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The differences between commercial truck drivers and water 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 commercial truck driver and a water truck driver. Additionally, a commercial truck driver has an average salary of $64,512, which is higher than the $50,440 average annual salary of a water truck driver.
The top three skills for a commercial truck driver include CDL, good time management and safety issues. The most important skills for a water truck driver are CDL, asphalt, and post-trip inspections.
| Commercial Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $64,512 | $50,440 |
| Hourly rate | $31.02 | $24.25 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 719,069 | 860,835 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A commercial truck driver is primarily in charge of transporting and delivering cargo, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities include driving for long durations, coordinating with logistics staff, handling documentation, and maintaining the safety of cargo. There are also instances where they must liaise with clients, unload and load cargo, and keep records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a commercial truck driver, it is essential to conduct regular maintenance checks on vehicles and adhere to the traffic laws and regulations for a safe and productive work environment.
Water truck drivers are professional drivers who are required to drive trucks to transport water for construction projects, oil rigs, and crews working in remote sites. These drivers must demonstrate their ability by driving their trucks in unpredictable weather conditions and navigating in heavy traffics. They must conduct pre-trip and post-trip inspections while performing preventive maintenance on their trucks to ensure safety while driving. Water truck drivers must also check all load documents to ensure that they are accurate and received the required signatures for pickup and delivery.
Commercial truck drivers and water truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $64,512 | $50,440 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $100,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Tyson Foods | MBI Energy Services |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a commercial truck driver and a water truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between commercial truck drivers' and water truck drivers' demographics:
| Commercial Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |