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The differences between cdl class a drivers and class a drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cdl class a driver and a class a driver. Additionally, a class a driver has an average salary of $56,620, which is higher than the $52,203 average annual salary of a cdl class a driver.
The top three skills for a cdl class a driver include OTR, customer service and hazmat. The most important skills for a class a driver are CDL, customer service, and OTR.
| CDL Class A Driver | Class A Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $52,203 | $56,620 |
| Hourly rate | $25.10 | $27.22 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 696,903 | 706,950 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A CDL Class A driver is a driver with a Class A commercial driver's license. A commercial driver's license is necessary to operate large, heavy, and placarded vehicles. There are several classifications of a commercial driver's license, and Class A is for a car towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds (5 t). Drivers with this type of license are entitled to operate a commercial motor vehicle such as passenger buses, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and dump trucks. They have the choice to add endorsements to their CDL, which allows them to operate particular types of commercial motor vehicles.
A Class A driver is an individual driver who has acquired a commercial driver's license (CDL) to operate trucks or commercial vehicles to transport materials and heavy equipment. Class A drivers are required to plan over-the-road (OTR) travel by using GPS and ensure that they follow bulk cargo transportation laws, regulations, and guidelines. They must conduct proper maintenance of the company vehicles and provide accurate daily logs to stay in compliance with the company's regulations. Class A drivers should also know how to operate equipment such as citizen band (CB) radios and telephones.
Cdl class a drivers and class a drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| CDL Class A Driver | Class A Driver | |
| Average salary | $52,203 | $56,620 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $75,000 | Between $39,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Mid-South Management | Mid-South Management |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a cdl class a driver and a class a driver in terms of educational background:
| CDL Class A Driver | Class A Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cdl class a drivers' and class a drivers' demographics:
| CDL Class A Driver | Class A Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% | Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.6% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 3.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |