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The differences between route drivers and commercial drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a commercial driver has an average salary of $46,852, which is higher than the $45,492 average annual salary of a route driver.
The top three skills for a route driver include CDL, DOT and pickup. The most important skills for a commercial driver are customer service, CDL, and ladders.
| Route Driver | Commercial Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $45,492 | $46,852 |
| Hourly rate | $21.87 | $22.52 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 266,899 | 1,016,123 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A Route Driver is responsible for delivering and transporting supplies or goods within an allotted time. The tasks will vary upon the organization or industry that a Route Driver works for, however, most of the time, the duties will revolve around picking up and dropping off packages at particular destinations ranging from homes to establishments, and communicating with customers. Furthermore, Route Drivers must keep their vehicles in clean and sound condition, report to supervisors should there be any issue, and adhere to the company policies and regulations at all times.
A commercial driver is responsible for transporting people, goods, and services from one place to various destinations as required. Commercial drivers must have a clean driving record to ensure the safety and security of the passengers and the merchandise's quality while on the road. They should also know how to operate a vehicle's engine, inspect system defects, and repair system malfunctions to prevent any delays in transportation and deliveries. A commercial driver must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry and report any problems to management.
Route drivers and commercial drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Route Driver | Commercial Driver | |
| Average salary | $45,492 | $46,852 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $67,000 | Between $35,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Auburn, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Blank Rome | Laramie County Community College |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a route driver and a commercial driver in terms of educational background:
| Route Driver | Commercial Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between route drivers' and commercial drivers' demographics:
| Route Driver | Commercial Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |