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The differences between professional drivers and lead 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 lead driver. Additionally, a professional driver has an average salary of $49,556, which is higher than the $43,769 average annual salary of a lead driver.
The top three skills for a professional driver include safety regulations, vehicle inspections and CDL. The most important skills for a lead driver are DOT, work ethic, and CDL.
| Professional Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $49,556 | $43,769 |
| Hourly rate | $23.82 | $21.04 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 1,043,986 | 821,463 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| 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.
Lead drivers are professionals who are responsible for supervising the staff drivers of either a logistics or trucking company. These lead drivers must manage the communication between drivers and personnel while generating dispatch reports base on their drivers' tracking logs. They must ensure that vehicles are fit for use according to the standards of the Department of Transportation (DOT) by checking engines and maintaining sufficient fluid levels of all vehicles. Lead drivers must also train and supervise new drivers about the company's policy and safety regulations.
Professional drivers and lead drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average salary | $49,556 | $43,769 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $73,000 | Between $27,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | - | Univar |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional driver and a lead driver in terms of educational background:
| Professional Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional drivers' and lead drivers' demographics:
| Professional Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |