Truck Driver Skills for a Resume
Carriers hire truck drivers with clean records who deliver on time and keep their equipment and loads safe. Show your license and endorsements, the freight and routes you run, and your safety and on-time record.
Updated
13 skills at a glance
Hard skills
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Tractor-trailer operation
Give the equipment you drive and your miles or years without a preventable accident.
Example bullet pointDrove a 53-foot dry van over 1.2 million miles without a preventable accident.
Pre-trip and post-trip inspections
Show thorough inspections and the problems they caught.
Example bullet pointCaught a cracked air line on a pre-trip inspection, preventing a roadside breakdown.
Hours-of-service compliance
Show a clean record on hours and roadside inspections.
Example bullet pointKept a clean hours-of-service record through every roadside inspection over three years.
Electronic logging devices
Name the device and show that your logs are accurate.
Example bullet pointKept accurate logs on Samsara electronic logging devices with no violations.
Load securement
Name the freight and the securing methods you use.
Example bullet pointSecured flatbed loads of steel and lumber with chains and straps to federal rules.
Route planning and GPS
Show on-time results and the planning behind them.
Example bullet pointPlanned routes around weather and low bridges, keeping on-time delivery above 98%.
Refrigerated or hazmat hauling
Name your endorsements and the loads you haul.
Example bullet pointHauled refrigerated grocery loads, logging trailer temperatures at every stop.
Backing and docking
Show your skill in tight docks and busy yards.
Example bullet pointBacked into tight city docks and busy distribution centers without damage.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Safety first
Show your safety record and any safe driving awards.
Example bullet pointEarned the carrier's safe driver award three years running.
Reliability
Show your on-time delivery and your attendance.
Example bullet pointDelivered 99% of loads on time over two years.
Independence
Show long trips or routes that you handle on your own.
Example bullet pointRan solo regional routes across eight states with little supervision.
Time management
Show how you plan around hours, traffic and delivery appointments.
Example bullet pointPlanned breaks and fuel stops to make tight delivery appointments within hours-of-service limits.
Clear communication with dispatch
Show how you kept dispatch and customers informed.
Example bullet pointTold dispatch about delays early, so customers could reschedule without fees.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Commercial Driver's License (Class A or B)
- Endorsements (H hazmat, N tanker, T doubles/triples, X tanker and hazmat)
- DOT medical examiner's certificate
- TWIC card for port access
Keywords from truck driver job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- Class A
- CDL
- on-time
- hours-of-service
- electronic logging device
- inspection
- refrigerated
- routes
- miles
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a truck driver put on a resume?
Tractor-trailer operation, inspections, hours-of-service compliance, electronic logs, load securement, route planning, refrigerated or hazmat hauling and backing, plus safety, reliability and clear communication.
Where should my CDL go?
Near the top, with the class, endorsements and state, and mention a clean driving record if you have one.
Which numbers matter for truck drivers?
Miles driven, years without a preventable accident, on-time delivery and inspection results.
Put them to work
Start from a truck driver resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.