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The differences between residential 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 residential driver and a professional truck driver. Additionally, a professional truck driver has an average salary of $48,577, 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 a professional truck driver are CDL, safety regulations, and on-time delivery.
| Residential Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $36,713 | $48,577 |
| Hourly rate | $17.65 | $23.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 751,657 | 739,437 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| 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.
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.
Residential drivers and professional truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $36,713 | $48,577 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $48,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Plymouth, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Waste Management | Wellpath |
| Best paying industry | Government | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a residential driver and a professional truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Residential Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between residential drivers' and professional truck drivers' demographics:
| Residential Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% |
| 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, 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% |