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The differences between professional drivers and professional 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 professional driver and a professional truck driver. Additionally, a professional driver has an average salary of $49,556, which is higher than the $48,577 average annual salary of a professional truck driver.
The top three skills for a professional driver include safety regulations, vehicle inspections and CDL. The most important skills for a professional truck driver are CDL, safety regulations, and on-time delivery.
| Professional Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $49,556 | $48,577 |
| Hourly rate | $23.82 | $23.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 1,043,986 | 739,437 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| 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.
Professional truck drivers have skills in communication, organization, and navigation, as well as a motivated personality and a good sense of responsibility. Their services are absolutely essential, with the most basic task being driving commercial trucks for transportation of goods and materials to distribution centers. Truck drivers transport everything from automobiles to produce to machinery.
Professional drivers and professional truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $49,556 | $48,577 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $73,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | - | Wellpath |
| Best paying industry | - | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a professional driver and a professional truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Professional Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 27% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional drivers' and professional truck drivers' demographics:
| Professional Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8% | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% |
| 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, 14.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |