Post job

Car driver vs route driver

The differences between car drivers and route drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a route driver has an average salary of $45,492, which is higher than the $36,587 average annual salary of a car driver.

The top three skills for a car driver include customer service, CDL and clean vehicle. The most important skills for a route driver are CDL, DOT, and pickup.

Car driver vs route driver overview

Car DriverRoute Driver
Yearly salary$36,587$45,492
Hourly rate$17.59$21.87
Growth rate20%11%
Number of jobs165,325266,899
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%High School Diploma, 47%
Average age4748
Years of experience--

What does a car driver do?

Car drivers are skilled professionals who are responsible for transporting clients comfortably and safely. These drivers are required to pick up clients from the place and time they have requested while using the GPS (Global Positioning System) to navigate and follow directions to transport them to their specified location. They are required to undergo a training program and certification testing to obtain the commercial driver's license (CDL) from the Department of Transportation. These drivers must also comply with the routine to clean vehicle interior to ensure optimal condition of vehicles.

What does a route driver do?

A Route Driver is responsible for delivering and transporting supplies or goods within an allotted time. The tasks will vary upon the organization or industry that a Route Driver works for, however, most of the time, the duties will revolve around picking up and dropping off packages at particular destinations ranging from homes to establishments, and communicating with customers. Furthermore, Route Drivers must keep their vehicles in clean and sound condition, report to supervisors should there be any issue, and adhere to the company policies and regulations at all times.

Car driver vs route driver salary

Car drivers and route drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Car DriverRoute Driver
Average salary$36,587$45,492
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $58,000Between $30,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandMassachusetts
Best paying companyTeslaBlank Rome
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between car driver and route driver education

There are a few differences between a car driver and a route driver in terms of educational background:

Car DriverRoute Driver
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%High School Diploma, 47%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Car driver vs route driver demographics

Here are the differences between car drivers' and route drivers' demographics:

Car DriverRoute Driver
Average age4748
Gender ratioMale, 72.2% Female, 27.8%Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 9.4% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage6%4%

Differences between car driver and route driver duties and responsibilities

Car driver example responsibilities.

  • Use of tools and equipment such as drill, ratchet, hedge trimmer , 36' mowers.
  • DOT regulate paperwork and schedule.
  • Complete vouchers and fax to Medicaid.
  • Receive certification in first aid and CPR.
  • Keep all information confidential and abide by HIPPA regulations.
  • Log book use recording times of pickup and drop off.
  • Show more

Route driver example responsibilities.

  • Manage 100 stores as a DSD vendor, entailing presales, delivery and basic account management.
  • Inspect vehicle and load for safety and HazMat regulations being meet.
  • DOT, local, state (provincial) and federal requirements.
  • Train new employees to read and follow route sheets, as well as prepare them for CDL testing.
  • Travel to and from designate areas to pickup and deliver parcels and packages to and from FedEx customers.
  • Record routes in the delivery vehicle GPS system to facilitate weekly route planning and to assist share route drivers.
  • Show more

Car driver vs route driver skills

Common car driver skills
  • Customer Service, 46%
  • CDL, 15%
  • Clean Vehicle, 7%
  • Relevant Safety Regulations, 5%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Medical Appointments, 4%
Common route driver skills
  • CDL, 25%
  • DOT, 18%
  • Pickup, 4%
  • Customer Locations, 4%
  • Cleanliness, 3%
  • Necessary Paperwork, 3%

Browse transportation jobs