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The differences between owner/operators and cdl class a drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an owner/operator and a cdl class a driver. Additionally, an owner/operator has an average salary of $167,288, which is higher than the $52,203 average annual salary of a cdl class a driver.
The top three skills for an owner/operator include CDL, PET and customer service. The most important skills for a cdl class a driver are OTR, customer service, and hazmat.
| Owner/Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $167,288 | $52,203 |
| Hourly rate | $80.43 | $25.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 119,599 | 696,903 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Owners/operators manage the business in all aspects, especially in those related to operations. They ensure that every aspect of the business is running smoothly. They oversee finance, marketing, logistics, sales, and even the human resources of the whole organization. They set business goals, create action plans to achieve them, and make sure that the plans are followed through. They set strategic direction and make business decisions that would be the most beneficial to the organization. They ensure that the business has enough funds to continue operating and that the quality of the products and services they offer continuously improve.
A CDL Class A driver is a driver with a Class A commercial driver's license. A commercial driver's license is necessary to operate large, heavy, and placarded vehicles. There are several classifications of a commercial driver's license, and Class A is for a car towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds (5 t). Drivers with this type of license are entitled to operate a commercial motor vehicle such as passenger buses, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and dump trucks. They have the choice to add endorsements to their CDL, which allows them to operate particular types of commercial motor vehicles.
Owner/operators and cdl class a drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Owner/Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average salary | $167,288 | $52,203 |
| Salary range | Between $105,000 And $264,000 | Between $36,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgeport, CT | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Reddy Ice | Mid-South Management |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an owner/operator and a cdl class a driver in terms of educational background:
| Owner/Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between owner/operators' and cdl class a drivers' demographics:
| Owner/Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.8% Female, 33.2% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 3.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.6% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |