diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/driver.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/driver.rs
index 331eecff6a5..e1e35845850 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/driver.rs
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/driver.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ use std::ffi::CString;
 
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 
+use crate::errors::RustBridgeDriverError;
+
 const DRIVE: &str = r#"
 def drive_sync(arguments):
     host = Host(arguments, False)
@@ -37,12 +39,46 @@ pub(crate) fn compile<'py>(
     route: &str,
     host: &str,
 ) -> PyResult<Bound<'py, PyModule>> {
-    let source = CString::new(format!("{host}\n{DRIVE}")).map_err(|_| {
-        pyo3::exceptions::PyValueError::new_err("driver source contains a null byte")
-    })?;
+    let source = CString::new(format!("{host}\n{DRIVE}"))
+        .map_err(|_| RustBridgeDriverError::new_err("driver source contains a null byte"))?;
     let filename = CString::new(format!("{route}_driver.py"))
-        .map_err(|_| pyo3::exceptions::PyValueError::new_err("invalid driver route name"))?;
+        .map_err(|_| RustBridgeDriverError::new_err("driver route name contains a null byte"))?;
     let module_name = CString::new(format!("_{route}_driver"))
-        .map_err(|_| pyo3::exceptions::PyValueError::new_err("invalid driver route name"))?;
+        .map_err(|_| RustBridgeDriverError::new_err("driver route name contains a null byte"))?;
     PyModule::from_code(py, &source, &filename, &module_name)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn null_byte_in_route_raises_driver_error() {
+        Python::initialize();
+        Python::attach(|py| {
+            let error = compile(py, "invalid\0route", "class Host: pass")
+                .expect_err("route names containing null bytes should fail");
+
+            assert!(error.is_instance_of::<RustBridgeDriverError>(py));
+            assert_eq!(
+                error.to_string(),
+                "RustBridgeDriverError: driver route name contains a null byte"
+            );
+        });
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn null_byte_in_source_raises_driver_error() {
+        Python::initialize();
+        Python::attach(|py| {
+            let error = compile(py, "test", "class Host:\0 pass")
+                .expect_err("driver source containing null bytes should fail");
+
+            assert!(error.is_instance_of::<RustBridgeDriverError>(py));
+            assert_eq!(
+                error.to_string(),
+                "RustBridgeDriverError: driver source contains a null byte"
+            );
+        });
+    }
+}
diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/errors.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/errors.rs
index 00cfa55c4ce..b3a049c0c31 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/errors.rs
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/errors.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ pyo3::create_exception!(
     "The provider call was already issued and failed. Args are (status, message); status is 0 when there was no HTTP response."
 );
 
+pyo3::create_exception!(
+    _native,
+    RustBridgeDriverError,
+    pyo3::exceptions::PyRuntimeError,
+    "The Rust bridge could not initialize a route driver."
+);
+
 pub(crate) fn core_error_to_pyerr(err: Error) -> PyErr {
     match err {
         Error::InvalidProvider(_) => PyValueError::new_err("Invalid provider configuration"),
@@ -81,7 +88,11 @@ pub(crate) fn messages_provider_error_to_pyerr(err: Error) -> PyErr {
 pub(crate) fn register(module: &Bound<'_, PyModule>) -> PyResult<()> {
     let py = module.py();
     module.add("RustBridgeDeclined", py.get_type::<RustBridgeDeclined>())?;
-    module.add("RustUpstreamError", py.get_type::<RustUpstreamError>())
+    module.add("RustUpstreamError", py.get_type::<RustUpstreamError>())?;
+    module.add(
+        "RustBridgeDriverError",
+        py.get_type::<RustBridgeDriverError>(),
+    )
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/lib.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/lib.rs
index 2a14beb41bd..b52dfde7e00 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/lib.rs
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/lib.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ mod tests {
             let expected = [
                 "RustBridgeDeclined",
                 "RustUpstreamError",
+                "RustBridgeDriverError",
                 "ocr",
                 "aocr",
                 "transcription",