Truck Driver Resume Examples & Template (CDL-A, Local, OTR, New Drivers)

Quick answer: A strong truck driver resume puts your CDL class and endorsements (like HazMat, Tanker, or Doubles/Triples) near the top, followed by a short summary, your driving experience, and your safety record. Back up your experience with numbers: miles driven, years accident-free, on-time delivery rate, states covered, loads hauled, and clean inspections. Include skills like DOT and FMCSA compliance, pre-trip inspections, ELD use, route planning, and cargo securement. Use a simple, reverse-chronological format and keep it to one page.

Truck drivers keep the country running, and recruiters know it. Many carriers are constantly hiring, but they still want proof that you're safe, reliable, and legally cleared to drive what they haul. The good news is that a truck driver resume doesn't need fancy writing. It needs the right facts in the right order, the same way a good load needs the right weight in the right place.

Think of your resume as a pre-trip inspection for your career: license, check; endorsements, check; clean safety record, check; no flat tires (or typos).

This guide covers how to format a truck driver resume, what to include, the best skills and endorsements, how to write bullets with safety and delivery metrics, examples for new, OTR, and local drivers, and a free template.

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How to Format a Truck Driver Resume

Fleet managers and recruiters often scan a resume in seconds, so make the key facts easy to spot:

• Format: reverse-chronological, with your most recent driving job first
• Length: one page for nearly all drivers
• Layout: single column, clear headings, no graphics or tables, so applicant tracking systems can read it
• Font: a clean font like Calibri or Arial at 10–12 pt
• File: PDF unless the job posting asks for Word

Recommended section order

1. Contact information
2. Summary
3. CDL and endorsements
4. Driving experience
5. Skills
6. Training, certifications, and education
7. Safety awards (optional)

See ATS-friendly resume templates.

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What to Include on a Truck Driver Resume

1. Contact information

Name, phone, email, and city and state. Location matters in trucking because carriers hire for specific terminals and hiring areas.

2. Summary

Two to three sentences with your CDL class, years of experience, type of driving, and safety record.

3. CDL and endorsements

This is the most important section on your resume. List your license class, state, and endorsements:

Common CDL endorsements:

• H: Hazardous materials (requires a TSA background check)
• N: Tank vehicles
• T: Double and triple trailers
• X: Combined tank and hazmat
• P: Passenger vehicles
• S: School bus

CDL classes:

• Class A: combination vehicles like tractor-trailers
• Class B: single heavy vehicles like straight trucks, dump trucks, and buses
• Class C: smaller vehicles carrying hazmat or 16+ passengers

4. Driving experience

List each job with your title, company, location, and dates, plus three to five bullets with numbers.

5. Skills

Driving, compliance, technology, and soft skills (see below).

6. Training and education

CDL school or carrier training program, plus a high school diploma or GED. Add safety courses like Smith System or defensive driving.

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Truck Driver Skills for Your Resume

Driving and equipment skills

• Tractor-trailer operation
• Backing, docking, and tight maneuvering
• Pre-trip and post-trip inspections
• Cargo loading, securement, and weight distribution
• Basic vehicle maintenance and troubleshooting
• Defensive driving
• Driving in adverse weather and mountain conditions

Compliance skills

• DOT and FMCSA regulations
• Hours of Service (HOS) rules
• Driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs)
• Hazmat handling and placarding (with endorsement)
• Bills of lading and delivery documentation

Technology

• Electronic logging devices (ELDs) like Samsara, Motive, or Omnitracs
• GPS and truck routing apps
• Fleet communication and dispatch systems

Soft skills

• Time management
• Reliability and punctuality
• Customer service at delivery points
• Communication with dispatch
• Patience and stress management
• Independence

See hard skills examples and soft skills for a resume.

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How to Write Truck Driver Bullet Points

Use the formula action + what you hauled or drove + scope + result.

Weak: "Drove truck and delivered freight."

Strong: "Delivered refrigerated freight across 22 states, averaging 2,500 miles per week with a 98% on-time rate and zero preventable accidents."

Metrics recruiters look for

• Total miles driven (and accident-free miles)
• Years without a preventable accident or violation
• On-time delivery rate
• Miles per week or loads per week
• States, regions, or routes covered
• Clean DOT roadside inspections
• Fuel efficiency improvements
• Stops per day (local and delivery drivers)
• Customer complaints or damage claims (ideally zero)

Truck driver bullet point examples

• Logged 900,000+ accident-free miles over 8 years of OTR and regional driving
• Maintained a 98% on-time delivery rate across 2,500+ loads
• Hauled dry van and reefer freight through 38 states, averaging 2,600 miles per week
• Passed 15 consecutive DOT roadside inspections with zero violations
• Improved fuel efficiency by 8% through smoother driving and idle reduction
• Completed 12–15 local deliveries per day with zero damage claims
• Transported hazardous materials in compliance with DOT placarding and documentation rules
• Trained 5 new drivers on pre-trip inspections, ELD use, and customer delivery procedures

See our guide to resume bullet points.

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Truck Driver Resume Examples

New CDL driver (no experience)

OTR / regional truck driver

Local delivery driver (CDL-B)

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Free Truck Driver Resume Template

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Tailor Your Resume to the Driving Job

Different trucking jobs care about different things. Highlight what matches the posting:

• OTR (over-the-road): miles per week, states covered, time away from home, HOS compliance
• Regional: familiarity with the region, consistency, on-time delivery
• Local and delivery: stops per day, customer service, physical handling, lift gates
• Tanker and hazmat: endorsements, safety training, spill response, documentation
• Flatbed: load securement with chains, straps, and tarps
• Refrigerated (reefer): temperature monitoring and food safety rules
• Owner-operator: business management, fuel cost control, and maintenance planning

Use the exact terms from the job ad. See resume keywords optimization.

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Things Recruiters Check Beyond Your Resume

None of the top guides spell this out, but carriers verify much of what you write. Be accurate, because these checks will happen anyway:

• Motor vehicle record (MVR): your driving history, including violations and accidents
• PSP report: FMCSA's Pre-Employment Screening Program, showing crash and inspection history
• FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: carriers must query it before hiring CDL drivers
• DOT medical card: valid for up to 24 months, sometimes less depending on health conditions
• Employment verification: carriers must check your previous three years of DOT-regulated employment

Because of this, it's worth listing your past driving jobs accurately, including dates. If you had a violation, be prepared to explain what you learned and how your record has improved since.

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How to Handle Employment Gaps and Job Changes

Drivers often switch carriers for better pay or home time, which recruiters understand. To keep it from looking like job-hopping:

• Group short contracts under one heading, like "Contract Driver, Various Carriers"
• Explain gaps briefly in a cover letter or application (medical recovery, family care, CDL training)
• Highlight consistency in your safety record across employers

See how to explain gaps in employment.

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Tips for New Truck Drivers

• List your CDL school and ELDT completion, since Entry-Level Driver Training has been required by FMCSA since February 2022 for most new CDL-A and CDL-B drivers
• Highlight transferable experience: warehouse, forklift, delivery, construction, or military driving
• Add endorsements to stand out. HazMat and Tanker open more job options
• Emphasize reliability, safety, and a clean driving record
• Look into carrier-sponsored training programs that hire new graduates

See also our construction resume guide for related trades and how to write a resume with no experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should I put on a truck driver resume?

Your CDL class and endorsements, a short summary, driving experience with metrics like miles and on-time rate, your safety record, skills like DOT compliance and ELD use, and CDL training.

How do I write a truck driver resume with no experience?

Lead with your CDL, endorsements, and CDL school training, including Entry-Level Driver Training. Add transferable jobs like warehouse or delivery work, and highlight a clean driving record.

Should I list my endorsements on my resume?

Yes. Endorsements like HazMat, Tanker, and Doubles/Triples show what you're legally qualified to haul and make you eligible for more jobs.

What skills should a truck driver list?

Safe driving, pre-trip inspections, cargo securement, DOT and HOS compliance, ELD use, route planning, time management, and communication.

Should I include my safety record?

Absolutely. Accident-free miles, clean inspections, and safety awards are some of the strongest selling points on a truck driver resume.

How long should a truck driver resume be?

One page. Most carriers also have you fill out a detailed DOT employment application, so the resume should be a clear, fast summary.

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Build Your Truck Driver Resume

Our Resume Builder helps you put your CDL, endorsements, and safety record front and center in a clean, one-page resume, so you can spend less time on paperwork and more time on the road.