Truck Driver Resume Example with Free Template

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Here is a trucking fact to arouse your curiosity. According to the American Trucking Associations’ website, there are close to 37.9 million trucks in the US, registered and used for business purposes. 

Speaking of business, delivery drivers – and especially truck drivers – are quite in-demand positions, and since truck driver positions are in shortage in recent years, trucking companies are willing to loosen up the wallet string and pay truckers more.

As per CBS News, there are more than 80,000 truck-driving positions to be filled in, as per the industry requirements. To score a job in the industry, applicants are required to have a well-rounded truck driver resume that’ll make them stand out from the crowd.

If you are wondering how to write a resume for the position, read on, since we put together a useful step-by-step guide on creating a truck driver resume that’ll land you your next dream destination.

When you are applying for a truck-driving position, it is fairly realistic to assume that your resume will be in a pile with hundreds of others. It is also fair to suppose the recruiter will be drained from reading resumes all day long, so if yours doesn’t stand out, it might end up skipped or ignored.

If you have never put together a truck driver resume before, you can always turn to pre-done resume templates to get you one step closer to being chosen as a candidate.

If you are taking matters into your own hands and building a resume from scratch, consider that you will need to meet several criteria that make a desirable truck driver’s resume.

Education, skills, experience, and other assets you might possess – all these and more elements are essential to mention in your resume for a clearer picture of you as a candidate. Before you begin building your truck driver resume, we recommend reading our helpful guide on how to avoid the most common resume mistakes. 

Also, it is wise to check if the recruiting company accepts digital applications rather than hard copies. If yes, save your truck driver resume in PDF format to preserve its formatting. Microsoft Word templates could rearrange the initial formatting during transfer.

When all is said and done, a top-notch truck driver resume should look something like this:

Resume Example

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[Jason Miller]

[Truck Driver]

[1859 Helper Moon, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 | 732-998-2547 | jason_m@mail.com]

Summary

A Certified Class A CDL truck driver with 8+ years of experience. Specialized in route planning, DOT regulations, vehicle upkeep, and commercial truck driving. A longstanding history of on-time cargo delivery, and maintaining a 96% customer satisfaction rate.

Experience 

Truck Driver

Truckers Inc., Minneapolis, MN

May 2014 – present

• Successfully operating freight haulers, tractor-trailers, and semi-trailers for cargoes esteemed at up to $250K;
• Conducting safety inspections of vehicles in regulation with OSHA standards, and maintaining an annual on-time customer satisfaction rate of 96%;
• Coordinating with fleet managers to mentor up to 8+ new hires on safety protocols, and daily operational methods.

Education 

• CDL Training Program

Minneapolis Trucking School, Minneapolis, MN

2008 – 2009

• High School Diploma

Washburn Senior High School, Minneapolis, MN

2003 – 2007

Skills

• Commercial delivery
• DOT regulation
• Route planning
• Vehicle upkeep

Certifications

• Class A CDL License, State of Minnesota, 2010
• OSHA Safety Training, 2012

Others

• Bilingual: English and Spanish
• Volunteered to deliver cargo on behalf of the Minneapolis Red Cross

Now, let’s go over all these segments individually. 

The ultimate truck driver resume should grab the attention of the recruiter like screeching tires. 

Most commonly, there are 3 resume formats: 

• Reverse-chronological: This particular resume format is the most practical one, and it’s most often the go-to resume format for different types of professions.
  A reverse-chronological resume details your work experiences and skills starting from the most recent one, and ending with the oldest;

• Functional: Also known as the skills-based resume, the functional resume emphasizes your skills rather than your work experience. This type of resume format is mostly used by applicants with more skills rather than work experiences, like graduates, and newbies. 

• Combination: (also known as Hybrid): This resume format is a mix of both the reverse-chronological and the functional type of format. It equally emphasizes skills and work experience.

Each of these formats helps highlight different aspects of your professional profile; the format you choose will undoubtedly affect the presentation of yourself as a professional.

For a truck driver, there is no better resume format than the reverse-chronological type.

When it comes to experience, HR generalist and recruiters prefer this type of resume format since it lets them easily skim through and get the information they need at once. 

But, if the company is also accepting skill-based applicants and does not require experience alone, a functional format will do the trick. 

One thing recruiters love is getting their hands on a resume that is clear to read, with absolutely no walls of text to distract them from the key information on the applicant.  

To make sure you get the attention of recruiters in a snap, there are certain tips and tricks of the trade that are worth knowing. First of all, you’ll need a hook to reel in the attention of the recruiter – and this is where a resume summary or a resume objective gets the job done.

A truck driver summary for resume showcases your work experience and professional accomplishments. If you’re a truck driver that carries a lot of experience, the resume summary section of your resume will show you in the best light.

On the other hand, the resume objective for truck drivers will emphasize what you’re looking for in a job, or your passion for driving precious cargo. 

Truck Driver Resume Summary Example

A neatly packed truck driver resume summary should include the relevant experience info and any professional accomplishments worth mentioning. It is the first thing the recruiter will see, so make sure you make one heck of a hook out of it.

A nicely packed truck driver resume summary example looks something like this:

On the other hand, make sure your resume summary doesn’t look anything like this:

One thing you want to keep in mind when listing your truck driving experience is precision. You don’t want to seem sloppy or too evasive. List all of your truck-driving experiences, no matter how insignificant they might seem. 

Even if you’ve been with a previous employer for a month, include it in the resume –
it might just be the type of experience the recruiter is looking for.

Truck Driver Resume Examples: Experience

A pro tip to get you started: list the last job you’ve had first. Next, use bullet points to emphasize your professional accomplishments while on the job.

Avoid being generic – HR managers won’t find your resume any different from the rest, and it might even end up in the ‘no’ pile. Stand out from the crowd, and emphasize your professional experience transparently, concisely, and efficiently.

A top-shelf truck driver resume will include the experience section like this:

An example of how not to execute the resume experience section is the following:

Notice the difference? In the right example, there’s a clear-cut and straight-to-the-point showcasing of your working experience that will let the recruiter see exactly what you’re capable of.

The wrong example is far too casual, unclear, and generic, and does not indicate anything special about the applicant. 

Entry-Level Truck Driver Resume: Experience Section

Since becoming an experienced truck driver means actually driving a truck, a lot of rookies in the industry feel as if they won’t match a job description only because of their lack of experience.

However, if you want to highlight your strengths and emphasize your skills in your beginner truck driver resume, you can find related jobs that require it.

Interestingly, many companies do not stick to experienced truck drivers only, and would rather have a trainee who can learn fast and adapt to the company’s needs than someone who is used to doing the job differently. 

In practice, this is how an entry-level truck driver should describe their work experience:

For a not-as-desirable entry-level experience section, have a look at this example: 

What separates the first from the second example is the tone of voice and relevance. Avoid sounding like you have no idea what the employer needs – pay attention to the job description and try to match it to your experience.

Also, follow through with any details and requirements included in the job description and mention those which apply to you.  

If you don’t know how to make your truck driver resume stand out from the pie, incorporating a few tips might get you a step closer to being noticed.

Start with outlining your best traits. It’s true that truck drivers aren’t required to have a certain degree to do the job, so a GED or a trade school diploma will do just fine.

To land a truck-driving job, rather than education, you will need other qualities and skills to get the job – focus, endurance, dedication, ability to follow guidelines, etc. 

However, if you did attend a vocational school where you learned how to maintain and drive trucks, this will be a great asset to include in terms of your education section. 

Truck Driver Resume Education Section

Don’t worry if you don’t have a wall of diplomas and accolades to show for yourself when trying to land a truck driving job. Since jobs in the truck-driving sector won’t require industry-specific diplomas, it makes it easier for everyone with a CDL to try their luck.

It’s not a big deal if the education section on your truck driver resume isn’t a page long – as long as you have a high school diploma and relevant certificates, you’ll be good to go.

To make sure you’ve done your best to showcase your education, include the following details in the education section:

• School name: List the whole name of the school you attended and the city. 
• Duration: List the years you’ve spent in school, from – to;
• Degree: Name the type of degree you’ve received.

This is what the education section on your truck driver resume should look like:

As you can see, this section does not only describe your education, but it also shows recruiters that you’re good with your hands, that you are familiar with different vehicle parts, and that you are excellent at problem-solving.

The following example shows what the education section of your truck driver resume should not look like:

The major differences between the two examples are obvious. The latter features too little information which does not relate to the job you are applying for.

Also, the wrong example does not shine a light on the education level and abilities the applicant has, and the GPA aspect does nothing special to make the section stand out. 

Job openings will have clearly stated truck driver skills and abilities and resume demands, like customer satisfaction, excellent time management skills, and problem-solving capabilities.

If you are a prospective truck driver, make sure you’ve incorporated those skills in the skills section of your truck driver resume. Soft skills and hard skills are both equally important when presenting your professional self to a recruiter. 

Here are the top 6 soft and hard skills for a truck driver to incorporate into their resume:

Both types of skills look good on a student support specialist resume, so be sure to include a nice mix. Here are some of the most common soft and hard skills to include on a student support specialist resume:

A savvy truck driver will go beyond the minimum requirements and fashion out a wholesome truck driver resume.

To add an extra oomph that’ll boost your chances of getting noticed – and ultimately hired – consider adding the Others section in your resume.

For example, the Other section can feature your extracurricular activities, accomplishments related to the job, any workshops or terrain work you did, as well as any languages you speak, to name a few.

Hobbies also go in this section, although you need to filter out the relevant ones, and steer clear from those like ‘watching movies’ and ‘hiking.’  

Truck Driver Resume Sample “Other” Sections

To nail your Others section, here is a favorable example to consider:

Avoid writing the section in the following fashion:

The difference between the two is stark.

The right example portrays a dedicated candidate who is committed to their health and has a work ethic, and the wrong example details less than relevant information and is presented unprofessionally. 

If you know exactly why you’re after the job you are thinking of applying for, building up your truck driver resume will be a breeze.

The perfect mix of soft and hard skills, training, work experience, education, extra activities, and engagements, along with a properly chosen font, format, and template, will get you a step closer to landing the job.

If you feel like you could use some help to build a top-notch truck driver resume, you can always reach out to a skilled, resume-building provider for more truck driver resume templates and samples.

Have your professional-looking resume speak for itself.