Trailer vs tractor-trailer driver

The differences between trailers and tractor-trailer drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tractor-trailer driver has an average salary of $58,498, which is higher than the $40,180 average annual salary of a trailer.

The top three skills for a trailer include pallets, DOT and air tools. The most important skills for a tractor-trailer driver are DOT, CDL, and OTR.

Trailer vs tractor-trailer driver overview

	Trailer	Tractor-Trailer Driver
Yearly salary	$40,180	$58,498
Hourly rate	$19.32	$28.12
Growth rate	1%	4%
Number of jobs	2,967	690,787
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	40	48
Years of experience	-	2

Trailer vs tractor-trailer driver salary

Trailers and tractor-trailer drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Trailer	Tractor-Trailer Driver
Average salary	$40,180	$58,498
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $54,000	Between $40,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	Atlanta, GA
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Exel Inc.
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between trailer and tractor-trailer driver education

There are a few differences between a trailer and a tractor-trailer driver in terms of educational background:

	Trailer	Tractor-Trailer Driver
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Trailer vs tractor-trailer driver demographics

Here are the differences between trailers' and tractor-trailer drivers' demographics:

	Trailer	Tractor-Trailer Driver
Average age	40	48
Gender ratio	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 27.1% Asian, 1.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	4%

Differences between trailer and tractor-trailer driver duties and responsibilities

Trailer example responsibilities.

Assist in delivery & setup for RV shows.
Used hand jacks pallets / for boxes that come off of trailers.
DOT inspections, brake jobs, wheel seals, suspension, lights, inspect, repair and replace tires
Organize freight on pallets that are not ready to be stock and used hand power forklift to place on shelves.
Execute necessary diagnostics and repairs to air conditioning systems.
Pick up and delivery of freight items, LTL, to and from various warehouses.

Tractor-trailer driver example responsibilities.

Experience in semi driving, logging, managing bills of lading, light maintenance, vehicle inspections.
Maintain air brake certification and CDL with tank endorsement.
Maintain communication with dispatcher via GPS capable cellular phones.
Lease purchase, OTR driver, all lower 48 and Canada.
Perform duties of that require as an owner operator OTR truck driver.
Attend annual re-licensing to learn about new laws and HAZMAT industry procedures.

Trailer vs tractor-trailer driver skills

Common trailer skills

Pallets, 41%
DOT, 29%
Air Tools, 13%
Delivery Truck, 6%
RV, 4%
Assembly Line, 4%

Common tractor-trailer driver skills

DOT, 38%
CDL, 21%
OTR, 15%
Customer Service, 5%
Post-Trip Inspections, 3%
Vehicle Inspections, 3%

Updated January 8, 2025

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