Truck Driver Resume Example
A tractor-trailer driver resume that leads with your CDL class and endorsements, miles, safety record and the freight you haul.
How to write a truck driver resume that lands interviews
A great truck driver resume isn't a list of responsibilities — it's a tight stack of quantified outcomes, written in language an ATS scores and a human reader believes. Below: the 8 bullets a strong candidate uses, the 4 they avoid, the keywords the ATS expects, the pay figures to anchor your negotiation against, and the FAQs we hear most often.
Sample bullets — good vs weak
Each “good” bullet leads with the outcome, includes a measurable result, and shows scope. The “weak” versions describe activities without showing impact. Use these as templates; rewrite them in your own voice with your real numbers.
✅ Bullets that get the call
- Drove dry van and reefer loads on regional routes across 6 states, averaging about 2,400 miles a week.
- Kept a 98% on-time delivery record over 3 years while staying within hours-of-service limits on an ELD.
- Drove 380,000 miles without a preventable accident or moving violation.
- Completed and logged pre-trip and post-trip inspections every day, catching a failing brake chamber before a load departed.
- Hauled temperature-controlled grocery freight, checking and recording reefer temperatures at each stop.
- Handled drop-and-hook and live unloads at distribution centers, coordinating appointment times with dispatch.
- Passed all roadside DOT inspections during the period with no out-of-service orders.
- Mentored 3 newly licensed drivers during their first month on the road.
❌ Bullets to rewrite
- Drove a truck.
- Delivered loads.
- Safe driver.
- Followed DOT rules.
ATS keywords to weave into your bullets
The four-component ATS rubric weights keyword density inside experience bullets more heavily than the keywords-only skills section. These are the 14+ keywords most often scored on a truck driver resume — fold them into your bullets where they're honestly applicable.
Truck Driver salary
Annual pay across the United States, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of these workers earn between the 25th and 75th percentile figures. Your offer will depend on the state, the employer and the shift.
| Annual pay | Amount |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40k |
| 25th percentile | $48k |
| Median | $59k |
| 75th percentile | $69k |
| 90th percentile | $79k |
Want a deeper salary breakdown by city + role + experience? See the full Truck Driver salary guide →
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
- CDL details buriedFix: Put CDL class, state and endorsements in the first lines.
- No miles or safety figuresFix: Add miles, years and accident-free record.
- Not naming freight or equipmentFix: Say dry van, reefer, flatbed, tanker and so on.
- Vague route typeFix: Say local, regional or OTR, and the area you ran.
ATS tips specific to truck driver resumes
- Write 'Class A CDL' exactly; many systems filter on it.
- List endorsements as words, for example 'Hazmat (H) endorsement', not just letters.
- Use the posting's route term (OTR, regional, local, dedicated).
- Keep employer names, dates and locations clear; employers check employment history for the previous years required by DOT rules.
Frequently asked questions
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Start freeAbout this guideThe ApplyVita Career Team — The ApplyVita Career Team builds the resume-scoring and job-matching tools at the core of ApplyVita. Our guidance is grounded in the same four-component ATS rubric our product scores resumes on — content and impact, keyword match, formatting, and skills — and in current recruiter and hiring-manager practice. Every guide is checked against that rubric before it is published, and updated as hiring norms change.