Driver/sales workers
SOC Code: 53-3031
Driver/sales workers carries a 34% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $37,130 and +8.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 451,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 34% AI exposure, Driver/sales workers sits 3 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 43% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
52/100
Driver/sales workers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $37,130
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +8.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C 34% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Driver/sales workers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Driver/sales workers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Fast growth (67 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Driver/sales workers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Driver/sales workers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
34% Lower than most lower than 57% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Driver/sales workers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Driver/sales workers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Driver/sales workers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 53-3031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Driver/sales workers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Driver/sales workers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers.
- 2. Arrange merchandise and sales promotion displays or issue sales promotion materials to customers.
- 3. Collect coins from vending machines, refill machines, and remove aged merchandise.
- 4. Inform regular customers of new products or services and price changes.
- 5. Record sales or delivery information on daily sales or delivery record.
- 6. Listen to and resolve customers' complaints regarding products or services.
- 7. Collect money from customers, make change, and record transactions on customer receipts.
- 8. Maintain trucks and food-dispensing equipment and clean inside of machines that dispense food or beverages.
- 9. Write customer orders and sales contracts according to company guidelines.
- 10. Review lists of dealers, customers, or station drops and load trucks.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Monitoring
- Persuasion
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Food Production
- English Language
- Transportation
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Computers and Electronics
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Driver/sales workers?
Driver/sales workers has an AI exposure score of 34%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Driver/sales workers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Driver/sales workers is projected to grow by 8.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 451,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Driver/sales workers?
Key skills for Driver/sales workers include Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Driver/sales workers earn?
The median annual wage for Driver/sales workers is $37,130, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Driver/sales workers?
The typical entry-level education for Driver/sales workers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Driver/sales workers?
Driver/sales workers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Driver/sales workers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (34% here).
- Animal control workers · AI exposure 34%
- Barbers · AI exposure 34%
- Bartenders · AI exposure 34%
- Coil winders, tapers, and finishers · AI exposure 34%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+8.8% here).
- Management analysts · growth +8.8%
- Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes · growth +8.7%
- Computer systems analysts · growth +8.7%
- Construction managers · growth +8.7%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 28 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Driver/sales workers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Driver/sales workers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).