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Tank driver vs water truck driver

The differences between tank drivers and water truck drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a tank driver and a water truck driver. Additionally, a tank driver has an average salary of $51,471, which is higher than the $50,440 average annual salary of a water truck driver.

The top three skills for a tank driver include CDL, hazmat and post-trip inspections. The most important skills for a water truck driver are CDL, asphalt, and post-trip inspections.

Tank driver vs water truck driver overview

Tank DriverWater Truck Driver
Yearly salary$51,471$50,440
Hourly rate$24.75$24.25
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs783,401860,835
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%High School Diploma, 50%
Average age4848
Years of experience22

What does a tank driver do?

The duties of a tank driver depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, they are responsible for transporting goods or hazardous materials, ensuring timeliness and accuracy. Their tasks often revolve around coordinating with managers or office staff, handling or organizing documentation, managing schedules, and liaising with clients. Furthermore, as a tank driver, it is crucial to abide by all the traffic laws and conduct regular vehicle maintenance checks to ensure everyone's safety.

What does a water truck driver do?

Water truck drivers are professional drivers who are required to drive trucks to transport water for construction projects, oil rigs, and crews working in remote sites. These drivers must demonstrate their ability by driving their trucks in unpredictable weather conditions and navigating in heavy traffics. They must conduct pre-trip and post-trip inspections while performing preventive maintenance on their trucks to ensure safety while driving. Water truck drivers must also check all load documents to ensure that they are accurate and received the required signatures for pickup and delivery.

Tank driver vs water truck driver salary

Tank drivers and water truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tank DriverWater Truck Driver
Average salary$51,471$50,440
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $75,000Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityDenver, COSan Diego, CA
Highest paying stateColoradoNorth Dakota
Best paying companyKemira ChemicalsMBI Energy Services
Best paying industryTransportationTransportation

Differences between tank driver and water truck driver education

There are a few differences between a tank driver and a water truck driver in terms of educational background:

Tank DriverWater Truck Driver
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%High School Diploma, 50%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Tank driver vs water truck driver demographics

Here are the differences between tank drivers' and water truck drivers' demographics:

Tank DriverWater Truck Driver
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 95.0% Female, 5.0%Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between tank driver and water truck driver duties and responsibilities

Tank driver example responsibilities.

  • Deliver a variety of commodities to surrounding mines OTR and locally.
  • Employ industry standard HAZMAT procedures.
  • Deliver chemicals to various locations in town and OTR.
  • Deliver liquid propane to commercial and residential accounts/perform safety checks/operate forklifts/follow D.O.T.
  • Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers and CB radios.
  • Hooked/Unhook trailers and converter dollies to or from a tractor and/or trailer.
  • Show more

Water truck driver example responsibilities.

  • Utilize CDL by driving from fresh water pits, drilling rigs, frac jobs, mud farms to service clients.
  • Guide dump trucks while being fill with milling from asphalt.
  • Drive and operate water truck by watering soil cement foundation base and for asphalt.
  • Load oil .transport products using dot regulations.unload products at designate facilities.
  • Check all load documentation for accuracy, inspect load and receive required signatures for pickup and delivery.
  • Keep track of logs, miles, and bol's.

Tank driver vs water truck driver skills

Common tank driver skills
  • CDL, 45%
  • Hazmat, 19%
  • Post-Trip Inspections, 6%
  • OTR, 5%
  • Customer Locations, 4%
  • PTO, 3%
Common water truck driver skills
  • CDL, 31%
  • Asphalt, 12%
  • Post-Trip Inspections, 5%
  • DOT Regulations, 5%
  • Construction Sites, 4%
  • Hand Tools, 4%

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