Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between cdl class a drivers and fuel truck 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 fuel truck driver. Additionally, a fuel truck driver has an average salary of $56,767, 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 fuel truck driver are CDL, hazmat, and DOT.
| CDL Class A Driver | Fuel Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $52,203 | $56,767 |
| Hourly rate | $25.10 | $27.29 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 696,903 | 876,579 |
| 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 Fuel Truck Driver transports fuel and other petroleum products from one place to another, ensuring safety and timeliness. Their responsibilities include measuring and calculating fuel deliveries, maintaining records, handling documentation, liaising with clients, preparing progress reports, and overseeing the loading and unloading procedures, ensuring adherence to the company's safety standards and regulations. A Fuel Truck Driver must conduct regular vehicle maintenance checks and abide by the traffic laws and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
Cdl class a drivers and fuel truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| CDL Class A Driver | Fuel Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $52,203 | $56,767 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $75,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | - |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | - |
| Best paying company | Mid-South Management | - |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | - |
There are a few differences between a cdl class a driver and a fuel truck driver in terms of educational background:
| CDL Class A Driver | Fuel Truck 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 fuel truck drivers' demographics:
| CDL Class A Driver | Fuel Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 3.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |