Truck Driver Resume Examples
Get inspired with truck driver resume examples that deliver! You can even personalize them with your information to send to hiring employers.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Truck driver resume
summary examples
The resume’s professional summary is very important. It’s the first clutch info that a potential employer sees about you.
It’s two or three sentences long and sits right below your contact information.
Its goal is to make a brief and convincing case that you would be a top driver for the job to which you’re applying.
Think of it like you’ve got your foot in the door and only have the ear of the hiring manager for a minute. What are the top things you’d like them to know about you and your career as a truck driver?
In order to use a professional summary, it’s best to have three or more years of experience driving trucks.
So, if you’re a less experienced job seeker with fewer than three years or just starting to drive trucks, consider using an objective statement.
Let’s look at some professional summary examples for truck drivers — one good, one bad — to give you a better idea of how to write yours:
Good example:
“On-time truck driver brings 11+ years of experience and a clean driving record. Stamina and focus have fueled my ability to complete delivery circuits of 2,000+ miles. I’ve maintained a consistent track record of delivering goods without incident and coordinating times with receiving customers.”
Why this example delivers:
- It uses numbers and statistics to detail the capacity of this long-haul drive, 2,000+ miles.
- References employer-desired skills: clean driving record, stamina and communication.
- Sums up career length to give employers scope of experience level.
Bad example:
“Experienced truck driver with mechanical knowledge, safe driving protocol and good stamina for long rides. My ability to take care of business and get products delivered comes naturally. I am looking to start driving a short-haul delivery circuit.”
Why this example needs gas:
- Fails to include any numbers that quantify the job seeker’s experience level.
- Sounds more like bragging than discussing actual results.
- Talks about employee wants, not hiring employer needs.
The fastest way to write your
professional summary
It takes time to write an attention-grabbing professional summary. So, if you want expert assistance, consider using LiveCareer’s Resume Builder. It’s a heavy-duty tool that can help you make a resume in 15 minutes!
- 1
The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrases written by resume experts. All you have to do is answer prompts about the truck driver job title you had, which will provide relevant phrases.
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Pick the phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking.
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It’s almost like having a professional do it for you. Except, you’re in the driver’s seat: All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best describe your experience!
The reviews are in!
See what they’re saying about us on Trustpilot.
Truck driver resume work
experience examples
The most important part of a truck driver’s resume is the work experience. Hiring companies want to know that you can handle the workload they expect, and this is where you explain what you were able to do in similar trucking roles. You must craft a convincing work history section to write a good resume. To better understand how, take a look at these examples, one strong and one weak:
Good example:
Rustbelt Hauling Co. | Akron, OH | 7/2018-9/2022
- Maintained local route of auto parts deliveries across 800-mile radius.
- Awarded “Safety Devotee” after two years of incident-free driving.
- Completed 95% of deliveries ahead of schedule.
- Updated recipients with estimated delivery schedules or changes.
Why this example delivers:
- Numbers and statistics paint a clearer picture of the candidate’s results.
- References specific skill sets like safety, estimating delivery and maintaining a route.
- Focuses on significant distinctions like the safety award, not minor tasks.
Bad example:
EFD Shipping Logistics | Bakersfield, CA | 4/2020-present
- Make deliveries on time.
- Pack and unload trucks, ensure correct goods are delivered.
- Keep active computer updates marking each dropped-off item.
- Perform daily maintenance and cleaning tasks at the warehouse.
Why this example needs gas:
- Doesn’t use numbers or statistics to give a clear picture of how many orders or deliveries this driver can accomplish.
- Describes general tasks, not achievements or highlights.
- Only mentions a couple of valuable skills like timeliness and accuracy; needs more.
Truck driver resume
skills examples
Here are 18 sample skills for truck drivers:
- Safe driving
- Accuracy
- Attention to detail
- Alertness
- Radio communication
- Mechanical repairs
- Driving
- Tight maneuvering
- Navigation
- Data input
- Physical stamina
- Mechanical knowledge
- Map reading
- On-time delivery
- Safety awareness
- Customer service
- Time management
- Promptness
That’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding truck driver skills.
If you want to see more, our builder has 82 additional skills you can select and add to your resume!
Examples of additional resume sections
Every resume should include at minimum five sections: Your contact information, professional summary or objective statement, skills, work experience and education.
However, if you have one, your trucking resume must mention your commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Whether or not you have a CDL determines what kind of machinery you may operate and what roles you may get hired for legally. For smaller-sized trucks or machinery, you may not need this license. But many jobs may require it!
You have two additional section options for where to include mention of your CDL. The best idea is to add either a “Licenses” section or a “Qualifications” section.
Here are other additional sections that truck drivers often choose to include in their resume(s):
- Mechanical skills (i.e., types of machines/repairs you can do)
- Languages
- Advanced training
- Hobbies and interests
You should include extra sections only if you feel like it’s helpful to the role. If it’s not relevant to the job, leave it out! Off-topic information could take away emphasis from your relevant work experience and skills.
Examples of resume formats
A resume’s organization is called a resume format. Here are samples of the three main resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
They differ most in whether they focus more on your work history as a truck driver or your skills section. The format you should choose for your resume depends on your trucking experience level.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional
- Focuses on skills.
- Best for first-time truck drivers who lack work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination
- Balances skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career truck drivers.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological
- Puts the most focus on work history.
- Best for truck drivers with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
After you know which format is best for you, it’s easier to pick a resume template.
A template is a resume layout created by design professionals to ensure your document looks stellar! Using a template will save you time in formatting and making your resume.
Even better, all of our templates are designed to read easily and pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). Many larger trucking or logistics companies use ATS software to scan resumes and discard unqualified candidates.
Resumes that aren’t correctly formatted may fail an ATS scan! In that case, you miss out on the job. All the more reason to use a template.
Keep in mind our Resume Builder features 30+ professionally designed templates that you can use.
Don’t forget your truck driver
cover letter
Cover letters go hand-in-hand with resumes, like shipping with delivery!
A good cover letter should fill in some details that your resume doesn’t cover: like the specific job you’re applying for and any connections you may have to the company.
Also, a cover letter is more space to advertise your skills and abilities; use it! It will give you an edge over other candidates who didn’t include one.
Of course, it can be overwhelming to realize you also need a cover letter if you’re still putting together your resume.
So, try our best tool to help you with both –– our Cover Letter Builder!
The builder automates the whole process so that it’s faster. It provides suggested text based on your job so it’s like having a professional writer do your cover letter.
You just select what you like and can customize the phrases you choose. It’s that easy!
If you’re not ready to write your cover letter yet, find inspiration on what to include with our truck driver cover letter examples.
It never hurts to look at examples, brainstorm or get a design jump-start using truck driver cover letter templates.
To write your document from scratch, check out LiveCareer’s complete guide on How to Write a Cover Letter.
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