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The differences between flatbed truck drivers and professional truck 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 flatbed truck driver and a professional truck driver. Additionally, a flatbed truck driver has an average salary of $61,065, which is higher than the $48,577 average annual salary of a professional truck driver.
The top three skills for a flatbed truck driver include CDL, flatbed and OTR. The most important skills for a professional truck driver are CDL, safety regulations, and on-time delivery.
A flatbed truck driver is primarily responsible for the transport and delivery of goods, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their duties mainly revolve around coordinating with logistics staff, planning deliveries, managing paperwork, responding to calls and inquiries from clients, and maintaining their vehicles in good condition by regularly conducting maintenance checks. There are are also instances when a driver must collect and process payments, making sure to keep records of all transactions. Furthermore, it is essential to load and unload goods to the location of deliveries and abide by all the traffic laws and regulations.
Professional truck drivers have skills in communication, organization, and navigation, as well as a motivated personality and a good sense of responsibility. Their services are absolutely essential, with the most basic task being driving commercial trucks for transportation of goods and materials to distribution centers. Truck drivers transport everything from automobiles to produce to machinery.
Flatbed truck drivers and professional truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Flatbed Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $61,065 | $48,577 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $91,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Dover, NH | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Jordan Company | Wellpath |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a flatbed truck driver and a professional truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Flatbed Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between flatbed truck drivers' and professional truck drivers' demographics:
| Flatbed Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8% | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 3.6% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |