Bus Drivers, School vs Light Truck Drivers: $48K vs $45K Median Pay

Bus Drivers, School vs Light Truck Drivers: what changes?

Consider Bus Drivers, School if you want to drive a school bus to transport students. Consider Light Truck Drivers if you would rather drive a light vehicle, such as a truck or van, with a capacity of less than 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), primarily to pick up merchandise or packages from a distribution center and deliver. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Bus Drivers, School and Light Truck Drivers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Bus Drivers, School

National median pay (2025): $47,920
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Comply with traffic regulations to operate vehicles in a safe and courteous manner.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 56,500

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.7%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Bus Drivers, School brief

Light Truck Drivers

National median pay (2025): $44,860
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Obey traffic laws and follow established traffic and transportation procedures.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 107,200

Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Light Truck Drivers brief

How the national numbers differ

Light Truck Drivers has the edge on projected growth

Light Truck Drivers is at 6.3% projected growth, compared with 0.7% projected growth for Bus Drivers, School.

Bus Drivers, School has the edge on median pay

Bus Drivers, School is at $47,920, compared with $44,860 for Light Truck Drivers.

Light Truck Drivers has the edge on annual openings

Light Truck Drivers is at 107,200 annual openings, compared with 56,500 annual openings for Bus Drivers, School.

54.8/ 100

Bus Drivers, School

66.1/ 100

Light Truck Drivers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Bus Drivers, School vs Light Truck Drivers

Dimension	Bus Drivers, School	Light Truck Drivers
Median pay (2025)	$47,920	$44,860
Pay percentile	26.2 percentile	17.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.7%	6.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	56,500	107,200
2025 employment	396,800	1,068,500
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Bus Drivers, School brief Read Light Truck Drivers brief

Bus Drivers, School vs Light Truck Drivers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Bus Drivers, School

Light Truck Drivers

How the national numbers differ

Light Truck Drivers has the edge on projected growth

Bus Drivers, School has the edge on median pay

Light Truck Drivers has the edge on annual openings

Bus Drivers, School vs Light Truck Drivers

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