A caregiver who can work in the house is not automatically cleared to drive your parent. Make transportation a separate hiring decision.
Choose one lane: the family handles every ride, the caregiver drives the family vehicle, or the caregiver uses another approved vehicle. Do not leave the choice for the first appointment morning.
Use this sheet before you accept a schedule. For the broader hiring sequence, keep Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring beside it.
1. List the rides you are actually trying to cover
Write the recurring destinations, occasional destinations and trips that happen with little notice. Include trips during a caregiver shift even if driving is not the main reason for the shift.
Recurring rides: ______________________________
Occasional rides: _____________________________
Who currently drives each one: __________________
Trips the family will continue to handle: __________
Trips you want included in the hire: ______________
Then ask: “Does your service include transporting a client, or would the caregiver only accompany someone else who drives?”
Listen for a direct answer that names the permitted driver, permitted vehicle and approval process. “Our caregivers help with appointments” does not tell you who drives.
Walk away from the transportation part of the arrangement if no one will state in writing whether driving is allowed. You may still consider the person or service for work inside the house.
2. Pick the vehicle before you discuss the schedule
If the caregiver will drive, write down which vehicle will be used:
Family vehicle: _______________________________
Caregiver vehicle: _____________________________
Agency vehicle: _______________________________
No caregiver driving: __________________________
Ask these questions:
“May the caregiver drive this specific vehicle under your rules?”
“May my parent ride in it?”
“Who checks that the vehicle remains approved?”
“What happens if the approved vehicle is unavailable?”
“Can another caregiver substitute and drive, or does each driver require separate approval?”
Listen for an answer tied to a named policy or written procedure. If the answer changes depending on the caregiver, record the answer for the assigned caregiver, not for the company in general.
Walk away from a proposed ride if the plan depends on whichever car happens to be in the driveway.
3. Verify the driver instead of accepting “valid license”
Ask who examines the driver license, who checks the driving record and how often each check is repeated. If you are hiring directly, ask the candidate to show the license and obtain the consent needed for any record you request.
The Missouri Department of Revenue says access to personal information in a driver record requires an applicable exemption or the record holder’s express consent. Its Driver Records page also explains how records with and without personal information are requested. Public source: Missouri Department of Revenue, “Driver Records.”
If a screening company supplies a driving or background report for an employment decision, federal rules can require a stand-alone disclosure, written permission and specific notices when information in the report affects the decision. Public source: Federal Trade Commission, “Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know.”
Write down:
License examined by: __________________________
Driving record obtained by: _____________________
Consent form or agency procedure: ______________
Next scheduled recheck: ________________________
Listen for the name or role of the person responsible for each check. “Everyone is screened” is not an answer to who reviewed this driver for this assignment.
Pause the driving plan if the caregiver will not show a license, provide required consent or explain a restriction shown on the license. Do not try to interpret a restriction yourself. Ask the issuing agency or the insurer what it permits.
4. Ask the insurer about the exact use
An insurance card shows that a policy document exists. It does not, by itself, answer whether the proposed driver, vehicle and paid use fit the policy.
The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance advises consumers to review coverage with a licensed insurance agent or producer and explains that policy exclusions identify losses a policy does not cover. Public sources: Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, “Educational Guide to Automobile Insurance” and “Glossary of Terms.”
If a family vehicle will be used, the vehicle owner should contact the insurer and describe the arrangement plainly: a paid caregiver will drive the named vehicle while transporting the named passenger. Ask for the answer in writing or write down the representative’s name and the policy language discussed.
If the caregiver’s or agency’s vehicle will be used, ask:
“What policy covers this vehicle?”
“Does the policy cover this driver while transporting a client as part of paid work?”
“Who confirms that the policy remains active?”
“Will you provide written verification from the insurer or agent?”
Insurer or agent contacted: ______________________
Vehicle identified: _____________________________
Driver identified: ______________________________
Paid transportation described: __________________
Written response stored at: _____________________
Listen for confirmation tied to the actual vehicle and actual use. “The caregiver has insurance” leaves both questions open.
Do not approve rides when the family, caregiver and agency each assume someone else’s policy answers the question.
5. Put the trip rules next to the work schedule
Write the operating rules before the first ride:
Approved destinations: _________________________
May the caregiver make an unplanned stop? Yes / No
Who may ride besides your parent? ______________
Who pays parking or tolls? ______________________
How are mileage and trip expenses recorded? ______
Who receives appointment papers or purchases brought home? _____________________________
If a direct-hire employee uses a personal vehicle for work, decide what trip record you require and how reimbursement will be handled. The Internal Revenue Service describes contemporaneous mileage and expense records as one way to substantiate business vehicle expenses. Public source: Internal Revenue Service, “Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses.” Do not copy a mileage figure from an old worksheet because federal mileage figures can change.
Ask an agency: “Is travel time part of the scheduled shift, and what must the caregiver record after a trip?”
Ask a direct-hire candidate: “What information will you record for every approved trip?”
Listen for a repeatable record containing the destination, purpose, mileage or expense and any problem during the trip.
Walk away from informal side arrangements that bypass the written agreement or the insurer’s answer.
6. Run one paper trip before anyone drives
Pick one real destination. Write the departure time, expected return time, vehicle, driver, parking plan and person to call if the trip cannot proceed.
Destination: __________________________________
Driver and vehicle: _____________________________
Expected departure and return: __________________
Parking or drop-off plan: ________________________
Person to call if the ride fails: ___________________
Family backup driver: ___________________________
Then ask the provider or candidate to repeat the plan. Correct mismatched assumptions before a passenger gets into the vehicle.
7. Make the final lane visible
Write one sentence and place it with the schedule:
“The family will handle every ride.”
“The caregiver may drive only the family vehicle after written approval.”
“The caregiver may use the listed approved vehicle for the listed trips.”
Chosen lane: __________________________________
Person authorized to change it: __________________
A later schedule change does not automatically change the driving arrangement. Repeat the driver, vehicle and insurance checks before adding another person or car.
Keep copies of the answers with the hiring papers, not in separate text threads. The site’s Sources page identifies the public agencies used for these checks.