic congestion and sometimes unruly passengers, bus drivers are put in stressful situations and must remain calm and continue to operate their bus." An excerpt from a real interstate bus driver resume shows how this skill is central to what an interstate bus driver does: "delivered customers' orders safely and swiftly dealt with customer complaints with respect and patience"

Visual ability. While "visual ability" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to interstate bus driver responsibilities. Much of what an interstate bus driver does relies on this skill, seeing as "bus drivers must be able to pass vision tests." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of interstate bus drivers: "transport of mobile center to locations, transport-vehicle maintenance, mobile center operation, customer service, & audio/visual equipment troubleshooting. "

See the full list of interstate bus driver skills

The three companies that hire the most interstate bus drivers are:

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Compare different interstate bus drivers

Interstate bus driver vs. Coach operator

Bus operators have different roles and responsibilities. These include providing bus driver training, ensuring all drivers have a valid license, and conducting an audit of the bus drivers' performance periodically. To accomplish these responsibilities, a bus operator should possess specific skills, including customer service skills, hearing ability, and hand-eye coordination. There are several qualifications to become a transit bus operator, including having a commercial driver's license, experience in a relevant job, or as a bus operator.

The annual salary of coach operators is $9,279 lower than the average salary of interstate bus drivers.Even though interstate bus drivers and coach operators are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require cdl, federal regulations, and pre-trip inspections in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between interstate bus drivers and coach operator. For instance, interstate bus driver responsibilities require skills such as "cb," "otr," "pickup," and "dot regulations." Whereas a coach operator is skilled in "transport passengers," "safety rules," "customer service," and "incident reports." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Coach operators tend to reach lower levels of education than interstate bus drivers. In fact, coach operators are 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Interstate bus driver vs. Motor coach operator

Motor coach operator positions earn lower pay than interstate bus driver roles. They earn a $15,563 lower salary than interstate bus drivers per year.A few skills overlap for interstate bus drivers and motor coach operators. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "cdl," "otr," and "federal regulations. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that interstate bus driver responsibilities requires skills like "cb," "pickup," "dot regulations," and "delivery addresses." But a motor coach operator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "transport passengers," "safety regulations," "customer service," and "dot."

In general, motor coach operators achieve lower levels of education than interstate bus drivers. They're 8.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Interstate bus driver vs. Transit coach operator

On average, transit coach operators earn lower salaries than interstate bus drivers, with a $20,043 difference per year.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, interstate bus drivers are more likely to have skills like "cb," "otr," "pickup," and "dot regulations." But a transit coach operator is more likely to have skills like "patients," "home health," "quality care," and "care coordination."

Transit coach operators typically earn higher educational levels compared to interstate bus drivers. Specifically, they're 7.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Interstate bus driver vs. Bus operator

Bus operators average a lower salary than the annual salary of interstate bus drivers. The difference is about $16,517 per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An interstate bus driver uses "cb," "otr," "pickup," and "dot regulations." Bus operators are more likely to have duties that require skills in "transport passengers," "safety rules," "vehicle inspections," and "customer service. "The average resume of bus operators showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to interstate bus drivers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 9.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Types of interstate bus driver

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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