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The differences between truck driver-over the roads and professional truck 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 truck driver-over-the-road and a professional truck driver. Additionally, a truck driver-over-the-road has an average salary of $69,158, which is higher than the $48,577 average annual salary of a professional truck driver.
The top three skills for a truck driver-over-the-road include CDL, OTR and PET. The most important skills for a professional truck driver are CDL, safety regulations, and on-time delivery.
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $69,158 | $48,577 |
| Hourly rate | $33.25 | $23.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 689,630 | 739,437 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A truck driver-over-the-road (OTR) is an individual driver who specializes in hauling items such as heavy freight, machinery, or construction materials from a home terminal to delivery points. OTR truck drivers usually spend more time on the road due to the long distances they are required to reach. To avoid vehicular breakdowns and delays, OTR drivers are required to inspect their trucks and review shipping and transport documents. They are also responsible for unloading freights and collect charges from customers.
Professional truck drivers have skills in communication, organization, and navigation, as well as a motivated personality and a good sense of responsibility. Their services are absolutely essential, with the most basic task being driving commercial trucks for transportation of goods and materials to distribution centers. Truck drivers transport everything from automobiles to produce to machinery.
Truck driver-over the roads and professional truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $69,158 | $48,577 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $95,000 | Between $33,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Walmart | Wellpath |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a truck driver-over-the-road and a professional truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between truck driver-over the roads' and professional truck drivers' demographics:
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Professional Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 3.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |