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The differences between heavy truck drivers and water 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 heavy truck driver and a water truck driver. Additionally, a heavy truck driver has an average salary of $54,369, which is higher than the $50,440 average annual salary of a water truck driver.
The top three skills for a heavy truck driver include CDL, safety rules and hazmat. The most important skills for a water truck driver are CDL, asphalt, and post-trip inspections.
A heavy truck driver delivers goods and other heavy loads for clients. They transport these goods within a designated route from the manufacturing warehouse to designated store locations. In addition to driving, they determine if their truck complies with the weight or height restrictions on certain bridges and tunnels and modifies routes as necessary.
Water truck drivers are professional drivers who are required to drive trucks to transport water for construction projects, oil rigs, and crews working in remote sites. These drivers must demonstrate their ability by driving their trucks in unpredictable weather conditions and navigating in heavy traffics. They must conduct pre-trip and post-trip inspections while performing preventive maintenance on their trucks to ensure safety while driving. Water truck drivers must also check all load documents to ensure that they are accurate and received the required signatures for pickup and delivery.
Heavy truck drivers and water truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Heavy Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $54,369 | $50,440 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $75,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | B & B Co. | MBI Energy Services |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a heavy truck driver and a water truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Heavy Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between heavy truck drivers' and water truck drivers' demographics:
| Heavy Truck Driver | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 3.9% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |