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The differences between professional truck drivers and local 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 truck driver and a local driver. Additionally, a professional truck driver has an average salary of $48,577, which is higher than the $48,160 average annual salary of a local driver.
The top three skills for a professional truck driver include CDL, safety regulations and on-time delivery. The most important skills for a local driver are CDL, DOT, and post-trip inspections.
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $48,577 | $48,160 |
| Hourly rate | $23.35 | $23.15 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 739,437 | 786,531 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A local driver is responsible for transporting people and goods and services from the distribution centers to various destinations. Local drivers operate vehicles and inspect the engine for any inconsistencies and system defects that may cause delays with the operations. They also schedule vehicle maintenance and repairs, keeping a record of receipts for the management's validation. A local driver must have excellent driving skills and a clean driving record. Additionally, a local driver should possess excellent communication skills, especially on handling customers' inquiries and concerns and escalating high-level complaints.
Professional truck drivers and local drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Driver | |
| Average salary | $48,577 | $48,160 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $69,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Montana |
| Best paying company | Wellpath | Mid-South Management |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a professional truck driver and a local driver in terms of educational background:
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional truck drivers' and local drivers' demographics:
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% | Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.6% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |