Post job

What does an oil truck driver do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Don Lefeve

Oil Truck Drivers are responsible for fuel oil transportation by road. Their duties include loading tank at the organization's assigned fuel terminal, conducting fuel oil delivery to customer's site, ensuring accurate paperwork, operate oil tankers and forklift trucks as well as undertake daily vehicle maintenance. Besides that, they are involved in maintaining a good driving record, providing the best customer service to clients, and documenting delivery logs. Oil truck drivers also undertake the issuance of bills of lading after fuel delivery, plan work schedules with managers, and ensure work adheres to health and safety protocols.

On this page

Oil truck driver responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real oil truck driver resumes:

  • Use of PPE require at all times.
  • Work oil & load oilCheck station levels & unload.Mask up with pure air on H2S batteries
  • Follow all hazmat regulations and precautions to prevent any dangerous situations.
  • Used QUALCOMM system for communications and perform self-routing in order to make on time deliveries.
  • Work closely with dispatch using the QUALCOMM to access and deliver messages about loads to dispatchers and customers.
  • Maintain open communication via CB radio for additional instructions.

Oil truck driver skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Oil Truck Drivers are proficient in CDL, DOT, and Safety Regulations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Hearing ability, and Physical health.

We break down the percentage of Oil Truck Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CDL, 21%

    Maintained current Class A CDL with Hazardous Materials and Tanker.

  • DOT, 14%

    Ensured all equipment was in proper working order and adhered to all company policies and DOT rules.

  • Safety Regulations, 12%

    Connect and disconnect trailer airlines and electrical connections, Comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

  • Hazmat, 10%

    Obtained a CDL-Class B License for tanker, HazMat and air brakes.

  • Routine Maintenance, 10%

    Performed routine maintenance and inspections to assigned vehicle and equipment.

  • Safety Procedures, 9%

    Operated a tractor and trailer pump unit in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and company guidelines/safety procedures.

Common skills that an oil truck driver uses to do their job include "cdl," "dot," and "safety regulations." You can find details on the most important oil truck driver responsibilities below.

Hand-eye coordination. The most essential soft skill for an oil truck driver to carry out their responsibilities is hand-eye coordination. This skill is important for the role because "drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes simultaneously so that they will react appropriately to the situation around them and drive the vehicle safely." Additionally, an oil truck driver resume shows how their duties depend on hand-eye coordination: "network coordination for freight pickup and delivery logistics consulting identify freight manifest for hazmat solutions. "

Hearing ability. Another essential skill to perform oil truck driver duties is hearing ability. Oil truck drivers responsibilities require that "truck drivers need good hearing." Oil truck drivers also use hearing ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "transport and deliver customer goods while adhearing to strict deadlines and safety regulations for professional drivers. "

Physical health. This is an important skill for oil truck drivers to perform their duties. For an example of how oil truck driver responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an oil truck driver: "log book keeper * d.o.t physical * loading and unloading trucks".

Visual ability. For certain oil truck driver responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "visual ability." The day-to-day duties of an oil truck driver rely on this skill, as "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what oil truck drivers do: "instruct students in classroom training with use of visual aids and audio equipment. "

Most common oil truck driver skills

The three companies that hire the most oil truck drivers are:

Choose from 10+ customizable oil truck driver resume templates

Build a professional oil truck driver resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your oil truck driver resume.
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume
Oil Truck Driver Resume

Compare different oil truck drivers

Oil truck driver vs. Cdl driver

A CDL driver is responsible for the transportation of goods from the manufacturing warehouse to specific store locations. CDL drivers' duties include inspecting the items before and after the delivery to ensure that the orders are correct with the right quantity, providing proof of delivery from the receiving customers, following the delivery schedule and report any delays immediately, monitoring the vehicle's engine for efficiency, and escalating concerns of incorrect deliveries and defective items. A CDL driver must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills, following safety procedures and road rules at all times.

If we compare the average oil truck driver annual salary with that of a cdl driver, we find that cdl drivers typically earn a $14,643 higher salary than oil truck drivers make annually.Even though oil truck drivers and cdl drivers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require dot, safety regulations, and hazmat in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between oil truck drivers and cdl driver. For instance, oil truck driver responsibilities require skills such as "cdl," "exam," "sample analysis," and "federal motor." Whereas a cdl driver is skilled in "cdl-a," "customer service," "otr," and "pet." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Cdl drivers tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $63,457. In contrast, oil truck drivers make the biggest average salary, $56,710, in the transportation industry.On average, cdl drivers reach similar levels of education than oil truck drivers. Cdl drivers are 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Oil truck driver vs. Van driver

A van driver is responsible for operating a wide and a larger-sized vehicle than a regular car, usually used as a company shuttle to pick up and drop employees to designated areas. Van drivers should have a clean driving record, ensuring the safety and comfortability of the passengers while on the road. They should also be familiar with the location, considering alternative routes for any road complications to avoid delays. A van driver must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, inspecting the engine's condition, and perform repairs as necessary.

A career as a van driver brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an oil truck driver. In fact, van drivers salary is $12,215 lower than the salary of oil truck drivers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both oil truck drivers and van drivers have skills such as "cdl," "routine maintenance," and "safety procedures. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real oil truck driver resumes. While oil truck driver responsibilities can utilize skills like "dot," "safety regulations," "hazmat," and "exam," van drivers use skills like "customer service," "otr," "mechanical problems," and "patients."

On average, van drivers earn a lower salary than oil truck drivers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, van drivers earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $37,113. Whereas oil truck drivers have higher pay in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $56,710.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Van drivers tend to reach similar levels of education than oil truck drivers. In fact, they're 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for oil truck drivers in the next 3-5 years?

Don LefeveDon Lefeve LinkedIn profile

President & Chairman of the Board, CVTA

Technology is changing very fast, which is great news for trucking (and all transportation) as it's making vehicles safer. The next 3-5 years will see the expansion of electric vehicles, better safety systems, and greater efficiency in transportation networks. While autonomous technology is advancing rapidly, it will not replace humans anytime soon. Certainly not in the next 3-5 years. There's a lot of testing, security concerns, and limitations that need to be worked out. Beyond the next five years, as technology continues advancing, and jobs will change and be enhanced, but driving jobs will not be replaced by machines. Like airline pilots, the technology relies upon humans, and the human will retain a central role in the control of the truck because we possess the fastest, most capable computers of all -- our brains. I think driver training will always be required, and in fact, it will likely expand to cover not only the fundamentals but also incorporate more technical training centered around autonomous systems and how to operate them.

Oil truck driver vs. Commercial driver

A commercial driver is responsible for transporting people, goods, and services from one place to various destinations as required. Commercial drivers must have a clean driving record to ensure the safety and security of the passengers and the merchandise's quality while on the road. They should also know how to operate a vehicle's engine, inspect system defects, and repair system malfunctions to prevent any delays in transportation and deliveries. A commercial driver must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry and report any problems to management.

On average, commercial drivers earn lower salaries than oil truck drivers, with a $1,617 difference per year.By looking over several oil truck drivers and commercial drivers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "cdl," "dot," and "safety regulations." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from oil truck driver resumes include skills like "exam," "routine maintenance," "sample analysis," and "eagle," whereas a commercial driver is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "ladders," "customer orders," and "strong customer service. "

Commercial drivers make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $47,951. On the other hand, oil truck drivers are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $56,710.commercial drivers typically earn similar educational levels compared to oil truck drivers. Specifically, they're 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Oil truck driver vs. Driver

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.

Drivers average a lower salary than the annual salary of oil truck drivers. The difference is about $13,698 per year.While their salaries may vary, oil truck drivers and drivers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "cdl," "dot," and "safety regulations. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "exam," "routine maintenance," "sample analysis," and "eagle" are skills that commonly show up on oil truck driver resumes. On the other hand, drivers use skills like math, basic math, cleanliness, and customer orders on their resumes.The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for drivers, with average annual pay of $39,688. Comparatively, the highest oil truck driver annual salary comes from the transportation industry.The average resume of drivers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to oil truck drivers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Types of oil truck driver

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse transportation jobs