Contemporary Truck Driver Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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The average annual salary for a truck driver varies depending on your certifications and the type of vehicle you’re driving. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for delivery truck drivers was $36,660, while drivers who operated heavy tractor-trailers generated $48,310 per year. Employers within this space value candidates who excel in optimizing delivery routes, meeting deadlines, and maintaining strict compliance with safety regulations. To grab the hiring manager’s attention, you’ll want to demonstrate your expertise in these areas using specific achievements from your professional career.

Our contemporary truck driver resume guide below will help you:

  • •   Craft an accomplishment driven document that showcases your route planning skills and knowledge of OSHA and DOT safety regulations
  • •   Create compelling content and bullet points that frame seemingly route job tasks as achievements to grab the reader’s attention
  • •   Incorporate monetary figures, metrics, and numbers to add scope to your experience
  • •   Identify appropriate certifications, licenses, and keywords to ensure ATS compliance

Contemporary Truck Driver Resumes Created Using Our ResumeBuilder

Entry-level
Contemporary-Truck-Driver_Entry-level.docx.pdf

Example #1 Entry-level

Mid-career
Contemporary-Truck-Driver_Mid-career.docx.pdf

Example #2 Mid-career

Senior-level
Contemporary-Truck-Driver_Senior-level.docx.pdf

Example #3 Senior-level

Contemporary Truck Driver Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • Entry-level Entry-level
  • Mid-career Mid-career
  • Senior-level Senior-level

Melissa Anderson
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
23 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN 12345

Profile

A CDL Certified Truck Driver with entry-level experience, specializing in route navigation, vehicle maintenance, customer service, and logistics planning. A strong history of ensuring compliance with safety regulations and maintaining a 93% on-time delivery rating.

Professional Experience

Truck Driver, UPS, Nashville, TN
May 2022 – Present

  • Perform timely delivery of mail shipments, conduct inspections and labeling of packages prior to loading, and maintain a 93% on-time delivery rating
  • Conduct pre-trip safety inspections on company vehicles, troubleshoot issues, and create reports for the transportation manager on defects, safety risks, equipment, and policies
  • Create daily logs of mileage, routes, shipments, and cargo and identify potential improvements to optimize routes and delivery times

Passenger Driver, Uber, Nashville, TN
June 2021 – May 2022

  • Drove 12-27 passengers per day to suburban and inner-city destinations and maintained the safety of vehicles and customers within high traffic areas
  • Provided high-quality customer service, created a friendly environment for passengers, and achieved and maintained a 4.92-star rating

Education

CDL Training Program
Nashville Truck Driving School, Nashville, TN February 2022 – May 2022

High School Diploma
Maplewood High School, Nashville, TN September 2017 – June 2021

Key Skills

  • Truck Driving
  • Vehicle Maintenance
  • OSHA Safety
  • Route Navigation
  • Customer Service

Certifications

  • Class A CDL License, State of Tennessee, 2022
  • OSHA Safety Training, 2022

Joseph Corbin
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 W Adams Ave, Detroit, MI 12345

Profile

A Class A CDL Truck Driver with five years of commercial driving experience, specializing in OSHA safety, materials handling, and vehicle maintenance. A proven track record of executing large deliveries across multiple states and maintaining a 96% on-time delivery rate.

Professional Experience

Truck Driver, Delivery Solutions Trucking Co., Detroit, MI
May 2018 – Present

  • Operate freight haulers and tractor-trailers to deliver 35K pound shipments, perform deliveries with a 97% on-time delivery rating, and drive an average of over 2K miles per week across three states
  • Ensure safe handling of hazardous materials during shipment, including performing pre-trip inspections of cargo
  • Perform routine maintenance and inspections of vehicles to identify potential defects, prevent accidents, and ensure compliance with OSHA safety regulations

Truck Driver, Murphy Construction Partners, Detroit, MI
August 2016 – May 2018

  • Execute deliveries of materials, dirt, lumber, and steel to construction sites, operate semi-trailers and freight haulers, utilize forklifts to load shipments
  • Coordinate with the transportation manager to adjust routes based on traffic, accidents, road work, and weather conditions

Education

CDL Training Program
Detroit Trucking School, Detroit, MI February 2016 – August 2016

High School Diploma
Henry Ford High School, Detroit, MI September 2012 – June 2016

Key Skills

  • Commercial Truck Driving
  • Hazardous Materials Handling
  • Route Planning
  • OSHA Safety
  • Logistics Planning

Certifications

  • CDL Hazmat (H) Endorsement, State of Tennessee, 2018
  • CDL Tanker (N) Endorsement, State of Tennessee, 2018
  • Class A CDL License, State of Tennessee, 2016
  • OSHA Safety Training, 2016

Raheem Richardson
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 W 15th Street, Minneapolis, MN 12345

Profile

A Certified Class A CDL Truck Driver with 10+ years of experience, specializing in route planning, DOT regulations, vehicle maintenance, and commercial truck driving. A strong history of optimizing shipment routes and maintaining a 97% on-time delivery rate.

Professional Experience

Truck Driver, HVAC Solutions Inc., Minneapolis, MN
May 2016 – Present

  • Operate tractor-trailers, semi-trailers, and freight haulers for shipments valued at up to $300K, conduct safety inspections of vehicles in compliance with OSHA standards, and maintain an annual on-time delivery rate of 97%
  • Identify route inefficiencies and provide recommendations to optimize route planning activities, resulting in a reduction of 2.5K driving hours and over $100K in annual savings
  • Coordinate with the fleet manager to provide training to 15+ new hires on inventory management processes, safety protocols, and daily operating procedures

Commercial Truck Driver, HVAC Solutions Inc., Minneapolis, MN
July 2011 – May 2016

  • Transported and delivered HVAC equipment to commercial and residential customers, operated forklifts to load and unload shipments, and conducted inspections of cargo to prevent damage and safety incidents
  • Coordinated with the fleet manager and customers to ensure on-time delivery ratings of 95%, resulting in an average customer satisfaction score of 92%

Education

CDL Training Program
Minneapolis Trucking School, Minneapolis, MN  February 2011 – July 2011

High School Diploma
Southwest Senior High, Minneapolis, MN September 2007 – June 2011

Key Skills

  • Commercial Delivery
  • Truck Driving
  • Route Planning
  • Vehicle Maintenance
  • DOT Regulations

Certifications

  • CDL Double/Triple Trailer (T) Endorsement, State of Minnesota, 2016
  • CDL Hazmat (H) Endorsement, State of Minnesota, 2016
  • Class A CDL License, State of Minnesota, 2011
  • OSHA Safety Training, 2011

Tips for Writing a Better Contemporary Truck Driver Resume

To build a compelling truck driver resume, you need to highlight your career accomplishments. This can often be difficult for commercial driving professionals because a daily delivery may sometimes feel like simply a routine task. The key to crafting a strong resume is recognizing the value you bring to the organizations you work for and framing your job responsibilities as achievements. For example, you may want to draw attention to the monetary value of the shipments, the number of hours you drove, or your on-time delivery rate. This exercise will provide a sense of scope to your commercial truck driving experience for the reader and maximize your chances of landing the interview. Below, you’ll find some expert tips to help you craft an accomplishment-driven resume.

1. Highlight your CDL license and certifications

Without a doubt, the most important aspect to feature on your resume is your CDL license. This is the first thing the hiring manager will look for, and as such, you’ll want to include this directly in your professional profile. In addition to the Class A CDL, which is the gold standard for commercial truck drivers, you may want to consider obtaining additional endorsements for your license. For example, getting a Hazmat (H) endorsement will certify you to transport large shipments of hazardous materials and may open a career path toward higher-paying job opportunities. In the example below, the job seeker has obtained numerous endorsements, which should provide them with a significant edge over the competition.

Certifications

  • CDL Hazmat (H) Endorsement, State of Tennessee, 2018
  • CDL Tanker (T) Endorsement, State of Tennessee, 2018
  • Class A CDL License, State of Tennessee, 2016
  • OSHA Safety Training, 2016

 

2. Quantify your commercial truck driver experience

Incorporating numbers and metrics from your career into your resume can significantly enhance the impact of your bullet points. For employers, your on-time delivery rate will likely be the most important metric to include, but there are other opportunities to quantify your truck driving experience. In the example below, the job seeker showcases an achievement where they could optimize route planning for their company, which generated significant cost savings. Regardless of the scale of your accomplishments, it’s important to frame your bullet points proactively emphasizing your ability to create value for your employers.

  • Operate tractor-trailers, semi-trailers, and freight haulers for shipments valued at up to $300K, conduct safety inspections of vehicles in compliance with OSHA standards, and maintain an annual on-time delivery rate of 97%
  • Identify route inefficiencies and provide recommendations to optimize route planning activities, resulting in a reduction of 6K driving hours and over $70K in annual savings
  • Coordinate with the fleet manager to provide training to 15+ new hires on inventory management processes, safety protocols, and daily operating procedures

 

3. Feature your knowledge of safety regulations

Another important aspect of your experience hiring managers will be looking for is your knowledge of OSHA and DOT safety regulations. When operating vehicles with heavier capacities, the risk of safety issues increases significantly. Data indicates that there were over 4,842 fatal accidents in 2020, which was an 18% increase from 2011. In the example below, the candidate highlights their experience in performing vehicle inspections and safely operating larger truck models. They also draw attention to their background in hazardous materials handling, which may help to differentiate them from other candidates during the job search.

  • Operate freight haulers and tractor-trailers to deliver 35K pound shipments, perform deliveries with a 96% on-time delivery rating, and drive an average of over 2K miles per week across three states
  • Ensure safe handling of hazardous materials during shipment, including performing pre-trip inspections of cargo and shipment weight
  • Perform routine maintenance and inspections of vehicles to identify potential defects, prevent accidents, and ensure compliance with OSHA safety regulations

 

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Contemporary Truck Driver Resumes

Employers rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to identify qualified candidates during the hiring process. To ensure your document meets the necessary criteria of the ATS scan, you’ll want to incorporate specific keywords from the job description into your resume. Although some may be obvious, such as Class A CDL License or OSHA safety, others may be less clear. Below, you’ll find a list of keywords that you may encounter over the course of your job search:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Class A CDL License Commercial Delivery
Commercial Truck Driving Customer Service
DOT Regulations Fleet Management
Forklift Operation Freight Haulers
GPS Navigation Hazardous Materials Handling
HAZMAT Inventory Management
Loading and Unloading Logistics Planning
On-Time Delivery OSHA Safety
Route Navigation Route Planning
Safe Driving Semi-Trailers
Tankers Tractor Trailers
Traffic Laws Transportation
Truck Driving Vehicle Maintenance

Common Action Verbs for Contemporary Truck Driver Resumes

You may find that you begin to run short on action verbs during the resume-building process. Identifying alternative vocabulary to describe an achievement or job responsibility may be difficult in some cases. Incorporating a mix of action verbs can help keep your content fresh and enhance the overall reading experience for the hiring manager. Below, you’ll find a list of action verbs you can use to improve the quality of your bullet points:

Action Verbs
Analyze Conduct
Coordinate Collaborate
Deliver Diagnose
Drive Enhance
Ensure Examine
Execute Implement
Maintain Manage
Oversee Perform
Plan Repair
Resolve Support
Transport  

How to Align Your Contemporary Truck Driver Resume With the Job Description

Now that you’ve seen examples of how to write a contemporary truck driver resume, you need to tailor your document to the job description. Pay close attention to the types of trucks you’ll be operating in the new position, and be sure to mention your experience driving and maintaining them in your bullet points. If the organization emphasizes its safety culture, you may want to include your knowledge of OSHA standards directly in your professional profile. The key to grabbing the hiring manager’s attention is to feature the most relevant aspects of your commercial driving experience as close as possible to the top of your document. Aligning your resume with the needs of individual employers will go a long way in securing your next interview.