Food service driver vs route driver

The differences between food service drivers and route drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a route driver has an average salary of $45,492, which is higher than the $31,527 average annual salary of a food service driver.

The top three skills for a food service driver include food service, CDL and food delivery. The most important skills for a route driver are CDL, DOT, and pickup.

Food service driver vs route driver overview

	Food Service Driver	Route Driver
Yearly salary	$31,527	$45,492
Hourly rate	$15.16	$21.87
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	236,463	266,899
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Food service driver vs route driver salary

Food service drivers and route drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Driver	Route Driver
Average salary	$31,527	$45,492
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $43,000	Between $30,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Luis Obispo, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Irving Isd	Blank Rome
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between food service driver and route driver education

There are a few differences between a food service driver and a route driver in terms of educational background:

	Food Service Driver	Route Driver
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food service driver vs route driver demographics

Here are the differences between food service drivers' and route drivers' demographics:

	Food Service Driver	Route Driver
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 82.4% Female, 17.6%	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 4.0% White, 59.3% 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%

Differences between food service driver and route driver duties and responsibilities

Food service driver example responsibilities.

Manage and expedite the secure transportation and accountability of logistic materials and HAZMAT chemicals to commercial, state and government facilities.
Deliver groceries to restaurants, gas stations, yogurt shops and warehouses.
Employ by this company to offer warehouse help and CDL truck driverposition.
Obtain CDL and drive company trucks to and from project sites within the tri-state.
Communicate with customers to confirm product pickup and delivery necessities.
Interact with patients, family, and staff and communicate pertinent dietary information to the clinical dietitians and supervisor personnel.

Route driver example responsibilities.

Manage 100 stores as a DSD vendor, entailing presales, delivery and basic account management.
Inspect vehicle and load for safety and HazMat regulations being meet.
DOT, local, state (provincial) and federal requirements.
Train new employees to read and follow route sheets, as well as prepare them for CDL testing.
Travel to and from designate areas to pickup and deliver parcels and packages to and from FedEx customers.
Record routes in the delivery vehicle GPS system to facilitate weekly route planning and to assist share route drivers.

Food service driver vs route driver skills

Common food service driver skills

Food Service, 23%
CDL, 14%
Food Delivery, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
DOT, 7%
Food Safety, 6%

Common route driver skills

CDL, 25%
DOT, 18%
Pickup, 4%
Customer Locations, 4%
Cleanliness, 3%
Necessary Paperwork, 3%

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Transportation Industry
Food Service Driver
Food Service Driver vs Route Driver

Updated January 8, 2025

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