How to hire a transportation assistant

How to hire a transportation assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step transportation assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a transportation assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a transportation assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect transportation assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of transportation assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Transportation Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Transportation Assistant		$12-35
   Warehouse Lead	Warehouse leads are responsible for supply chain management in distribution centers. Their duties and responsibilities include supervising employees and evaluating their performance, meeting safety regulations, and monitoring deliveries and shipments... Show more	$12-29
   Shipping And Receiving Supervisor	A shipping and receiving supervisor streamlines the shipping process for a more efficient company. The supervisors oversee and maintain the supplies and inventory through product receipt, storage, and delivery... Show more	$13-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Veterans
   • Rehabilitation
   • Logistics
   • CPR
   • Stretchers
   • Data Entry
   • Safety Regulations
   • DOD
   • PCS
   • Transportation Services
   • Patient Care
   • Payroll
   • Travel Arrangements

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Charge with managing contracts for non-emergency and emergency transportation of Medicaid and Medicare members.
   • Administer first aid care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to students, as required.
   • Transport patients in wheelchair or gurneys.
   • Schedule all small package and LTL shipments.
   • Cross train in LTL and CDS shipment building.
   • Track drivers by using all equipment, global positioning systems (GPS) i.e.

   More transportation assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the transportation assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A transportation assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a transportation assistant in Washington may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level transportation assistant. Additionally, a transportation assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average transportation assistant salary

   $44,684yearly

   $21.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level transportation assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average transportation assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$55,881	$27
   2	Pennsylvania	$51,903	$25
   3	Texas	$51,532	$25
   4	Florida	$46,797	$23
   5	New York	$45,321	$22
   6	Massachusetts	$43,051	$21
   7	Georgia	$42,693	$21
   8	South Carolina	$42,287	$20
   9	Michigan	$42,221	$20
   10	North Carolina	$41,977	$20
   11	California	$41,718	$20
   12	Ohio	$41,580	$20
   13	Colorado	$38,672	$19
   14	Louisiana	$38,558	$19
   15	Indiana	$38,416	$18
   16	Iowa	$37,828	$18
   17	Kansas	$37,140	$18
   18	Oklahoma	$35,989	$17
   19	Missouri	$34,184	$16
   20	Hawaii	$30,458	$15

   Average transportation assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	New Jersey Institute of Technology	$84,189	$40.48	1
   2	North Shore Healthcare	$79,975	$38.45	1
   3	Medstar Health	$76,191	$36.63
   4	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$75,554	$36.32
   5	Moffitt Cancer Center	$74,535	$35.83	3
   6	SLCH President	$70,276	$33.79	1
   7	Huntsville Hospital	$68,253	$32.81	3
   8	Catholic Health East	$62,317	$29.96	1
   9	Michael Baker	$61,457	$29.55	6
   10	Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare	$59,629	$28.67
   11	University of Rochester	$55,935	$26.89	6
   12	UPMC	$55,342	$26.61	3
   13	Krapf Group	$49,862	$23.97
   14	State of Connecticut	$49,633	$23.86
   15	North Oaks Health System	$47,692	$22.93
   16	Mattel	$47,212	$22.70
   17	BNSF Logistics	$45,627	$21.94
   18	Cascade Corporation	$45,368	$21.81
   19	Trilogy Health Services	$43,295	$20.81
   20	AccountingDepartment.com	$43,204	$20.77

4. Writing a transportation assistant job description

   A job description for a transportation assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a transportation assistant job description:

   Transportation assistant job description example

   At St. Tammany Health System, delivering world-class healthcare close to home is our goal. That means we are committed to attracting and retaining the very best professionals for every position in our health system.
   
   We believe the pristine beauty of St. Tammany Parish adds to our attractive compensation package. The health system is nestled in the heart of Covington on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is a peaceful, scenic, community-oriented area with an abundance of amenities to suit every taste.
   JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS
   
   Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40
   
   Work Shift: 12:30pm - 9:00pm
   
   Summary of the Job:
   
   Able to transport patients to and from the OR, PACU and other designated areas using proper body mechanics safely and efficiently. Demonstrates ability to follow instructions and work with minimal supervision. Participates and assists in other activities as assigned. Assists with some aspects of preparing both the OR room and patient before and after surgery. This job requires aspects of handling and exposure to blood and body fluids and communicable diseases.
   
   Minimum Qualifications:
   
   Must be graduate of high school or equivalent; hospital experience preferred. Must be able to follow written and verbal instructions. Current BLS certification through any International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) provided courses such as but not limited to: Ochsner Health System, American Heart Association, and American Red Cross. The ILCOR course must include a manikin check off. Ability to use proper body mechanics; understand and maintain HIPAA standards; use appropriate phone etiquette.
   
   Physical Demands:
   
   Must possess good physical health. Some requirements include but are not limited to standing, sitting or walking for long periods of time. Lifting at least 50 pounds is required.
   
   Physical Effort required:
   
   Constant (67%-100%) - pushing/pulling, handling/feeling, hearing, seeing
   
   Frequently (34%-66%)- lifting, carrying, stooping, reaching, talking
   
   Occasionally (1%-33%)balancing, crouching
   
   EMPLOYMENT
   
   Each St. Tammany Health System staff member is expected to conduct himself or herself according to our mission, vision and values. Please take time to review those expectations, which can be found by clicking here, before applying for employment. If you feel you are unable to demonstrate those characteristics, we respectfully request that you do not proceed with the application process.
   
   EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
   
   St. Tammany Health System is an Equal Opportunity Employer. St. Tammany Health System is committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability status, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right transportation assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with transportation assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit transportation assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting transportation assistants 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 transportation assistant

   Once you've selected the best transportation assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new transportation assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a transportation assistant?