Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between water truck drivers and van 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 water truck driver and a van driver. Additionally, a water truck driver has an average salary of $50,440, which is higher than the $36,254 average annual salary of a van driver.
The top three skills for a water truck driver include CDL, asphalt and post-trip inspections. The most important skills for a van driver are CDL, customer service, and OTR.
| Water Truck Driver | Van Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $50,440 | $36,254 |
| Hourly rate | $24.25 | $17.43 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 860,835 | 791,293 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Water truck drivers and van drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Water Truck Driver | Van Driver | |
| Average salary | $50,440 | $36,254 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $24,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | MBI Energy Services | DVFSchool |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a water truck driver and a van driver in terms of educational background:
| Water Truck Driver | Van Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between water truck drivers' and van drivers' demographics:
| Water Truck Driver | Van Driver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 3.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |