What does a tractor driver do?
This is an individual employed in the agricultural sector to drive tractors. Depending on the type of farm he's working, or the season of the year, his/her duties may differ. However, as a Tractor Driver, your general duties will include transporting materials from one place to another, plowing fields, and planting seeds. You would also have to assist in the application of fertilizers and the harvesting of crops. At regular intervals, you would also need to carry out tractor maintenance.
Tractor driver responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real tractor driver resumes:
- Supervise the harvest operation to accomplish daily production requirements.
- Mow the lawn, grade the roads, spray tar, and drive/dump gravel.
- Dispatch, pickup, and deliver local freight.
- Work on lawn mowers, repair what are broken.
- Work on the bailers and rakes when they break down.
- Remove old roofing and concrete materials in an efficient manner.
- Operate tractor to cut grass and weeds on city & state property.
- Haul grass when in season; and weigh corn for moisture and poundage.
- Clean and maintain canals using shovels and spray herbicides on canals with overgrowth.
- Perform various tasks ranging from irrigation system repair to mowing vineyard rows with a tractor and mower implement.
- Drive and control farm equipment to cultivate harvest crops, and operate stationary equipment to perform harvest tasks.
- Load and unload supplies; ensure timely pickup and delivery of food, supplies, mail and refuse.
- Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, hand trucks forklifts, or transfer augers.
- Prepare pallets by following prescribe stacking arrangement and properly tagging pallets.
- Cat, Euclid, Terex and Volvo rigid-frame and articulate off-road end dumps to 50-tons.
Tractor driver skills and personality traits
We calculated that 63% of Tractor Drivers are proficient in CDL, DOT, and Mowing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Hearing ability, and Physical health.
We break down the percentage of Tractor Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CDL, 63%
Complete CDL class A training and drove throughout the state of Florida and interstates as well transporting goods to comercial stores
- DOT, 24%
Experienced with computerized lo-books, manual log-books, knowledgeable with logistics operations, and all DOT rules and regulations.
- Mowing, 3%
Performed various tasks ranging from irrigation system repair to mowing vineyard rows with a tractor and mower implement.
- Harvest, 2%
Drive and control farm equipment to cultivate harvest crops, and operated stationary equipment to perform harvest tasks.
- GRASS, 2%
Operated tractor to cut grass and weeds on city & state property.
- Routine Maintenance, 2%
Pick up and deliver merchandise/perishables within specific time frame* Maintain cleanliness of truck and routine maintenance* Complete paperwork properly for all deliveries
"cdl," "dot," and "mowing" are among the most common skills that tractor drivers use at work. You can find even more tractor driver responsibilities below, including:
Hand-eye coordination. One of the key soft skills for a tractor driver to have is hand-eye coordination. You can see how this relates to what tractor drivers do because "drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes simultaneously so that they will react appropriately to the situation around them and drive the vehicle safely." Additionally, a tractor driver resume shows how tractor drivers use hand-eye coordination: "performed vehicle inspection, minor maintenance, and coordination of repairs for compliance with company and highway regulations. "
Hearing ability. Another essential skill to perform tractor driver duties is hearing ability. Tractor drivers responsibilities require that "truck drivers need good hearing." Tractor drivers also use hearing ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "transport and deliver customer goods while adhearing to strict deadlines and safety regulations for professional drivers. "
Physical health. tractor drivers are also known for physical health, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to tractor driver responsibilities, because "federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck." A tractor driver resume example shows how physical health is used in the workplace: "clean oklahoma mvr and current cdl class a and health certificate. "
Visual ability. A big part of what tractor drivers do relies on "visual ability." You can see how essential it is to tractor driver responsibilities because "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical tractor driver tasks: "operated a commercial passenger bus provided customer service maintained a safe driving record ability to visual inspect vehicle"
The three companies that hire the most tractor drivers are:
- Jackson Family Wines6 tractor drivers jobs
- Brown-Forman2 tractor drivers jobs
- Hormel Foods2 tractor drivers jobs
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Compare different tractor drivers
Tractor driver vs. Driver trainer
Driver trainers are instructors who teach their clients how to drive. They are often considered experts in driving, and they are credible enough to impart their driving knowledge to clients. They teach their clients the basics of handling a car, the different actions one takes while driving, and the meaning of different street signs. They guide their clients during driving lessons and provide feedback so that their clients can improve. At times, driver trainers also handle driving tests and would rate the clients on their driving skills.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, tractor driver responsibilities require skills like "dot," "mowing," "harvest," and "grass." Meanwhile a typical driver trainer has skills in areas such as "dexterity," "training programs," "defensive driving," and "emergency equipment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Driver trainers really shine in the transportation industry with an average salary of $41,269. Comparatively, tractor drivers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $30,315.On average, driver trainers reach similar levels of education than tractor drivers. Driver trainers are 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Tractor driver vs. Driver/mover
A driver/mover is responsible for preparing and arranging items for delivery from the distribution center to assigned destinations. Driver/movers assist with loading and unloading merchandise using various warehouse tools and equipment. They also inspect the packaging of items, ensuring that the products are free of any defects and immediately escalate damaged items to the management. A driver/mover checks the accuracy of inventory reports to determine the correct quantity of the delivered items before and after shipment to prevent client misunderstandings and complaints.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real tractor driver resumes. While tractor driver responsibilities can utilize skills like "dot," "mowing," "harvest," and "grass," driver/movers use skills like "equipment inventory," "complete paperwork," "truck inspections," and "office furniture."
On average, driver/movers earn a higher salary than tractor drivers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, driver/movers earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $33,850. Whereas tractor drivers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $30,315.driver/movers earn similar levels of education than tractor drivers in general. They're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Tractor driver vs. Maintenance truck driver
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from tractor driver resumes include skills like "harvest," "grass," "drive tractor," and "safety procedures," whereas a maintenance truck driver is more likely to list skills in "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "dump truck," and "safety guidelines. "
Most maintenance truck drivers achieve a similar degree level compared to tractor drivers. For example, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Tractor driver vs. Equipment operator-driver
Even though a few skill sets overlap between tractor drivers and equipment operators-driver, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a tractor driver might have more use for skills like "harvest," "grass," "perform routine maintenance," and "drive tractor." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of equipment operators-driver require skills like "dump truck," "loaders," "tractor trailer," and "post-trip inspections. "
In general, equipment operators-driver hold similar degree levels compared to tractor drivers. Equipment operators-driver are 0.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of tractor driver
Updated January 8, 2025
