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The differences between cdl class a drivers and company 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 company driver. Additionally, a company driver has an average salary of $65,430, 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 company driver are CDL, OTR, and PET.
| CDL Class A Driver | Company Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $52,203 | $65,430 |
| Hourly rate | $25.10 | $31.46 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 696,903 | 708,157 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| 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 company driver helps an organization with all transport-related duties and ensures that these are carried out on time. Company drivers transport and deliver goods, equipment, products, and staff members to locations required by the organization. They maintain the cleanliness of their vehicles and are responsible for informing the organization about repairs and maintenance. Company drivers must also obtain the appropriate licenses and should have clean driving records with no accidents and traffic violations.
Cdl class a drivers and company drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| CDL Class A Driver | Company Driver | |
| Average salary | $52,203 | $65,430 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $75,000 | Between $45,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Mid-South Management | Air Products |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a cdl class a driver and a company driver in terms of educational background:
| CDL Class A Driver | Company Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cdl class a drivers' and company drivers' demographics:
| CDL Class A Driver | Company Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% |
| 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, 13.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |