What does a company driver do?
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.
Company driver responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real company driver resumes:
- Experience in semi driving, logging, managing bills of lading, light maintenance, vehicle inspections.
- Ensure the safe transportation of HAZMAT shipments.
- Load and unload trailers with propane fork lift.
- Move, position, connect and disconnect converter dollies.
- Work as a certify CDL instructor and trainer for new drivers.
- Team driver on a dedicate LTL account hauling double trailer configurations.
- Support OTR operations, operating flatbeds, dry vans, and reefers.
- Comply with all railroad hours of operation, OSHA regulations and travel requirements.
- Operate Qualcom and other in-cab computer, CB radio and telephones to communicate information.
- Pick up and deliver loads as company information dictates including following company GPS and route solutions.
- Specialize in LTL (less than load) deliveries including blanket furniture, doors, and ice machines.
- Load and unload general commodities in a timely and professional manner.
- Perform general safety and operational functions of an OTR refrigerate van driver.
- Drive tractor-trailer combination applying knowledge of commercial driving regulations, to transport and deliver general commodities.
- Used CB to communicate with crew members and follow instructions to go to other locations to pick up crew members.
Company driver skills and personality traits
We calculated that 51% of Company Drivers are proficient in CDL, OTR, and PET. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Hearing ability, and Physical health.
We break down the percentage of Company Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CDL, 51%
Drive CDL A semi truck, delivering shipments from shipper to customer and complete paperwork and task.
- OTR, 26%
Entrusted to oversee and participate in all classroom and OTR training of new Drivers.
- PET, 8%
Traveled across the nation delivering tankers of pet supplies to destinations such as Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and South Carolina
- Hazmat, 4%
Transferred various freight, including HAZMAT & HIGH VALUE, safely and efficiently from shippers to consignees.
- Customer Locations, 3%
Perform safety checks and re-light appliances at customer locations
- Customer Service, 2%
Advanced from Company Driver to Estimator, then Purchasing Agent and ultimately Customer Service Representative.
Common skills that a company driver uses to do their job include "cdl," "otr," and "pet." You can find details on the most important company driver responsibilities below.
Hand-eye coordination. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a company driver to have is hand-eye coordination. Their role and responsibilities require that "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." Company drivers often use hand-eye coordination in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintain accurate and safe log book.load unload freight.communicate with brokers dispatch and coordination of loads"
Hearing ability. Another essential skill to perform company driver duties is hearing ability. Company drivers responsibilities require that "truck drivers need good hearing." Company drivers also use hearing ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "transport and deliver customer goods while adhearing to strict deadlines and safety regulations for professional drivers. "
Physical health. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of company drivers is physical health. This skill is critical to many everyday company driver duties, as "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." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided a valid class (a) cdl, met dot requirements and passed company physical to qualify for position. "
Visual ability. For certain company driver responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "visual ability." The day-to-day duties of a company driver rely on this skill, as "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what company drivers do: "maintained education in successfully, handling hazardous materials; visually recognized colored labels and placards. "
The three companies that hire the most company drivers are:
- Davis & Company610 company drivers jobs
- Air Products546 company drivers jobs
- Keen Transport
468 company drivers jobs
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Compare different company drivers
Company driver vs. Truck driver-over-the-road
A truck driver-over-the-road (OTR) is an individual 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, company driver responsibilities require skills like "cocoa," "customer satisfaction," "commodities," and "pickup." Meanwhile a typical truck driver-over-the-road has skills in areas such as "work ethic," "taking care," "macro," and "on-time delivery." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Truck driver-over the roads tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $67,303. In contrast, company drivers make the biggest average salary, $62,947, in the manufacturing industry.On average, truck driver-over the roads reach similar levels of education than company drivers. Truck driver-over the roads are 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Company driver vs. Driver trainer
Driver trainers are instructors who teach their clients how to drive. They are often considered experts in driving, and they are credible enough to impart their driving knowledge to clients. They teach their clients the basics of handling a car, the different actions one takes while driving, and the meaning of different street signs. They guide their clients during driving lessons and provide feedback so that their clients can improve. At times, driver trainers also handle driving tests and would rate the clients on their driving skills.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that company driver responsibilities requires skills like "pet," "cocoa," "customer satisfaction," and "fmcsa." But a driver trainer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "dexterity," "training programs," "defensive driving," and "customer orders."
On average, driver trainers earn a lower salary than company drivers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, driver trainers earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $41,269. Whereas company drivers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $62,947.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Driver trainers tend to reach similar levels of education than company drivers. In fact, they're 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for company drivers in the next 3-5 years?
Don Lefeve
President & Chairman of the Board, CVTA
Company driver vs. Haul truck driver
Haul Truck Drivers are skilled professional drivers. They are licensed to drive around heavy vehicles such as trucks. They usually travel long distances to deliver goods from one place to another. They should be able to meet delivery time expectations. As such, Haul Truck Drivers should have good time management skills. They should also have the presence of mind while driving and must obey all traffic rules. They should know the best routes to take for each particular trip. They must also ensure that their trucks are well-maintained. Haul truck Drivers should be strong enough to assist in loading up the truck or reloading the content.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a company driver is likely to be skilled in "pet," "cocoa," "dot regulations," and "customer satisfaction," while a typical haul truck driver is skilled in "dot," "asphalt," "loaders," and "minor maintenance."
Haul truck drivers earn the best pay in the transportation industry, where they command an average salary of $57,930. Company drivers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $62,947.When it comes to education, haul truck drivers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to company drivers. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Company driver vs. Over the road driver
Over the road, (OTR) drivers are the truckers driving the big semi-trailer truck that hauls all types of goods to their destinations across the states. Their journey typically begins with loading the freight onto the trailer, requiring them to lift heavy materials and load the cargo properly to avoid shifting while in transit. They often sleep in the sleeper berth at a truck stop to eat, freshen up and refuel. They are allowed to go on a 30-minute break after an eight-hour drive.
Types of company driver
Updated January 8, 2025
