Work Gloves for Driving, Operating Equipment and Transport

What the rule says

Each entry is condensed from the paragraph cited; the paragraph itself is the rule and the link opens it.

29 CFR 1910.138(b): Selection: employers base the selection of hand protection on an evaluation of its performance characteristics relative to the tasks to be performed, the conditions present, the duration of use, and the hazards and potential hazards identified.

29 CFR 1910.138(a): General requirements: employers select and require the use of appropriate hand protection when hands are exposed to hazards such as skin absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns, and harmful temperature extremes.

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1): Hazard assessment: the employer assesses the workplace to determine whether hazards are present, or likely to be present, that necessitate the use of personal protective equipment, and selects PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified.

Cal/OSHA Title 8 §3384(a): Hand protection: employers select, provide and require employees to use appropriate hand protection when hands are exposed to hazards such as skin absorption of harmful substances, cuts or lacerations, abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns, radioactive materials, and harmful temperature extremes; §3384(b): hand protection is not worn where it could be caught in moving machinery or materials.

Source: 29 CFR, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, as published by OSHA (ecfr.gov), and California Code of Regulations, Title 8, as published by Cal/OSHA (dir.ca.gov), read Nov 6 2026.

What the standards body and the manufacturers publish for this work

The ISEA Key does not list driving, equipment operation or transport at any cut or puncture level; the rated leg here is the manufacturer's own glove type (drivers gloves), as it is on the glove type pages.

On this page: 91 gloves that a manufacturer names for this work in its own documents and 191 whose published rating falls in the band the standards body or the manufacturer names. Each row says which document or which published band put it here.

Documents read: PIP Product Information workbook, October 2026 (APPLICATIONS column, written onto the product pages Nov 6 2026 as "Manufacturer Stated Applications") (read Nov 6 2026); Liberty Safety 2022 Full Products Catalog (APPLICATIONS line per style), read Nov 6 2026 (read Nov 6 2026); The "Manufacturer Stated Applications" field on each product page (the manufacturer's own application words; the value names the document when it is not the product page) (read Nov 6 2026); The manufacturer's glove type (the Drivers Gloves category on the product page).

Source: PIP Product Information workbook, October 2026; Liberty Safety 2022 Full Products Catalog; ISEA, Key to Hand Protection Classifications (ANSI/ISEA 105-2024), November 2024. The products listed are the styles the manufacturer names for the task or whose published rating falls in the band the standards body or the manufacturer names, not a selection by Bayshore Safety.

Questions people ask about gloves for driving, operating equipment and transport

What are driver gloves good for? A drivers glove is the manufacturers' name for an unlined grain leather glove with a keystone or wing thumb and a slip-on cuff, published for dexterity and feel on controls, reins, rope and tools; the hide (cowhide, goatskin, deerskin, pigskin) is stated on each product page. It carries no cut or puncture level unless the manufacturer tested and published one.

What kind of gloves are best for driving? The manufacturers describe drivers gloves by hide and construction rather than rank them: goatskin for a thin, soft leather with feel, cowhide for durability, deerskin for softness, with a keystone thumb for grip on a wheel or lever. The type pick-list on this page narrows to drivers gloves; the hide is on each product page.

What is the best material for driving gloves? Each hide is described, not ranked, in the manufacturers' documents: goatskin (fine grain, lanolin, stays soft), cowhide (abrasion resistance), deerskin (softest, stays soft after wetting), pigskin (breathable). Grain leather is used for drivers gloves because it is thin enough to feel through. The hide is stated on every product page.

What type of leather is best for work gloves? The manufacturers describe each hide rather than rank them: cowhide for abrasion resistance and durability, goatskin for a soft, fine-grained leather with natural lanolin that stays pliable, pigskin for breathability and softness after wetting, deerskin for the softest feel. Grain leather is the outer hide; split leather is the inner layer, used on heavier palms. The hide is stated on each product page.

What do leather gloves protect against? The manufacturers describe leather by hide and by what the leather does: abrasion resistance and heat resistance from the hide itself (cowhide, goatskin, pigskin, deerskin each described on the product page), with cut and puncture resistance only where the manufacturer tested and published an ANSI level for the glove. Leather is not rated for chemicals or electricity unless the manufacturer says so.

Related: Drivers Gloves · Leather Palm Gloves · High Dexterity Gloves · Cowhide vs goatskin vs pigskin vs deerskin: what the leather type… · How to clean and wash leather work gloves without ruining them · How to measure your hand for glove size · Fall Protection on Aerial Lifts and Scissor Lifts · every glove by job, cut level and coating.

Other jobs: Construction, general labor · Drywall, carpentry, framing · Concrete, masonry, tile · Roofing · Demolition, heavy construction · Electrical, utility · HVAC, sheet metal · Metal fabrication, machine shops · Glass handling · Food processing, prep · Warehouse, packaging · Mechanics, automotive · Landscaping, farm, grounds · Oil and gas, mining · Assembly, small parts · Welding · Chemicals, cleaning · Hot work, foundry · Cold, freezer.

The ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.