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The differences between truck driver-over the roads and water 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 water truck driver. Additionally, a truck driver-over-the-road has an average salary of $69,158, which is higher than the $50,440 average annual salary of a water truck driver.
The top three skills for a truck driver-over-the-road include CDL, OTR and PET. The most important skills for a water truck driver are CDL, asphalt, and post-trip inspections.
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Water Truck Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $69,158 | $50,440 |
| Hourly rate | $33.25 | $24.25 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 689,630 | 860,835 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| 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.
Water truck drivers are professional drivers who are required to drive trucks to transport water for construction projects, oil rigs, and crews working in remote sites. These drivers must demonstrate their ability by driving their trucks in unpredictable weather conditions and navigating in heavy traffics. They must conduct pre-trip and post-trip inspections while performing preventive maintenance on their trucks to ensure safety while driving. Water truck drivers must also check all load documents to ensure that they are accurate and received the required signatures for pickup and delivery.
Truck driver-over the roads and water truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average salary | $69,158 | $50,440 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $95,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Walmart | MBI Energy Services |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a truck driver-over-the-road and a water truck driver in terms of educational background:
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Water Truck Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between truck driver-over the roads' and water truck drivers' demographics:
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | Water Truck Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 3.7% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |