Light Truck Drivers build operation and control, time management and service orientation skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Couriers and Messengers (84%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Couriers and Messengers | 84% | $39,200 | −13% | None |
| 2 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 82% | $46,420 | +3% | None |
| 3 | Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | 82% | $49,690 | +11% | None |
| 4 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | 79% | $58,870 | +31% | None |
| 5 | Aircraft Service Attendants | 79% | $40,450 | −10% | None |
| 6 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | 78% | $86,380 | +93% | None |
| 7 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 77% | $78,000 | +74% | None |
| 8 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 77% | $68,840 | +53% | None |
| 9 | Motorboat Operators | 77% | $47,520 | +6% | None |
| 10 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 76% | $60,600 | +35% | None |
Compared with Light Truck Drivers, median $44,860. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as light truck drivers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
84% skill match · $39,200 · −13% pay
Persuasion · Judgment and Decision Making · Coordination
82% skill match · $46,420 · +3% pay
Troubleshooting · Operation and Control · Equipment Maintenance
82% skill match · $49,690 · +11% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Troubleshooting
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Couriers and Messengers (84% skill match, median $39,200), Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators (82% skill match, median $46,420) and Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors (82% skill match, median $49,690), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 18 pay more than light truck drivers at the median. The biggest increases: Subway and Streetcar Operators (+93%, $86,380), Locomotive Engineers (+81%, $81,410) and Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters (+74%, $78,000).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.