Light Truck Drivers
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. May load and unload vehicle.
983,300 people do this job in the US. $44,860 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 12%
- 0%
- 88%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 12%. Today's estimate: 12%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obey traffic laws and follow established traffic and transportation procedures.Done daily by most who do it. | 34% | 50 min13 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Drive vehicles with capacities under three tons to transport materials to and from specified destinations, such as railroad stations, plants, residences, offices, or within industrial yards.Done daily by most who do it. | 19% | 1.3 h17 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Load and unload trucks, vans, or automobiles.Done daily by most who do it. | 18% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Verify the contents of inventory loads against shipping papers.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Maintain records, such as vehicle logs, records of cargo, or billing statements, in accordance with regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 1.1 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Inspect and maintain vehicle supplies and equipment, such as gas, oil, water, tires, lights, or brakes, to ensure that vehicles are in proper working condition.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Read maps and follow written or verbal geographic directions.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Turn in receipts and money received from deliveries.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Report any mechanical problems encountered with vehicles.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Present bills and receipts and collect payments for goods delivered or loaded.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Use and maintain the tools or equipment found on commercial vehicles, such as weighing or measuring devices.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 17 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Report delays, accidents, or other traffic and transportation situations to bases or other vehicles, using telephones or mobile two-way radios.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 7 min3 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).