Truck Driver resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A truck driver resume that leads with your CDL class and endorsements, then proves safety and on-time delivery — with the keywords carriers and recruiters filter on.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Truck Driver resume example.
Luis Ramirez
Class A CDL Truck Driver
Fort Worth, TX · luis.ramirez@email.com · (817) 555-0193
Summary
CDL Class A driver with 8 years of OTR and regional routes, holding Hazmat and Tanker endorsements. I've driven 850,000+ accident-free miles and deliver on time without cutting corners on safety.
Experience
Regional Truck Driver, Lone Prairie Freight · May 2021 – Present
- • Run regional routes across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in dry van and tanker equipment, about 2,500 miles a week
- • Kept a 98% on-time delivery rate across 600+ loads while staying within hours of service limits
- • Complete a full pre-trip inspection and DVIR every shift; passed 11 roadside inspections with no violations
- • Log duty status on an ELD and plan fuel stops and rest breaks with dispatch to protect delivery windows
OTR Truck Driver, Redline Transport Co. · Mar 2018 – Apr 2021
- • Hauled dry van and flatbed freight in the lower 48, averaging 110,000 miles a year
- • Secured steel, lumber and machinery to load securement rules using chains, straps and tarps
- • Earned the carrier's safety award 3 years in a row for a clean MVR and a safety record with no preventable accidents
Education & certifications
CDL Class A (Texas) · Endorsements: Hazmat (H), Tanker (N) · DOT medical card current · Commercial truck driving program, 2018
Skills
CDL Class A · Hazmat endorsement · Tanker endorsement · Pre-trip inspection · Hours of service · ELD · Load securement · Route planning · Dry van · Flatbed
Luis Ramirez
Class A CDL Truck Driver
luis.ramirez@email.com · Fort Worth, TX
(817) 555-0193
Summary
CDL Class A driver with 8 years of OTR and regional routes, holding Hazmat and Tanker endorsements. I've driven 850,000+ accident-free miles and deliver on time without cutting corners on safety.
Experience
Regional Truck Driver — Lone Prairie Freight
May 2021 – Present
• Run regional routes across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in dry van and tanker equipment, about 2,500 miles a week
• Kept a 98% on-time delivery rate across 600+ loads while staying within hours of service limits
• Complete a full pre-trip inspection and DVIR every shift; passed 11 roadside inspections with no violations
• Log duty status on an ELD and plan fuel stops and rest breaks with dispatch to protect delivery windows
OTR Truck Driver — Redline Transport Co.
Mar 2018 – Apr 2021
• Hauled dry van and flatbed freight in the lower 48, averaging 110,000 miles a year
• Secured steel, lumber and machinery to load securement rules using chains, straps and tarps
• Earned the carrier's safety award 3 years in a row for a clean MVR and a safety record with no preventable accidents
Education
CDL Class A (Texas)
Certifications
Endorsements: Hazmat (H), Tanker (N)
DOT medical card current
Commercial truck driving program, 2018
Skills
CDL Class A, Hazmat endorsement, Tanker endorsement, Pre-trip inspection, Hours of service, ELD, Load securement, Route planning, Dry van, Flatbed
Why it works
The CDL class, endorsements and medical card are impossible to miss, the routes and equipment types match how carriers post jobs, and safety is shown with miles, inspections and awards instead of a vague claim.
Use this as your starting point
Opens in the editor with every section filled in. Swap in your own details and download a PDF or Word file free.
Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- New CDL holder
Recent commercial driving program graduate with a CDL Class A and clean MVR. Completed 160+ hours of training, including backing, coupling and pre-trip inspection.
- Experienced
CDL Class A driver with 8 years of OTR and regional experience and Hazmat and Tanker endorsements. 850,000+ accident-free miles and a 98% on-time rate.
- Driver trainer
Driver trainer who has coached 20+ new drivers through their first months on the road, covering safe backing, trip planning and hours of service.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Safety
Instead of: Safe driver
Write: Drove 850,000+ accident-free miles and earned the carrier's safety award 3 years in a row
On-time
Instead of: Delivered loads on time
Write: Kept a 98% on-time delivery rate across 600+ regional loads
Compliance
Instead of: Followed DOT rules
Write: Passed 11 roadside inspections with no violations, logging every shift on an ELD
Inspection
Instead of: Checked the truck
Write: Completed a full pre-trip inspection and DVIR every shift, catching 2 brake issues before they caused a breakdown
Cargo
Instead of: Strapped loads
Write: Secured steel, lumber and machinery on flatbeds using chains, straps and tarps to load securement rules
Planning
Instead of: Planned routes
Write: Planned fuel stops and rest breaks with dispatch to meet delivery windows within hours of service limits
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for truck drivers.
These come up often in truck driver job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- CDL Class A
- Hazmat endorsement
- Tanker endorsement
- DOT medical card
- Hours of service
- ELD
- Pre-trip inspection
- DVIR
- OTR
- Regional routes
- Dry van
- Flatbed
- Load securement
- Route planning
- On-time delivery
- Clean MVR
- Safety record
- Customer communication
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for truck drivers.
Lead with license and endorsements
Put your CDL class, the issuing state and each endorsement in the summary or right under your name. Recruiters filter on them first.
Name the equipment and route type
Dry van, reefer, flatbed or tanker, and OTR, regional or local — match the wording in the posting.
Prove safety with facts
Accident-free miles, clean inspections and safety awards are stronger than "safe driver". Only list what your record supports.
Show on-time performance
On-time rate, loads delivered and miles a year tell a carrier how dependable you are.
Say you're current
Note that your DOT medical card is current and your MVR is clean, so the recruiter doesn't have to ask.
How does your truck driver resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Truck Driver resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Luis's cover letter, annotated
Which CDL endorsements should I list?
All the ones you hold, by name and letter: H for hazardous materials, N for tank vehicles, T for doubles and triples, or X for the combined tank and hazmat endorsement. A Hazmat endorsement also requires a TSA security threat assessment.
Should I mention my DOT medical card?
Yes. A medical examiner's certificate is valid for up to 24 months and must come from an examiner listed on FMCSA's National Registry. Saying yours is current saves the recruiter a question.
How do I show a good safety record?
Use facts: accident-free miles, years without a preventable accident, clean roadside inspections and any safety awards. Don't round up — carriers check your record.
Should I list ELD experience?
Yes. Most drivers who keep records of duty status log them on an electronic logging device, so naming the ELD you've used and your hours-of-service record shows you'll fit in fast.
I just got my CDL. What should my resume focus on?
Your training program, the hours and skills it covered, your endorsements, a clean MVR and any previous jobs that show reliability, like delivery or warehouse work.