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.

Commercial Truck Driver Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial truck driver resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Operate a forklift following OSHA safety regulations and maintenance standards.
  • Work OTR for duration of lease.
  • Complete nationwide OTR training including all terrains and climates.
  • Train and mentore new CDL certify students from the company.
  • Attend licensing to learn about new laws and Hazmat industry procedures.
  • Maintain commercial driver's license (CDL) without incident or accident.
  • Follow all FMCSA rules and regulations.as well as no cargo claims or late deliveries
  • Keep daily logs accurate and up to date following standards set forth by dot.
  • Transport freight in a safe and timely manner in accordance with all FMCSA regulations.
  • Maintain and promote clean safe work environment in compliance with OSHA, and company standards.
  • Operate trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) capacity of more than 26,000 pounds.
  • Cross country team driver with certifications to transport tankers, hazmat, triple trailers and double trailers.
  • Plan routes with assistance of maps, GPS, and personal knowledge for local and interstate travel.
  • Used GPS to navigate local traffic, toll roads and bridges, as well as weigh stations.
  • Require to fill out all macros pertaining to loads and time off.

Commercial Truck Driver Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 30% of Commercial Truck Drivers are proficient in CDL, Good Time Management, and Safety Issues. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Hearing ability, and Physical health.

We break down the percentage of Commercial Truck Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CDL, 30%

    Maintained Valid CDL Driver License and Up-to-date medical certification.

  • Good Time Management, 9%

    Provided good time management to avoid being late for pickups or deliveries.

  • Safety Issues, 9%

    Inspected assigned vehicle for mechanical safety issues.

  • Safety Equipment, 8%

    Maintained a record of vehicle inspections and make sure the truck was equipped with safety equipment such as hazardous material placards.

  • Federal Regulations, 7%

    Provided on-time service to customers * Self-managed day-to-day operations * Complied with all state and federal regulations

  • OTR, 5%

    Route Distribution Over the Road Semi Truck Driver Knowledgeable, dependable and safe truck driver with OTR and tractor trailer experience.

"cdl," "good time management," and "safety issues" aren't the only skills we found commercial truck drivers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of commercial truck driver responsibilities that we found, including:

  • The most important skills for a commercial truck driver to have in this position are hand-eye coordination. In this excerpt that we gathered from a commercial truck driver resume, you'll understand why: "drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes simultaneously so that they will react appropriately to the situation around them and drive the vehicle safely." According to resumes we found, hand-eye coordination can be used by a commercial truck driver in order to "required to use a paper log book with accordance to dot,accomplishmentsnot availableskills usedgood eye hand coordination. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform commercial truck driver duties is the following: hearing ability. According to a commercial truck driver resume, "truck drivers need good hearing." Check out this example of how commercial truck drivers use hearing ability: "transport and deliver customer goods while adhearing to strict deadlines and safety regulations for professional drivers. "
  • Physical health is also an important skill for commercial truck drivers to have. This example of how commercial truck drivers use this skill comes from a commercial truck driver resume, "federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck" Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "performed physical labor for heavy equipment operation including excavation, trenching, shoveling and dump truck driving. "
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "visual ability" is important to completing commercial truck driver responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way commercial truck drivers use this skill: "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests" Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical commercial truck driver tasks: "maintained education in successfully, handling hazardous materials; visually recognized colored labels and placards. "
  • See the full list of commercial truck driver skills.

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    What CDL Drivers Do

    A CDL driver is responsible for the transportation of goods from the manufacturing warehouse to specific store locations. CDL drivers' duties include inspecting the items before and after the delivery to ensure that the orders are correct with the right quantity, providing proof of delivery from the receiving customers, following the delivery schedule and report any delays immediately, monitoring the vehicle's engine for efficiency, and escalating concerns of incorrect deliveries and defective items. A CDL driver must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills, following safety procedures and road rules at all times.

    In this section, we compare the average commercial truck driver annual salary with that of a cdl driver. Typically, cdl drivers earn a $1,400 lower salary than commercial truck drivers earn annually.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between commercial truck drivers and cdl drivers are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like good time management, safety equipment, and federal regulations.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A commercial truck driver responsibility is more likely to require skills like "cdl," "safety issues," "dependability," and "dot regulations." Whereas a cdl driver requires skills like "dot," "cdl-a," "customer service," and "pet." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Cdl drivers receive the highest salaries in the retail industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $63,457. But commercial truck drivers are paid more in the transportation industry with an average salary of $59,816.

    The education levels that cdl drivers earn is a bit different than that of commercial truck drivers. In particular, cdl drivers are 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a commercial truck driver. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Van Driver?

    A van driver is responsible for operating a wide and a larger-sized vehicle than a regular car, usually used as a company shuttle to pick up and drop employees to designated areas. Van drivers should have a clean driving record, ensuring the safety and comfortability of the passengers while on the road. They should also be familiar with the location, considering alternative routes for any road complications to avoid delays. A van driver must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, inspecting the engine's condition, and perform repairs as necessary.

    Now we're going to look at the van driver profession. On average, van drivers earn a $28,258 lower salary than commercial truck drivers a year.

    A similarity between the two careers of commercial truck drivers and van drivers are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "cdl," "safety equipment," and "otr. "

    While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that commercial truck driver responsibilities requires skills like "good time management," "safety issues," "federal regulations," and "good communication." But a van driver might use skills, such as, "customer service," "mechanical problems," "patients," and "pet."

    It's been discovered that van drivers earn lower salaries compared to commercial truck drivers, but we wanted to find out where van drivers earned the most pay. The answer? The transportation industry. The average salary in the industry is $37,113. Additionally, commercial truck drivers earn the highest paychecks in the transportation with an average salary of $59,816.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, van drivers tend to reach similar levels of education than commercial truck drivers. In fact, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Truck Driver-Over-The-Road Compares

    A truck driver-over-the-road (OTR) is a professional driver who specializes in hauling items such as heavy freight, machinery, or construction materials from a home terminal to delivery points. OTR truck drivers usually spend more time on the road due to the long distances they are required to reach. To avoid vehicular breakdowns and delays, OTR drivers are required to inspect their trucks and review shipping and transport documents. They are also responsible for unloading freights and collect charges from customers.

    Let's now take a look at the truck driver-over-the-road profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than commercial truck drivers with a $4,646 difference per year.

    Using commercial truck drivers and truck driver-over the roads resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "cdl," "federal regulations," and "otr," but the other skills required are very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from commercial truck drivers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "good time management," "safety issues," "safety equipment," and "good communication." But a truck driver-over-the-road might have skills like "pet," "work ethic," "customer service," and "taking care."

    Additionally, truck driver-over the roads earn a higher salary in the manufacturing industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $67,303. Additionally, commercial truck drivers earn an average salary of $59,816 in the transportation industry.

    When it comes to education, truck driver-over the roads tend to earn similar education levels than commercial truck drivers. In fact, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Mixer Driver

    A mixer driver is responsible for operating mixer trucks to deliver construction materials and concrete mixtures to construction and industrial site. Mixer drivers must inspect the condition of the truck's engine before and after operations to ensure its stability and performance that would prevent operational delays and avoid potential hazards. They should also dispense the mixtures properly and clean spills after delivery. A mixer driver must have excellent organizational skills to control the truck safely and ensure that the correct materials are delivered.

    Mixer drivers tend to earn a lower pay than commercial truck drivers by about $12,508 per year.

    While both commercial truck drivers and mixer drivers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cdl, federal regulations, and safety regulations, the two careers also vary in other skills.

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a commercial truck driver might have more use for skills like "good time management," "safety issues," "safety equipment," and "otr." Meanwhile, some mixer drivers might include skills like "dot," "customer service," "ladders," and "osha" on their resume.

    Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The construction industry tends to pay more for mixer drivers with an average of $51,169. While the highest commercial truck driver annual salary comes from the transportation industry.

    The average resume of mixer drivers showed that they earn similar levels of education to commercial truck drivers. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 2.0% less. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.