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The differences between garbage truck drivers and drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a garbage truck driver has an average salary of $38,257, which is higher than the $34,771 average annual salary of a driver.
The top three skills for a garbage truck driver include CDL, customer service and post-trip inspections. The most important skills for a driver are math, basic math, and CDL.
Just as the name implies, a garbage truck driver is someone who drives a truck and uses it to collect trash, waste products, and recycling from dumpsters and trash cans on a set route. Their responsibilities include driving the truck along a designated route and handling lifting devices to collect trash. Furthermore, they may have to operate a front-end loader truck that lifts the waste into a container behind the vehicle.
Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.
Garbage truck drivers and drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Garbage Truck Driver | Driver | |
| Average salary | $38,257 | $34,771 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $22,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Trucking Partners | Air Liquide |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a garbage truck driver and a driver in terms of educational background:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between garbage truck drivers' and drivers' demographics:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 83.0% Female, 17.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 3.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |