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The differences between school bus drivers and truck drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a truck driver has an average salary of $60,326, which is higher than the $37,607 average annual salary of a school bus driver.
The top three skills for a school bus driver include vehicle inspections, customer service and safety rules. The most important skills for a truck driver are CDL, OTR, and DOT.
| School Bus Driver | Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $37,607 | $60,326 |
| Hourly rate | $18.08 | $29.00 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 112,230 | 827,858 |
| Job satisfaction | 1.5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Average age | 58 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A school bus driver is responsible for students' safe transportation during school days or any related events. Aside from ensuring that the students get to their destination on time, a school bus driver must ensure to abide by the traffic laws and regulations at all times and follow particular routes for picking-up and dropping off students. Furthermore, a school bus driver must ensure students' safety at all times by conducting daily bus maintenance and maintaining order inside the vehicle.
The truck driver transports goods and materials by land from and to manufacturing factories or retail businesses and distribution centers with the use of heavy trucks or tractor-trailers. Truck drivers assist and supervise the safe unloading of cargos to the destination. They must always check their cargo if complete and secured with cables, rope, or other materials. They should keep their truck clean, neat, and inspect prior the trip and ensure to be in good working condition to operate safely. It is very important that they follow with all appropriate safety procedures and comply with federal and state regulations. They must also be knowledgable and comfortable in using maps or GPS to navigate the safest and most efficient routes.
School bus drivers and truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Bus Driver | Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $37,607 | $60,326 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $46,000 | Between $40,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, MA | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Epic Systems | W. R. Grace & Co |
| Best paying industry | Education | Retail |
There are a few differences between a school bus driver and a truck driver in terms of educational background:
| School Bus Driver | Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between school bus drivers' and truck drivers' demographics:
| School Bus Driver | Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 58 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% | Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 2.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 4% |