Hiring drivers: the four interview questions that matter

A bad driver is not a small problem. One accident, one complaint on social media, one fuel-theft incident — you lose a customer and spend a month refunding and fighting.

The four interview questions that actually filter:

1. "Tell me about a time a customer was rude to you. What did you do?" You're checking temperament. The good answer is something like "apologised, defused, reported to the office". The bad answer is anything involving their own anger.
2. "Drive me to Gulberg from here, please." Get in the car. Watch them. Do they check mirrors? Do they know the route without the phone? Do they put their phone down while driving? 15 minutes tells you more than any CV.
3. "Show me a photo of your current licence." A driver without a valid licence is a liability bomb. Expired? Next candidate.
4. "What would you do if a customer asked you to drive faster than the limit?" Checks judgement under pressure. The good answer: "Politely decline and explain." The bad answer: "Whatever the customer wants."

Reference checks. In PK, written references are theatre. What works: call the number they give you, ask specific questions ("Was there ever a complaint about him?"), and — critically — ask "Who else did he work for? Can I speak to them too?" A driver with nothing to hide gives you two more numbers.

The 30-day probation. No exceptions. Every new driver is on probation for 30 days. During which: (a) they drive only accompanied, (b) they don't handle money, (c) every customer rating of them is collected, (d) at day 30 you make an explicit keep/let-go decision. Don't drift into keeping someone average because firing is awkward.

The single best hiring tool you're not using: ask your existing good drivers to refer. A ₨10,000 bonus for a successful 90-day hire pays itself ten times over.