The Complete Tour Bus Driver Salary Guide
- Published: August 12, 2023
- By: Yellowbrick
Tour bus drivers play a vital role in the entertainment and music industry, ensuring that artists, bands, and production crews travel safely and comfortably from one venue to another. If you’re considering a career as a tour bus driver, it’s important to understand the salary potential and factors that can influence your earnings. In this comprehensive salary guide, we’ll explore the various aspects of tour bus driver compensation, including average salaries, factors affecting pay, and tips for maximizing your earnings.
Factors That Affect Tour Bus Driver Salaries
Several factors affect the salaries of tour bus drivers, including:
- Experience: Tour bus drivers with more experience typically earn more than those who are just starting.
- Location: The location of the tour bus company can also affect the driver’s pay. For instance, tour bus companies in major cities tend to pay more than those in rural areas.
- Type of Tour: The type of tour can also affect how much a tour bus driver earns. For example, tours that require driving long distances or staying on the road for extended periods often pay more than short tours.
- Company: The tour bus company you work for can also affect your pay. Some companies pay their drivers more than others.
Average Tour Bus Driver Salaries
Tour bus driver salaries vary depending on their experience, location, and the type of tour they drive. Here are the average salaries for tour bus drivers in different parts of the world:
- In the United States, tour bus drivers earn an average of $46,000 per year.
- In Canada, tour bus drivers earn an average of CAD 51,000 per year.
- In the United Kingdom, tour bus drivers earn an average of £24,000 per year.
- In Australia, tour bus drivers earn an average of AUD 50,000 per year.
- In New Zealand, tour bus drivers earn an average of NZD 44,000 per year.
- In South Africa, tour bus drivers earn an average of ZAR 139,000 per year.
- In India, tour bus drivers earn an average of INR 2,80,000 per year.
As you can see, tour bus driver salaries vary significantly depending on where you live and work.
Career and Education
If you’re interested in becoming a tour bus driver, it’s essential to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and a clean driving record. You’ll also need to have excellent communication skills, be able to work long hours, and be comfortable driving large vehicles.
To increase your chances of getting a job as a tour bus driver, you can also consider taking courses in customer service, first aid, and defensive driving. These courses can help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this career.
Key Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways from this guide:
- Tour bus driver salaries vary depending on several factors, including experience, location, type of tour, and company.
- The average tour bus driver salary in the United States is $46,000 per year.
- To become a tour bus driver, you need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and excellent communication skills.
- Taking courses in customer service, first aid, and defensive driving can help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this career.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the music industry, you may want to consider taking the NYU x Billboard | Music Industry Essentials online course and certificate program. This program covers essential topics like artist management, marketing, and tour management, making it an excellent choice for anyone interested in working in the music industry.
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Tour Bus Driver
Career Overview
Tour Bus Drivers drive bands across the country while on tour.
Alternate Titles
Tour Driver, Entertainer Coach Driver
Avg. Salary
Salary Range
$20K – $39K 1
Table of Contents
Career Description
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How To Become a Tour Bus Driver
Tour Bus Drivers “are the captain of the ship. They are in charge of everything that goes on inside and outside of the venue. They’re driving all night, getting in around 7 or 8 in the morning,” says Chip Huffman of Huffman & Rice Inc. and The Celebrity Bus Drivers Academy. While the Road Crew unloads, the Driver will clean up the bus and wipe down tables.
They’ll “check oil, do general light maintenance duties, grab breakfast, sleep all day. They’re basically on the night shift. The Road Crew unloads, the Driver will clean up the bus and wipe down tables. They’ll “check oil, do general light maintenance duties, grab breakfast, sleep all day. They’re basically on the night shift.
The Tour Manager will tell them what bus call is, generally between 10pm-2am. [They’ll] get the bus fired up and drive all night while everyone sleeps. The next day is repeat.”
Generally speaking, the Tour Manager is the road boss, although the Bus Driver may also report to the Bus Owner, Safety Director, a Leasing Agent at the office, or the Bus Captain if it’s a larger tour with over a dozen people on the bus. The Driver will also work with the Road Crew, Celebrity Bodyguard , and Recording Groups .
On average, Tour Bus Drivers earn approximately $27,800 annually. The average salary range for Tour Bus Drivers runs from $20,000 to $39,000. However, Huffman tells us Apprentice Drivers start off making around $30,000 to $40,000, with first or second year Drivers moving up to $50,000 to $60,000 a year if they get to the point where tours are requesting them back.
After three to four years, a Driver can expect to make between $60,000 to $80,000. I know of “a handful of Drivers that made triple figures last year because they’re the best of the best,” he adds.
Drivers are usually paid per assignment, per day. They receive a daily fee for every day they’re on the road, and usually receive per diems for meals, etc.
Because of the skill set required and the intense nature of the work, Tour Bus Drivers can make a lot of money.
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Tour Bus Drivers are often away from home. They usually work through the night, starting between 10pm-2am and driving through the morning. Their shifts are closely regulated, however, and they can “legally only drive for ten hours with an eight-hour break,” according to Huffman. For this reason, the main Driver will usually be working with a second Relief Driver to get between cities.
A Tour Bus Driver can move up in his or her career by working with bigger stars or taking on a supervisory position such as Bus Captain.
Tour bus driving is an extremely competitive field, so the best way for a new Driver to get a job is through a training academy that offers job placement services. It’s also important to live in a city with a thriving tour bus industry.
With around 1,000 entertainer coaches currently running in the US, Nashville is the hub. Huffman says someone could move to Nashville and approach companies with their resume, but without the necessary connections and experience, “your chances of getting hit by lighting are slightly better than getting a job that way.”
- “If you don’t drive a big rig, go to trucking school.
- If you drive a truck, apply at your local seated bus company and get the feel of how a bus is slightly different than a truck.
- Learn how to drive smooth and gentle. People are sleeping and will work in the morning.”
To get a job as a Tour Bus Driver, “every company would ask for three years of entertainer coach experience, so I started this [training academy] and it has gone over very well and been very successful,” Huffman says.
It’s also necessary to have “at least three years CDL experience, so you really have to know how to handle a big rig and deal with people.” Much of the experience a Driver needs will come from working with seasoned veterans while on the road. “I try to get them out with an experienced Driver as a Relief Driver,” he says.
A working mechanical knowledge of the bus is essential since problems could arise anywhere, and other Mechanics won’t necessarily be familiar with the way the bus runs. “These guys are gone for days, weeks, even months, so they either have to fix it themselves or find someone who can.”
In regards to the biggest skill needed for the job, Huffman says, “probably the number one is personality skills. People skills. You just have to fit in and get along with these people and not push your way in. It’s really hard to teach [this skill], but it’s important.”
He adds, “You’re part Chauffeur and part Scullery Maid,” so cleaning skills are as important as mechanical skills. “You have to be on top of everything on that bus. There is just not one of these kinds of buses on every corner” so it’s important to know how the bus works. Also important are “paperwork skills, because we’ve got DOT (The Department of Transportation) regulating us heavily.”
Not everyone who thinks they’d make a great Tour Bus Driver actually will.
The ideal candidate is someone who’s “not too pushy, yet is friendly and approachable and has a good sense of humor and is able to tolerate all different kinds of personalities. Because in this business, you might do a country artist for two weeks, then a heavy metal band for two months, then a reggae band for two days, then a rap artist,” Huffman says. It’s important for the Driver to not get rattled about people, bus problems or schedules.
The Driver must also be dedicated to his or her job, and not simply looking for a way to live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. “The artist doesn’t want a fan. They want someone taking care of their bus so they can go to sleep and know they’re going to wake up safely in Denver” or wherever the next tour stop is, Huffman says.
Before applying for jobs, Tour Bus Drivers must already have attained a CDL (Commercial Driver License) and gone through a truck driving or bus company training. Tour bus training programs, such as Huffman’s Celebrity Bus Drivers Academy, are very helpful in terms of job placement and gaining the necessary skills and experience.
“We teach what they need to know to deal with the entertainer personality,” he says, but applicants must already come with driving experience.
Tour Bus Drivers do not have a union, although some loosely-organized online organizations do exist.
What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?
“If you think you’re going out on the road to hang out with stars, hang out backstage and chase girls, this is not the job for you. This is not a job for a fan. It’s a job for someone who loves music and driving, but knows it’s hard work.”
What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?
“Driving rough. It’s the number one mistake. Often, [with] drivers who don’t make it in the industry, it’s because they drove too rough.”
If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?
“Tenacity. Staying with it, not taking no for an answer. Staying with it and making it happen and being proactive. You really have to promote yourself, take care of yourself and do it for yourself.”
Chip Huffman
Chip Huffman is a founder of the Celebrity Bus Drivers Academy and a partner in Huffman & Rice, Inc. He has worked as a transportation executive for over twenty years. As the former President and Founder of Nitetrain Coach Company, Inc., he provided buses and Drivers for artists such as Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Korn, and Tool. The company was sold in 2010.
His work with the Celebrity Bus Drivers Academy has been featured in Business Insider , Billboard , The Wall Street Journal , Metro Magazine , Entrepreneur , Pollstar , Bus and Motor Coach News , and Music Row .
- 1 . "Tour Bus Driver Salaries" . Glassdoor.com. published: Dec 22, 2019. retrieved on: Jan 18, 2017