Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between tow truck operators and cdl class a 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 operator and a cdl class a driver. Additionally, a cdl class a driver has an average salary of $52,203, which is higher than the $43,448 average annual salary of a tow truck operator.
The top three skills for a tow truck operator include transport vehicles, tow truck and DOT. The most important skills for a cdl class a driver are OTR, customer service, and hazmat.
| Tow Truck Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $43,448 | $52,203 |
| Hourly rate | $20.89 | $25.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 72,416 | 696,903 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Tow Truck Operator works with a towing company and assists with removing damaged vehicles from accident scenes or broken down vehicles that have been abandoned at the request of the owner of the vehicle or the owner of the property. Typically, the tow truck operator's duties start first by receiving a call from a dispatcher and then driving to the accident or breakdown scene. He/She connects the vehicle to the tow truck and transports it to its final destination, a junkyard or a service station.
A CDL Class A driver is a driver with a Class A commercial driver's license. A commercial driver's license is necessary to operate large, heavy, and placarded vehicles. There are several classifications of a commercial driver's license, and Class A is for a car towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds (5 t). Drivers with this type of license are entitled to operate a commercial motor vehicle such as passenger buses, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and dump trucks. They have the choice to add endorsements to their CDL, which allows them to operate particular types of commercial motor vehicles.
Tow truck operators and cdl class a drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tow Truck Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average salary | $43,448 | $52,203 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $62,000 | Between $36,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | 7th Street Casino | Mid-South Management |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a tow truck operator and a cdl class a driver in terms of educational background:
| Tow Truck Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tow truck operators' and cdl class a drivers' demographics:
| Tow Truck Operator | CDL Class A Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.6% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |