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The differences between residential drivers and owner/operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a residential driver and an owner/operator. Additionally, an owner/operator has an average salary of $167,288, which is higher than the $36,713 average annual salary of a residential driver.
The top three skills for a residential driver include CDL, safety equipment and clean waste. The most important skills for an owner/operator are CDL, PET, and customer service.
| Residential Driver | Owner/Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $36,713 | $167,288 |
| Hourly rate | $17.65 | $80.43 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 751,657 | 119,599 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of a residential driver depend on their line of work or employer. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around providing private transport to clients or providing public transportation services within residential areas. There are instances where they must communicate with clients, establish contracts, or be on call any time of the day. Furthermore, as a residential driver, it is essential to abide by all the traffic laws and perform regular vehicle maintenance checks to ensure a safe and healthy service to clients.
Owners/operators manage the business in all aspects, especially in those related to operations. They ensure that every aspect of the business is running smoothly. They oversee finance, marketing, logistics, sales, and even the human resources of the whole organization. They set business goals, create action plans to achieve them, and make sure that the plans are followed through. They set strategic direction and make business decisions that would be the most beneficial to the organization. They ensure that the business has enough funds to continue operating and that the quality of the products and services they offer continuously improve.
Residential drivers and owner/operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Driver | Owner/Operator | |
| Average salary | $36,713 | $167,288 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $48,000 | Between $105,000 And $264,000 |
| Highest paying City | Plymouth, MA | Bridgeport, CT |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Waste Management | Reddy Ice |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a residential driver and an owner/operator in terms of educational background:
| Residential Driver | Owner/Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between residential drivers' and owner/operators' demographics:
| Residential Driver | Owner/Operator | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 66.8% Female, 33.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 3.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |