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What does a residential driver do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

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.

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Residential driver responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real residential driver resumes:

  • DOT logs are done and turn in daily.
  • Operate hoisting device to lift and empty bins or containers into truck hopper.
  • Operate compression equipment as well as automated or semi-automate hoisting devices.
  • Conduct deliveries of medical equipment throughout Florida, collect payments, and ensure proper cleanliness of medical equipment
  • Return to shop, perform post trip inspection, turn in all company tools require for the job.

Residential driver skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Residential Drivers are proficient in CDL, Safety Equipment, and Clean Waste. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hearing ability, Physical health, and Visual ability.

We break down the percentage of Residential Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CDL, 16%

    Perform daily Department of Transportation (DOT) inspections of Commercial Driver License(CDL) vehicles and equipment.

  • Safety Equipment, 8%

    Verified and inspected vehicle to ensure proper tire pressure, fluid levels, safety equipment, gauges, and controls.

  • Clean Waste, 8%

    Clean waste from the packer blade and truck body.

  • Safety Issues, 7%

    Report any safety issues on standard reports.

  • Safety Policies, 7%

    Adhere to all safety policies and practices.

  • Productivity Standards, 7%

    Maintain adherence to required productivity standards for the department

Common skills that a residential driver uses to do their job include "cdl," "safety equipment," and "clean waste." You can find details on the most important residential driver responsibilities below.

Hearing ability. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a residential driver to have is hearing ability. Their role and responsibilities require that "truck drivers need good hearing." Residential drivers often use hearing ability in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided clients with transportation to their medical appointments including therapy, dentistry, hearing and dialysis. "

Physical health. Another essential skill to perform residential driver duties is physical health. Residential drivers responsibilities require that "federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck." Residential drivers also use physical health in their role according to a real resume snippet: "followed food safety procedures according to company policies and health and sanitation regulations. "

Visual ability. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of residential drivers is visual ability. This skill is critical to many everyday residential driver duties, as "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "transport of mobile center to locations, transport-vehicle maintenance, mobile center operation, customer service, & audio/visual equipment troubleshooting. "

Hand-eye coordination. residential driver responsibilities often require "hand-eye coordination." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes simultaneously so that they will react appropriately to the situation around them and drive the vehicle safely." This resume example shows what residential drivers do with hand-eye coordination on a typical day: "time management and customer location coordination key to ensuring many different deliveries occurred on time. "

Most common residential driver skills

The three companies that hire the most residential drivers are:

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Compare different residential drivers

Residential driver vs. Owner/operator

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.

We looked at the average residential driver salary and compared it with the wages of an owner/operator. Generally speaking, owner/operators are paid $130,575 higher than residential drivers per year.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a residential driver are more likely to require skills like "safety equipment," "clean waste," "safety issues," and "safety policies." On the other hand, a job as an owner/operator requires skills like "pet," "customer service," "payroll," and "human resources." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Owner/operators really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $168,776. Comparatively, residential drivers tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $38,995.The education levels that owner/operators earn slightly differ from residential drivers. In particular, owner/operators are 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a residential driver. Additionally, they're 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Residential driver vs. Driver/owner operator

Driver/owner-operators are self-employed commercial truck drivers who operate trucks to transport goods for their customers. Most of these operators started working as drivers for trucking companies to gain experience and decide if it's the right career path for them. They are allowed to haul freelance or agree to a lease agreement dedicating their equipment to one product or customer. To become an owner-operator, one should consider many things, including business set-up, vehicle type, and licenses.

Driver/owner operator positions earn higher pay than residential driver roles. They earn a $133,080 higher salary than residential drivers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both residential drivers and driver/owner operators have skills such as "cdl," "federal regulations," and "drive trucks. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, residential driver responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "safety equipment," "clean waste," "safety issues," and "safety policies." Meanwhile, a driver/owner operator has duties that require skills in areas such as "dot," "otr," "pet," and "hazmat." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, driver/owner operators earn a higher salary than residential drivers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, driver/owner operators earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $155,268. Whereas residential drivers have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $38,995.In general, driver/owner operators achieve similar levels of education than residential drivers. They're 0.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Residential driver vs. Truck driver class a

The responsibilities of a Truck Driver Class A mainly revolves around driving heavy vehicles and ensuring that all transported goods meet the expected delivery deadlines and quality. The Driver needs to have a Class A license and be emotionally and physically healthy to qualify. Among the duties of a Truck Driver Class A will also revolve around securing and monitoring the quantity and quality of items, maintaining the vehicle in good condition, abide by the traffic rules and regulations, adhere to the company standards and policies, and have precise coordination with every workforce involved.

On average, truck drivers class a earn higher salaries than residential drivers, with a $26,557 difference per year.By looking over several residential drivers and truck drivers class a resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "cdl," "federal regulations," and "customer locations." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from residential driver resumes include skills like "safety equipment," "clean waste," "safety issues," and "safety policies," whereas a truck driver class a is more likely to list skills in "pet," "otr," "hazmat," and "customer service. "

Truck drivers class a earn the best pay in the transportation industry, where they command an average salary of $62,650. Residential drivers earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $38,995.When it comes to education, truck drivers class a tend to earn similar degree levels compared to residential drivers. In fact, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Residential driver vs. Driver trainer

Driver trainers are instructors who teach their clients how to drive. They are often considered experts in driving, and they are credible enough to impart their driving knowledge to clients. They teach their clients the basics of handling a car, the different actions one takes while driving, and the meaning of different street signs. They guide their clients during driving lessons and provide feedback so that their clients can improve. At times, driver trainers also handle driving tests and would rate the clients on their driving skills.

Driver trainers average a higher salary than the annual salary of residential drivers. The difference is about $9,361 per year.While both residential drivers and driver trainers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cdl, safety policies, and federal regulations, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A residential driver uses "safety equipment," "clean waste," "safety issues," and "productivity standards." Driver trainers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "training programs," "defensive driving," "emergency equipment," and "customer service. "In general, driver trainers earn the most working in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $41,269. The highest-paying industry for a residential driver is the government industry.In general, driver trainers hold similar degree levels compared to residential drivers. Driver trainers are 2.3% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of residential driver

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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