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The differences between garbage truck drivers and local 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 garbage truck driver and a local truck driver. Additionally, a local truck driver has an average salary of $59,069, 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 local truck driver are CDL, customer service, and OTR.
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.
A local truck driver is an employee who drives a company truck to transport goods to and from specified locations within a designated geographic area. Local truck drivers must ensure that the transported goods are well-secured and not damaged during the transit. They must liaise with dispatch to communicate any traffic issues and delays as well as notify the management of any accidents or vehicle damage. Local truck drivers must also assist in loading and unloading of goods by using hand trucks and electric lifts as required.
Garbage truck drivers and local truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Garbage Truck Driver | Local Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $38,257 | $59,069 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $40,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, DE |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Trucking Partners | Walmart |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a garbage truck driver and a local truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Local Truck 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 local truck drivers' demographics:
| Garbage Truck Driver | Local Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| 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, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |