Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between commercial drivers and lead 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 commercial driver and a lead driver. Additionally, a commercial driver has an average salary of $46,852, which is higher than the $43,769 average annual salary of a lead driver.
The top three skills for a commercial driver include customer service, CDL and ladders. The most important skills for a lead driver are DOT, work ethic, and CDL.
| Commercial Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $46,852 | $43,769 |
| Hourly rate | $22.52 | $21.04 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 1,016,123 | 821,463 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Lead drivers are professionals who are responsible for supervising the staff drivers of either a logistics or trucking company. These lead drivers must manage the communication between drivers and personnel while generating dispatch reports base on their drivers' tracking logs. They must ensure that vehicles are fit for use according to the standards of the Department of Transportation (DOT) by checking engines and maintaining sufficient fluid levels of all vehicles. Lead drivers must also train and supervise new drivers about the company's policy and safety regulations.
Commercial drivers and lead drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average salary | $46,852 | $43,769 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $62,000 | Between $27,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Auburn, WA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Laramie County Community College | Univar |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a commercial driver and a lead driver in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between commercial drivers' and lead drivers' demographics:
| Commercial Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |