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What does a truck driver helper do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Don Lefeve
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Truck driver helper responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real truck driver helper resumes:

  • Manage and expedite the secure transportation and accountability of logistic materials and HAZMAT chemicals to commercial, state and government facilities.
  • Follow GPS directives and maintain in constant communication with dispatch when necessary.
  • Sort packages by region, deliver packages to customers, handle cash-on-delivery payments, process business pickups, utilize DIAD board technology

Truck driver helper skills and personality traits

We calculated that 25% of Truck Driver Helpers are proficient in Safety Policies, CDL, and DOT. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hearing ability, Physical health, and Hand-eye coordination.

We break down the percentage of Truck Driver Helpers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Safety Policies, 25%

    Adhered to all applicable safety policies and procedures.

  • CDL, 20%

    Maintained Valid CDL Driver License and Up-to-date medical certification.

  • DOT, 13%

    Comply with DOT regulations and policies including but not limited to logs, maintenance, repairs.

  • Load Trucks, 8%

    Load Trucks in order with the pal system used at UPS.

  • Safety Regulations, 7%

    Transport and unload fuels at gas stations and non-commercial locations following all state and federal guidelines regarding environmental and safety regulations.

  • Safety Rules, 7%

    Follow all safety rules and report all accidents and product damage immediately if any.

"safety policies," "cdl," and "dot" are among the most common skills that truck driver helpers use at work. You can find even more truck driver helper responsibilities below, including:

Hearing ability. One of the key soft skills for a truck driver helper to have is hearing ability. You can see how this relates to what truck driver helpers do because "truck drivers need good hearing." Additionally, a truck driver helper resume shows how truck driver helpers use hearing ability: "transport and deliver customer goods while adhearing to strict deadlines and safety regulations for professional drivers. "

Physical health. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling truck driver helper duties is physical health. The role rewards competence in this skill 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." According to a truck driver helper resume, here's how truck driver helpers can utilize physical health in their job responsibilities: "operated production mine trucks assisted with pulling electrical cable completed mine safety & health administration completed 2 week production truck training program"

Hand-eye coordination. This is an important skill for truck driver helpers to perform their duties. For an example of how truck driver helper responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "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." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a truck driver helper: "deliver packages assist in coordination of delivery route".

See the full list of truck driver helper skills

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Compare different truck driver helpers

Truck driver helper vs. Driver

Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.

The annual salary of drivers is $2,288 higher than the average salary of truck driver helpers.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between truck driver helpers and drivers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like cdl, dot, and safety regulations.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, truck driver helper responsibilities require skills like "safety policies," "load trucks," "delivery truck," and "pickup." Meanwhile a typical driver has skills in areas such as "math," "basic math," "cleanliness," and "customer orders." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Drivers earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $39,688. On the other hand, truck driver helpers are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $37,874.On average, drivers reach similar levels of education than truck driver helpers. Drivers are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Truck driver helper vs. Helper

Helpers are employed by families or homeowners to provide overall assistance in the house. They are usually assigned to do household chores such as cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cooking meals, and tending the garden. They may also be assigned to do groceries or even drive the family around. They take care of children at home and assist them with their schoolwork should it be needed. They also address any other needs that the family may require assistance with. Helpers are expected to be patient and trustworthy since they will be working closely with the family members.

A career as a helper brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a truck driver helper. In fact, helpers salary is $1,152 lower than the salary of truck driver helpers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both truck driver helpers and helpers have skills such as "load trucks," "safety regulations," and "safety rules. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real truck driver helper resumes. While truck driver helper responsibilities can utilize skills like "safety policies," "cdl," "dot," and "delivery truck," helpers use skills like "food handling," "safety procedures," "physical labor," and "windows."

On average, helpers earn a lower salary than truck driver helpers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, helpers earn the most pay in the utilities industry with an average salary of $36,088. Whereas truck driver helpers have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $37,874.In general, helpers achieve similar levels of education than truck driver helpers. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for truck driver helpers in the next 3-5 years?

Don LefeveDon Lefeve LinkedIn profile

President & Chairman of the Board, CVTA

Technology is changing very fast, which is great news for trucking (and all transportation) as it's making vehicles safer. The next 3-5 years will see the expansion of electric vehicles, better safety systems, and greater efficiency in transportation networks. While autonomous technology is advancing rapidly, it will not replace humans anytime soon. Certainly not in the next 3-5 years. There's a lot of testing, security concerns, and limitations that need to be worked out. Beyond the next five years, as technology continues advancing, and jobs will change and be enhanced, but driving jobs will not be replaced by machines. Like airline pilots, the technology relies upon humans, and the human will retain a central role in the control of the truck because we possess the fastest, most capable computers of all -- our brains. I think driver training will always be required, and in fact, it will likely expand to cover not only the fundamentals but also incorporate more technical training centered around autonomous systems and how to operate them.

Truck driver helper vs. Cdl driver

A CDL driver is responsible for the transportation of goods from the manufacturing warehouse to specific store locations. CDL drivers' duties include inspecting the items before and after the delivery to ensure that the orders are correct with the right quantity, providing proof of delivery from the receiving customers, following the delivery schedule and report any delays immediately, monitoring the vehicle's engine for efficiency, and escalating concerns of incorrect deliveries and defective items. A CDL driver must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills, following safety procedures and road rules at all times.

On average scale, cdl drivers bring in higher salaries than truck driver helpers. In fact, they earn a $30,629 higher salary per year.By looking over several truck driver helpers and cdl drivers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "dot," "safety regulations," and "pallet jack." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a truck driver helper is likely to be skilled in "safety policies," "cdl," "load trucks," and "safety rules," while a typical cdl driver is skilled in "cdl-a," "customer service," "otr," and "pet."

Cdl drivers earn the best pay in the retail industry, where they command an average salary of $63,457. Truck driver helpers earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $37,874.Most cdl drivers achieve a similar degree level compared to truck driver helpers. For example, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Truck driver helper vs. Van driver

A van driver is responsible for operating a wide and a larger-sized vehicle than a regular car, usually used as a company shuttle to pick up and drop employees to designated areas. Van drivers should have a clean driving record, ensuring the safety and comfortability of the passengers while on the road. They should also be familiar with the location, considering alternative routes for any road complications to avoid delays. A van driver must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, inspecting the engine's condition, and perform repairs as necessary.

Van drivers tend to earn a higher pay than truck driver helpers by an average of $3,771 per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between truck driver helpers and van drivers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a truck driver helper might have more use for skills like "safety policies," "dot," "load trucks," and "safety regulations." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of van drivers require skills like "customer service," "otr," "mechanical problems," and "gps. "

The transportation industry tends to pay the highest salaries for van drivers, with average annual pay of $37,113. Comparatively, the highest truck driver helper annual salary comes from the retail industry.The average resume of van drivers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to truck driver helpers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.

Types of truck driver helper

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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