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The differences between professional truck drivers and local 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 truck driver and a local truck driver. Additionally, a local truck driver has an average salary of $59,069, which is higher than the $48,577 average annual salary of a professional truck 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 truck driver are CDL, customer service, and OTR.
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 truck driver is an employee who drives a company truck to transport goods to and from specified locations within a designated geographic area. Local truck drivers must ensure that the transported goods are well-secured and not damaged during the transit. They must liaise with dispatch to communicate any traffic issues and delays as well as notify the management of any accidents or vehicle damage. Local truck drivers must also assist in loading and unloading of goods by using hand trucks and electric lifts as required.
Professional truck drivers and local truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $48,577 | $59,069 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $69,000 | Between $40,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Newark, DE |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Wellpath | Walmart |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a professional truck driver and a local truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional truck drivers' and local truck drivers' demographics:
| Professional Truck Driver | Local Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| 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, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |