Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between tow truck drivers and professional 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 tow truck driver and a professional truck driver. Additionally, a professional truck driver has an average salary of $48,577, which is higher than the $38,555 average annual salary of a tow truck driver.
The top three skills for a tow truck driver include transport vehicles, CDL and customer service. The most important skills for a professional truck driver are CDL, safety regulations, and on-time delivery.
| Tow Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $38,555 | $48,577 |
| Hourly rate | $18.54 | $23.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 666,918 | 739,437 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 57% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Typically working upon the directives of dispatchers, a tow truck driver is in charge of driving to areas where a vehicle accident or breakdown took place, connecting the vehicle to the tow truck, and transporting them to repair stations or particular places. Their responsibilities include communicating with clients to identify their needs, answering inquiries, providing assistance by performing minor repairs, changing tires or jump-starting cars, and recommending solutions when necessary. Furthermore, as a tow truck driver, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks on towing trucks for a safe and efficient service.
Professional truck drivers have skills in communication, organization, and navigation, as well as a motivated personality and a good sense of responsibility. Their services are absolutely essential, with the most basic task being driving commercial trucks for transportation of goods and materials to distribution centers. Truck drivers transport everything from automobiles to produce to machinery.
Tow truck drivers and professional truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tow Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $38,555 | $48,577 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $50,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Auburn, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | City of Detroit | Wellpath |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a tow truck driver and a professional truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Tow Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 57% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tow truck drivers' and professional truck drivers' demographics:
| Tow Truck Driver | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 3.9% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |