Elena Prokopets
Claire Briggs Webber, CPRW
Truck drivers truly do not receive the credit they deserve. After all, the people behind the wheels of these all-important vehicles are essential to keep this country running. Food, water, gasoline, medical supplies, and even more. If anyone has purchased it recently they can likely thank a truck driver for getting it to them.
Truck drivers have been especially important in the last couple of years as the pandemic struck. In fact, because of it, the demand for licensed truck drivers has hit an all-time high.
Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, states that:
“We came into the pandemic with a shortage of about 61,000 drivers. I’m certain the new numbers when they come out will be a bit more inflated because of the pandemic. It’s a long-term problem that we need to do multiple things to address.”
And one of those “things” appears to be wage raises. The latest salary survey data suggest that the median salary of truck drivers, working national irregular routes now sits at $53,000 — up by $7,000 compared to 2013. Private fleet drivers, in turn, gained a lump pay rise of 18% to $86,000 annually. Beyond that, the survey suggests that employers are attracting drivers with better benefits and five-figure sign-up bonuses.
So if you are looking for a new role, it’s time to dust off your truck driver resume. To help you with that, we’ve prepared a sample truck driver resume with extra tips on resume writing, formatting, and layout.
Truck Driver Resume Example (Word version)
Download resume example (.docx)
Plain Text Version
Professional Summary
Over-the-road trucker with extensive experience moving various materials across the United States. Currently have an 89% on-time deliveries rate. Interested in joining a trucking firm that needs an owner-operator with a decade of experience in agriculture, petroleum, and consumer goods.
Skills
- CDL-A
- Mo-Dot Endorsed
- Hazmat certified
- Bonded and insured
- Telematics systems knowledge
- Log maintenance and record keeping
- Temperature controlled freight
- Owner – late model vehicle
Career History
Benson Logistics
Truck driver – Independent Contractor
August 2018 – Present
Responsible for delivering agricultural bi-products, chemical fertilizers, Ag-diesel, and other products to farms and other agricultural operations in the Midwest, south, and western states. Zero speeding incidents, 89% on-time delivery rate.
Lakeside Fuels
Fuel tanker driver
October 2015 – August 2018
Transported fuels from refineries to gas stations and distribution centers within the southern and midwestern states. Had a 95% route adherence rate and a stellar track record of vehicle utilization.
Midwest-Mart
Local delivery driver.
January 2013 – September 2015
Worked for a logistics company, transporting household furnishings, appliances, and other items that were delivered safely and on time to consumers. Maintained a high level of customer satisfaction (90% rate on average) and on-time deliveries.
Certifications and Training
- CDL-A
- OSHA Safety Training
- Certified Logistics Associate (CLA)
How to Make a Truck Driver Resume
Just remember this, you do not have to be Shakespear to write an excellent resume. What you need to do is offer a snapshot of your hard skills and strong work ethic to a potential employer using simple terms (like the resume sample above does!).
To create an equally good resume (if not better!), apply the next tips!
Highlight Relevant Experiences
When writing a resume for any job, don’t list all the jobs you’ve ever held. When applying for a trucking job will your job of working in a dog salon for a summer 10 years ago really be relevant to the position? Nope.
Keep your employment history to a period within the last 10 years, and if applicable only select up to 4 relevant positions to include on the resume.
That said if you can also mention the work you did in adjacent industries. A few good examples of jobs in regards to a Truck driving position are “Delivery Courier”, “Forklift Operator”, “Mechanic”, as well as any job that required the use of heavier machinery. These jobs prove that you can potentially handle a larger vehicle such as a semi and operate it safely.
Showcase a Diverse Skillset
Being a truck driver is more than just sitting behind the wheel. Employers also expect you to have a collection of hard and soft skills.
Examples of hard skills for truck drivers include:
- Navigation app knowledge
- Telematics and mapping software familiarity
- Basic vehicle maintenance skills
- DOT regulations, etc.
If you are good at fixing and maintaining vehicles do not be afraid to include this in your resume as that is a great skill to have, especially with a career where you’re constantly on the road.
Next, don’t forget to add some soft skills to your resume too. For a truck driver communication, motivation, organization, excellent driving skills, responsibility, and reliability are just a handful of the soft skills worth displaying.
Final Tip: Keep it Short
Remember that when writing a resume you can imagine that hundreds if not thousands of other people are also applying for the same truck driving position. With that as the case, it is best to keep your resume short and to the point. After all, when it comes to the hiring process time and efficiency are everything and if the resume is longer than a single page, then it might never get fully read. So stay succinct and put your most marketable skills up front!
If brevity isn’t your strong suit, grab one of our resume template freebies. A template provides you with extra “constraints” (aka predefined resume areas) where you’ll need to fit your information. At the same time, our resume designs help maximize the available space by using clever layouts such as split views, featured sub-sections, and more!
