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City driver vs commercial driver

The differences between city drivers and commercial 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 city driver and a commercial driver. Additionally, a city driver has an average salary of $50,203, which is higher than the $46,852 average annual salary of a commercial driver.

The top three skills for a city driver include CDL, DOT and post-trip. The most important skills for a commercial driver are customer service, CDL, and ladders.

City driver vs commercial driver overview

City DriverCommercial Driver
Yearly salary$50,203$46,852
Hourly rate$24.14$22.52
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs1,003,6051,016,123
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%High School Diploma, 36%
Average age4848
Years of experience22

What does a city driver do?

A city driver is primarily responsible for the safe transportation of passengers from one place to another. They are also responsible for helping clients with their luggage, assisting the disabled, processing payments, and offering faster routes to get to the destination. One may pick-up passengers on the spot or through booking applications. Moreover, a city driver must conduct regular vehicle maintenance inspections and adhere to all the traffic laws, all to ensure a safe environment for passengers.

What does a commercial driver do?

A commercial driver is responsible for transporting people, goods, and services from one place to various destinations as required. Commercial drivers must have a clean driving record to ensure the safety and security of the passengers and the merchandise's quality while on the road. They should also know how to operate a vehicle's engine, inspect system defects, and repair system malfunctions to prevent any delays in transportation and deliveries. A commercial driver must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry and report any problems to management.

City driver vs commercial driver salary

City drivers and commercial drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

City DriverCommercial Driver
Average salary$50,203$46,852
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $75,000Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYAuburn, WA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaWashington
Best paying companyU&s Services, Inc.Laramie County Community College
Best paying industryTransportationTransportation

Differences between city driver and commercial driver education

There are a few differences between a city driver and a commercial driver in terms of educational background:

City DriverCommercial Driver
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%High School Diploma, 36%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

City driver vs commercial driver demographics

Here are the differences between city drivers' and commercial drivers' demographics:

City DriverCommercial Driver
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 91.4% Female, 8.6%Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between city driver and commercial driver duties and responsibilities

City driver example responsibilities.

  • Conduct daily pre-trip and post-trip inspections according to federal regulations.
  • Have held cdl a throughout career.
  • Reason for leaving left for training in OTR truck driving.
  • Obtain CDL and promote to position of freight pick-up and delivery.
  • Hook and unhook trailers and converter dollies to/from tractors and trailers.
  • Maintain vehicle cleanliness and replace gaskets, nozzles and other relate articles as necessary.
  • Show more

Commercial driver example responsibilities.

  • Haul HAZMAT with roll-off bins, tankers, flatb, dry vans and dumps.
  • Plan delivery route & schedule using maps and GPS devices.
  • Develop and maintain an efficient routing system utilizing GPS and map.
  • Operate a Volvo commercial truck and transport regional and OTR loads.
  • Train and evaluate entry-level drivers while operating as an OTR flatb driver.
  • Determine if they would benefit from coming to school and obtaining their CDL.
  • Show more

City driver vs commercial driver skills

Common city driver skills
  • CDL, 29%
  • DOT, 17%
  • Post-Trip, 10%
  • Hazmat, 7%
  • LTL, 6%
  • Pallet Jack, 5%
Common commercial driver skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • CDL, 12%
  • Ladders, 12%
  • Customer Orders, 9%
  • DOT, 8%
  • Distribution Centers, 5%

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