As a truck driver, you’re the backbone of the global supply chain. Without your essential services, we couldn’t have grocery stores, medical supplies, or even sanitary water.
With so much responsibility, you shouldn’t have to also worry about formatting a perfect resume.
That’s where we come in. We’ve scrutinized tons of resumes from truck drivers to find what works (and what doesn’t) for truck driver resumes in 2023.
We created five truck driver resume samples based on what we discovered to help you build successful resumes at any stage in your career.
We’ll also share key analyses and tips for crafting your document to ensure your resume stands out in 2023.
Why this resume works
- You will best showcase your value as a truck driver by quantifying it.
- Numbers slow down busy hiring managers, driving up the time they’ll spend on your truck driver resume.
- If a manager takes a few extra seconds to review your resume, they’ll realize they should hire you. Quantified self-evaluation demonstrates your value better than words can, even if those numbers are a rough estimate.
- Set a timer for six seconds and glance over your resume. The numbers should catch your eye. When a hiring manager is looking through hundreds of trucker resumes, they’ll only spend six seconds on each one, never to see further review unless one snags their attention.
- Your resume can include a career objective, but not all truck driver resumes require one; we only recommend them if you tailor your objective for every job to which you apply.
- Mentioning specific job responsibilities and titles from the truck driver job application will demonstrate your genuine interest and qualification for the job.
Why this resume works
- Truck drivers need to be excellent drivers, but their communication, time management, and organizational skills are also important. Make sure your resume skills are specific to long-haul truckers.
- If your resume skills don’t match the job, your long-haul truck driver resume likely won’t ever be seen by a real person. That’s because an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will scan your resume to see if it’s worth a human’s time based on your listed skills.
- When your resume does reach a person, carefully listed skills will help the hiring manager quickly recognize your value.
- When you have hefty truck driving experience, list each in reverse-chronological order, meaning your most recent experience is at the top of your resume. This way, you highlight growth throughout your career while ensuring a hiring manager quickly sees your most pertinent information.
- Using numbers reduces word count and keeps your long-haul truck driver resume from becoming cluttered. Aim for three to six bullet points per experience, quantifying whenever possible.
Why this resume works
- When you’re just starting your truck driving career and are light on experience, feel free to include less relevant work experience, such as internships, classes, or volunteer experience that demonstrate the necessary skills for the job.
- As an entry-level truck driver, communication is a core skill. Highlighting your communication capabilities and experience is important.
- Other relevant skills you can showcase are patience, time management, and organization. You can include classwork, projects, or even resume-related hobbies and interests where your leadership skills shine through.
- Try to fill the whole page using 1″ margin spacing, a 12-14 point professional font like Calibri, and avoid unnecessary filler words. You still want your beginner truck driver resume packed with important information.
- When you’re new to a job, confidence goes a long way. Don’t underestimate your capabilities or be bashful about your accomplishments. Use action words, avoid passive voice, and use numbers where you can.
- Try our resume checker to see if your resume avoids common mistakes.
Why this resume works
- When you have a few years of experience as a local truck driver, you need to demonstrate that you’re capable of handling all aspects of the job. Most truck driving job descriptions emphasize safety, reliability, organization, customer and co-worker communication, and patience as key.
- This means you should demonstrate command over all of these areas. Giving rough estimates with quantifiable metrics make it easier to prove your value and stand out from the competition.
- Make sure the title of your local truck driver resume matches exactly the job title listed for the role to which you’re applying. This signals to the hiring manager you’re qualified right out of the gate.
- Many truck driving positions require a certain number of years free from preventable accidents for new hires. If you have a clean driver’s license history or have never been involved in a preventable accident, emphasize it.
Why this resume works
- Projects can enhance and fill space on your delivery truck driver resume.
- Worthwhile projects can come from various areas, from association membership to weekend mechanic enthusiasts’ meetups. Maybe you host bi-annual dinners for your local driver organization?
- If you have limited work experience, we encourage you to include relevant projects, volunteer experience, and activities.
- We also recommend that you include a career objective if you’re light on professional driving work experience.
- That way, hiring managers can still get to know you, and you can reduce some of the white space on your resume. Just be careful not to use filler words or text solely to fill space. If this process sounds like a riddle, we invite you to use our handy resume checker tool to get your resume just right.
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Truck Driver Resume FAQs
In your work experience section, talk about your strong driving track record, upkeep on your truck’s maintenance, and experience with maps and driving routes. While it may not be as obvious to include, it’s also important to speak to your strengths as it relates to communicating with customers or clients, managing your time on the road, and following through with every load. Don’t forget to mention the type of CDL license you carry as well as any other specialized certs or licenses, such as the Defensive Driving Certification.
Pay attention to the company’s job description. Is this a driving job that takes you across the nation or keeps you in-state or in a particular region? If you know you’ll be consistently navigating passes in the northeast during winter, your skills section and work history section should attest to your ability to get your load to its destination safely and on-time. Does the job ad specifically need a team driver? Make sure your resume demonstrates your ability to work well with others and to communicate effectively.
Hiring managers want to see your experience in the role, so you’ll have the best luck with the reverse-chronological resume format. This means your resume will start with your most recent driving experience (which is most where you’ve exercised the most responsibility and job ownership), making it easy for hiring teams to quickly see that you’re capable and ready to transport unstable compounds, drive a rig across the country, make deliveries for a local bakery, or whatever the company’s needs might be.
