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The differences between route drivers and over the road drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an over the road driver has an average salary of $62,119, 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 an over the road driver are CDL, PET, and post-trip inspections.
| Route Driver | Over The Road Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $45,492 | $62,119 |
| Hourly rate | $21.87 | $29.86 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 266,899 | 711,143 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| 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.
Over the road, (OTR) drivers are the truckers driving the big semi-trailer truck that hauls all types of goods to their destinations across the states. Their journey typically begins with loading the freight onto the trailer, requiring them to lift heavy materials and load the cargo properly to avoid shifting while in transit. They often sleep in the sleeper berth at a truck stop to eat, freshen up and refuel. They are allowed to go on a 30-minute break after an eight-hour drive.
Route drivers and over the road drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Route Driver | Over The Road Driver | |
| Average salary | $45,492 | $62,119 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $67,000 | Between $43,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Camden, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Blank Rome | Walmart |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a route driver and an over the road driver in terms of educational background:
| Route Driver | Over The Road Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between route drivers' and over the road drivers' demographics:
| Route Driver | Over The Road Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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, 13.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 3.9% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |