How To Become A Semi Driver: What It Is and Career Path

What is a semi driver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average semi driver salary is $49,041. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a semi driver. Semi drivers with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 90,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSemi DriverUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $49,041

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 3.76%

Black or African American 10.07%

Hispanic or Latino 14.30%

Unknown 4.74%

White 66.32%

Gender

female 8.27%

male 91.73%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.6

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.4

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a semi driver

Explore semi driver education requirements

Most common semi driver degrees

High School Diploma

40.8 %

Associate

23.5 %

Bachelor's

13.3 %

Start to develop specific semi driver skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Checks	18.45%
Customer Locations	13.27%
OTR	12.22%
Delivery Schedules	6.64%
Customer Relations	6.30%

Complete relevant semi driver training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New semi drivers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a semi driver based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real semi driver resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed semi driver usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed semi driver in most of states. 13 states require semi drivers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Commercial Driver (Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver)
California	-	State exam required	Commercial Driver License
Idaho	-	State exam required	Commercial Drivers
Massachusetts	-	State exam required	COMMERCIAL DRIVERS
Missouri	-	State exam required	Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer

Research semi driver duties and responsibilities

Try OTR driving, do not enjoy it.
Haul: hazmat loads and high security loads.
Used tracker and trailers (OTR) to deliver loads of scrap iron.
Fuel and maintain truck, and equipment, interact with computers, and GPS equipment.

Prepare your semi driver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your semi driver resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a semi driver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable semi driver resume templates

Build a professional semi driver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your semi driver resume.