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The differences between driver/owner operators and cdl class a 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 driver/owner operator and a cdl class a driver. Additionally, a driver/owner operator has an average salary of $169,793, which is higher than the $52,203 average annual salary of a cdl class a driver.
The top three skills for a driver/owner operator include CDL, DOT and OTR. The most important skills for a cdl class a driver are OTR, customer service, and hazmat.
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $169,793 | $52,203 |
| Hourly rate | $81.63 | $25.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 170,784 | 696,903 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Driver/owner-operators are self-employed commercial truck drivers who operate trucks to transport goods for their customers. Most of these operators started working as drivers for trucking companies to gain experience and decide if it's the right career path for them. They are allowed to haul freelance or agree to a lease agreement dedicating their equipment to one product or customer. To become an owner-operator, one should consider many things, including business set-up, vehicle type, and licenses.
A CDL Class A driver is a driver with a Class A commercial driver's license. A commercial driver's license is necessary to operate large, heavy, and placarded vehicles. There are several classifications of a commercial driver's license, and Class A is for a car towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds (5 t). Drivers with this type of license are entitled to operate a commercial motor vehicle such as passenger buses, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and dump trucks. They have the choice to add endorsements to their CDL, which allows them to operate particular types of commercial motor vehicles.
Driver/owner operators and cdl class a drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average salary | $169,793 | $52,203 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $417,000 | Between $36,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Savannah, GA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Texas | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Clean Harbors | Mid-South Management |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a driver/owner operator and a cdl class a driver in terms of educational background:
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between driver/owner operators' and cdl class a drivers' demographics:
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 3.8% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.6% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |