Compare A Tractor Trailer Truck Driver ↔ B Electrical Apprentice

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Your route

2 moves

No pay difference shown for this route: electrical Apprentice: All Electricians (47-2111) at every experience level, the occupation apprentices are counted in (SOC Classification Principle 7). Mostly journeyman-level workers, so it is not apprentice pay and is never subtracted.

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Fiber Optic Technician: license depends on the work (No TDLR electrician license for fiber, cabling and communications circuits (1305.003(a)(12)). Alarm or access control work may need a DPS license: not checked (site unreachable 2026-10-03)).
Move 2, to Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Tractor Trailer Truck Driver to Fiber Optic Technician
- Entry station closest in skills: skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.71.
- Gates: license depends on the work (No TDLR electrician license for fiber, cabling and communications circuits (1305.003(a)(12)). Alarm or access control work may need a DPS license: not checked (site unreachable 2026-10-03)).
- Skills to build: Installation, Quality Control Analysis
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Fiber Optic Technician to Electrical Apprentice
- O*NET lists Helpers--Electricians as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.85 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Side by side

Tractor Trailer Truck Driver: 80% work more than 40 hours a week, about 2.3 times the share for Electrical Apprentice (35%).

This level's pay

A No headline record for this level

B $18.34 to $34.64/h Houston apprenticeship scale (IBEW 716), 2026

No published schedule lists both jobs, so no level-specific difference is shown.

Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k

$56,290no difference shown$58,570

All Electricians (47-2111) at every experience level, the occupation apprentices are counted in (SOC Classification Principle 7). Mostly journeyman-level workers, so it is not apprentice pay and is never subtracted.

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +14.1% Texas, 26,650 openings a year

B +14.4% Texas, 8,100 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

80%-45 pts35%

Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first

2.5 / 5+1.74.1 / 5

Climbing ladders+2.45Climbing ladders: A 1.75, B 4.2
Standing+2.34Standing: A 2.21, B 4.55
Hazardous conditions+2.14Hazardous conditions: A 2.45, B 4.59
Bending or twisting+2.12Bending or twisting: A 2.56, B 4.68
Keeping balance+2.10Keeping balance: A 1.75, B 3.85

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 1% do).

License

A Outside occupation (starting point); its own licensing is not assessed here.

B Texas: Electrical Apprentice license (TDLR) before doing any electrical work. No experience or exam; $20 online application, renewed yearly.

Experience

A Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed (O*NET).

B To start: no experience and no exam for the Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Monitoring
Operations Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
Equipment Maintenance
Operation and Control
Time Management

To build: 6

Installation +1.50
Instructing +1.12
Persuasion +1.12
Learning Strategies +1.00
Mathematics +1.00
Troubleshooting +1.00

Make this your goal

Save Tractor Trailer Truck Driver to Electrical Apprentice as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.