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The differences between transportation drivers and lead 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 transportation driver and a lead driver. Additionally, a lead driver has an average salary of $43,769, which is higher than the $43,236 average annual salary of a transportation driver.
The top three skills for a transportation driver include CDL, DOT and tractor trailer. The most important skills for a lead driver are DOT, work ethic, and CDL.
| Transportation Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $43,236 | $43,769 |
| Hourly rate | $20.79 | $21.04 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 1,006,562 | 821,463 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A transportation driver is responsible for transporting people and goods from one place to another. A transportation driver must have a clean driving record to operate vehicles carefully and efficiently. Transportation drivers must ensure that the passengers are safe and comfortable during the trip and that goods are in proper condition to avoid damage and defects. They should strictly adhere to the transport schedules and assigned routes to avoid delays of operations. A transportation driver should also understand maintenance basics of vehicles to perform repair and reconditioning of any engine malfunction.
Lead drivers are professionals who are responsible for supervising the staff drivers of either a logistics or trucking company. These lead drivers must manage the communication between drivers and personnel while generating dispatch reports base on their drivers' tracking logs. They must ensure that vehicles are fit for use according to the standards of the Department of Transportation (DOT) by checking engines and maintaining sufficient fluid levels of all vehicles. Lead drivers must also train and supervise new drivers about the company's policy and safety regulations.
Transportation drivers and lead drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Transportation Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average salary | $43,236 | $43,769 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $70,000 | Between $27,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cheyenne, WY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | West Tennessee Healthcare | Univar |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a transportation driver and a lead driver in terms of educational background:
| Transportation Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between transportation drivers' and lead drivers' demographics:
| Transportation Driver | Lead Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |