Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between driver/owner operators and cdl 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 driver. Additionally, a driver/owner operator has an average salary of $169,793, which is higher than the $63,112 average annual salary of a cdl driver.
The top three skills for a driver/owner operator include CDL, DOT and OTR. The most important skills for a cdl driver are DOT, CDL-A, and customer service.
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $169,793 | $63,112 |
| Hourly rate | $81.63 | $30.34 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 170,784 | 784,044 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| 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 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.
Driver/owner operators and cdl drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Driver | |
| Average salary | $169,793 | $63,112 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $417,000 | Between $41,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Savannah, GA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Texas | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Clean Harbors | GCP Applied Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Retail |
There are a few differences between a driver/owner operator and a cdl driver in terms of educational background:
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between driver/owner operators' and cdl drivers' demographics:
| Driver/Owner Operator | CDL Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% |
| 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, 12.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |