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The differences between garbage truck drivers and lead 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 garbage truck driver and a lead driver. Additionally, a lead driver has an average salary of $43,769, which is higher than the $38,257 average annual salary of a garbage truck driver.
The top three skills for a garbage truck driver include CDL, customer service and post-trip inspections. The most important skills for a lead driver are DOT, work ethic, 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.
Lead drivers are professionals who are responsible for supervising the staff drivers of either a logistics or trucking company. These lead drivers must manage the communication between drivers and personnel while generating dispatch reports base on their drivers' tracking logs. They must ensure that vehicles are fit for use according to the standards of the Department of Transportation (DOT) by checking engines and maintaining sufficient fluid levels of all vehicles. Lead drivers must also train and supervise new drivers about the company's policy and safety regulations.
Garbage truck drivers and lead drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Garbage Truck Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average salary | $38,257 | $43,769 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $27,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Trucking Partners | Univar |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a garbage truck driver and a lead driver in terms of educational background:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between garbage truck drivers' and lead drivers' demographics:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |