Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between professional drivers and cdl 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 professional driver and a cdl driver. Additionally, a cdl driver has an average salary of $63,112, which is higher than the $49,556 average annual salary of a professional driver.
The top three skills for a professional driver include safety regulations, vehicle inspections and CDL. The most important skills for a cdl driver are DOT, CDL-A, and customer service.
| Professional Driver | CDL Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $49,556 | $63,112 |
| Hourly rate | $23.82 | $30.34 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 1,043,986 | 784,044 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A professional driver is responsible for offering driving services as a way of living. Professional drivers are often employed by a company or private household, transporting the employees and clients from one location to another with the utmost safety and comfortability. To be a professional driver, one must have a valid professional driver's license, as well as a clean driving record for efficient job completion. A professional driver should also have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on inspecting the vehicle's engine and conducting repairs as needed to avoid any delays in services.
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.
Professional drivers and cdl drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Driver | CDL Driver | |
| Average salary | $49,556 | $63,112 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $73,000 | Between $41,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | - | GCP Applied Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a professional driver and a cdl driver in terms of educational background:
| Professional Driver | CDL Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional drivers' and cdl drivers' demographics:
| Professional Driver | CDL Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8% | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |