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The differences between company drivers and operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a company driver, becoming an operator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a company driver has an average salary of $65,430, which is higher than the $37,928 average annual salary of an operator.
The top three skills for a company driver include CDL, OTR and PET. The most important skills for an operator are safety procedures, CDL, and emergency calls.
| Company Driver | Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $65,430 | $37,928 |
| Hourly rate | $31.46 | $18.23 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 708,157 | 159,077 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A company driver helps an organization with all transport-related duties and ensures that these are carried out on time. Company drivers transport and deliver goods, equipment, products, and staff members to locations required by the organization. They maintain the cleanliness of their vehicles and are responsible for informing the organization about repairs and maintenance. Company drivers must also obtain the appropriate licenses and should have clean driving records with no accidents and traffic violations.
Operators are skilled workers who are in charge of working on an industrial machine or a specific aspect of the manufacturing business. They are trained to operate machines, learning how to use them. They are also responsible for the maintenance and repair of the machine, and they should be able to troubleshoot problems and provide remedies to them. They must be knowledgeable about the different parts of the machine and how to mitigate any challenges that may arise. Operators should be alert, detail-oriented, and familiar with safety and health guidelines.
Company drivers and operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Company Driver | Operator | |
| Average salary | $65,430 | $37,928 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $93,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Air Products | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a company driver and an operator in terms of educational background:
| Company Driver | Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between company drivers' and operators' demographics:
| Company Driver | Operator | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 16.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |