How to hire a private or cargo driver in Colombia: C1, C2, and C3 licenses and social security

Almost everyone who hires a driver starts by asking for a C1 license, and they are wrong from the start. For a family car, the correct one is B1; C1, C2, and C3 are public service categories. This guide separates three different types of hiring, because each has its own license and social security affiliation method: the household driver, the private company truck driver, and the public service driver.

Which license to ask for depending on the vehicle

According to the Ministry of Transport publication and the RUNT ABC, the categories are divided as follows: B1, B2, and B3 for private vehicles, and C1, C2, and C3 for public service. Within the same letter, the higher category covers the lower ones.

In practice: a family car requires B1, not C1; a private rigid truck requires B2; a private articulated vehicle requires B3. And the coverage between letters has only one legal backing: paragraph 2 of Article 5 of Resolution 1500 of 2005 states that those with a public service license may drive private vehicles of a "similar or lower category." Do not create an equivalency table broader than that phrase.

One error I see a lot is asking for a public license "just in case." It is not necessary for a household driver, and paying more for a category that is not used gives no additional guarantee. What does matter is that the category corresponds to the vehicle: driving with an expired, adulterated license, or a license of a different category than the vehicle can lead to a fine and the impounding of the car. The value of those fines changes, so check the current figure in the RUNT.

Public service: age, exam, validity, and company

For a public service license, Law 2251 of 2022 (Article 7, which replaces Article 19 of Law 769 of 2002) requires 18 years of age, a theoretical and practical public service exam, and the training defined by the Ministry of Transport. The private one requires 16 years of age. In both cases, a certificate of physical, mental, and motor coordination aptitude is required, issued by an IPS or a CRC registered in the RUNT. Many people call it a "psychosensometric exam"; it is the same certificate, not a separate requirement.

Validity, according to Article 22 of Law 769:

• Private: 10 years if the driver is under 60, 5 years between 60 and 80, and 1 year if they are over 80.
• Public service: 3 years if they are under 60 and 1 year if they are 60 or older.

Renewing requires a new aptitude exam, which the RUNT indicates must be done at a CRC, and being up to date on finalized traffic fines, validated in the RUNT.

If you are going to hire a driver for a public service vehicle, Law 336 of 1996 places the burden on the company: it must verify a valid and appropriate license for the service, plus social security affiliation. Furthermore, the driver is hired directly by the operating company, which is jointly liable with the owner of the equipment. To put it bluntly: the owner of the truck who "leaves" the driver off the payroll does not escape the problem.

Household driver: employment contract and payroll

If the driver works for your family, the UGPP includes them in domestic service. That means an employment contract, not service provision, and there is no way to replace the affiliation with a fee-based contract.

Full-time or part-time: affiliation to contributory health, pension, ARL (occupational hazards), and a compensation fund (caja de compensación). If they work by the day for several employers, each employer affiliates them for pension, ARL, and compensation fund, and their health insurance can remain in the subsidized regime or as a beneficiary.

According to the UGPP table consulted on October 6, 2026, for full-time or part-time domestic service, the contributions are:

• Health: 8.5% employer and 4% employee.
• Pension: 12% employer and 4% employee.
• Work-related hazards: 0.522%, employer only.
• Compensation fund: 4%, employer only.

The same table, calculated on a full-time domestic service minimum wage in 2026, gives: health COP 148,827 for the employer and COP 70,036 for the employee; pension COP 210,109 and COP 70,036; hazards COP 9,140 paid by the employer; compensation fund COP 70,036 paid by the employer. These values apply only to that case, not to a cargo driver, a taxi driver, or a salary other than the minimum.

Other useful data: food and housing in kind cannot exceed 30% of the minimum wage, and the salary in cash plus in-kind must be at least the minimum. Payment is made using the S payroll, contributor type 2, for full-time, and with the E payroll, contributor type 51, for part-time or by the day. We already explained how to make the payment in Mi Planilla in this guide (in English).

Cargo driver: the ARL is not a fixed number

A lot of loose information circulates here. Only the individual public service taxi driver is required by regulation (Decree 1047 of 2014) to be active in pension, health, and occupational hazards, with a risk class IV. That class cannot be copied for the household driver or anyone moving cargo. Nor is there a single "IV or V" rate for any truck driver.

The correct way: the risk class of a cargo company or a driver service is found in the table in the annex of Decree 768 of 2022, with the CIIU code from the RUT and the actual description of the activity. The first digit of the seven-digit code is the class, from 1 to 5. If you have any doubts, check with your accountant or the ARL before affiliating.

According to the active ads on Colombia Move (October 6, 2026), there is 1 active ad in the category moving and 1 for driver, so the supply is very thin for those who need a freight shipment or a driver. If you need a truck for moves or cargo, also look at the guide to offer freight trucking services. For your company's private truck, think about B2 or B3, not C2 or C3, unless the service is public transport.

What to check before hiring, without violating personal data

My rule: ask for the physical document and verify at the source, not in a screenshot.

• Physical license: category, validity, and that it corresponds to the vehicle.
• Status in the RUNT: ensure the license is listed as valid and without pending fines.
• General Driver Report: the license history is requested at no cost through the Ministry of Transport channel.
• Judicial background check: have the driver show you their own certificate.

Do not use the National Police background check with someone else's ID: their terms of use state that it is for the holder to validate their own information and that consulting a third party is prohibited. And do not confuse acronyms: the RNT is the National Tourism Registry, for tourism service providers, and it does not replace the RUNT or a background check certificate. Be suspicious of any screenshot without a verifiable number.

If the service falls on Monday, October 12, 2026

According to Law 51 of 1983, October 12 is a paid day off, and if it does not fall on a Monday, it is moved to the following Monday. In 2026, that date is already a Monday, so the time off is on that same day. If the service is scheduled for that date, agree in advance on how it will be handled and don't leave the license or affiliation for later: they are checked just like any other day.

If you are the one offering the service

Clients decide faster when the ad already contains the information they usually ask for. Include your license category, the city or coverage area, the type of vehicle, and whether you are affiliated with social security. You set the price in your own words, and photos should be of the vehicle and the work, never of your ID card. Exploring the guide costs nothing, and posting on Colombia Move is free and commission-free, with direct contact.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Does the driver of my private car need a C1 license?

No, a private car requires a B1 license. C1 is a public service category, and a public license can cover a private vehicle of similar or lower category. There is no need to require a C1 for a family car (verify with the official source).

❓ What is the difference between C1, C2, and C3?

C1 is for public automobiles, campers, SUVs, and minibuses; C2 for rigid trucks, busetas, and public buses; C3 for public articulated vehicles. Within the same letter, the higher category covers the lower ones (verify with the official source).

❓ How often must the license of the person I am hiring be renewed?

For public service, it is every 3 years if under 60 and every year from age 60; for private, 10, 5, or 1 year depending on age. Renewal requires a new fitness test and for any executive fines to be up to date in the RUNT (verify with the official source).

❓ Is it safe to check the driver's background on the Police website?

No, that query is for the individual and using it to check a third party is prohibited. Ask the driver to show you their own certificate and check their license in the RUNT or with the General Driver Report, which is requested at no cost (verify with the official source).

❓ Does the RNT replace the RUNT?

No. The RNT is the registry of tourism service providers and the RUNT is the transit and license registry. Do not ask for an RNT from a household driver or for freight that is not a tourist service (verify with the official source).

❓ How do I affiliate the driver who works in my home and how much does it cost?

With an employment contract and domestic service affiliation, not through a service provision contract. Full-time uses form S, contributor 2; by the day, form E, contributor 51. The pesos for the UGPP consulted in October 2026 apply only to a domestic minimum wage (verify with the official source).

❓ What type of ARL do I use if I contract cargo and where do I check it?

There is no single class IV or V for every driver. Individual taxi service is class IV; in other cases, the class is determined by the actual activity and the CIIU code from the RUT, according to the table in Decree 768 of 2022. Confirm it with your ARL or accountant (verify with the official source).