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The differences between flatbed drivers and route drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a flatbed driver has an average salary of $57,099, which is higher than the $45,492 average annual salary of a route driver.
The top three skills for a flatbed driver include CDL, OTR and customer service. The most important skills for a route driver are CDL, DOT, and pickup.
| Flatbed Driver | Route Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $57,099 | $45,492 |
| Hourly rate | $27.45 | $21.87 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 781,449 | 266,899 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A flatbed driver is responsible for operating flatbed trucks to manage distribution and deliveries of goods and services from the warehouse to various assigned designations. Flatbed drivers assist in loading and unloading items, maintain a copy of receipt orders, process payments, and respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns. They also inspect the stability and performance of the truck's engine before and after operations and perform necessary repairs to prevent delivery delays and avoid potential road hazards.
A Route Driver is responsible for delivering and transporting supplies or goods within an allotted time. The tasks will vary upon the organization or industry that a Route Driver works for, however, most of the time, the duties will revolve around picking up and dropping off packages at particular destinations ranging from homes to establishments, and communicating with customers. Furthermore, Route Drivers must keep their vehicles in clean and sound condition, report to supervisors should there be any issue, and adhere to the company policies and regulations at all times.
Flatbed drivers and route drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Flatbed Driver | Route Driver | |
| Average salary | $57,099 | $45,492 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $83,000 | Between $30,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Hub Group | Blank Rome |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a flatbed driver and a route driver in terms of educational background:
| Flatbed Driver | Route Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between flatbed drivers' and route drivers' demographics:
| Flatbed Driver | Route Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |