Logistics Resumes & Cover Letters

Specialize Your Resume: Truck Driver Edition

truck-driver-resume
Written by Miranda Pennington

Once you’ve finished your CDL schooling, it’s time to put that learning and license to good use, and a well-curated resume can get you there! According to AllTruckJobs.com, “The major traits you want to capitalize on are which kind of certified license you have, your positive safety record, and your healthy physical exam results.”

Don’t make the mistake of thinking a trucking resume needs less polished formatting or careful proofreading than a desk job application! Begin by putting your name and contact information front and center–if you don’t already have a professional email address (like Tom.Lennox@gmail.com, as opposed to HotRod9700@hotmail.com) make sure you open an account and check it regularly.

Include a Career Objective next, which is a short statement introducing you and describing why you’re the best fit for the job, like this: “Dry Haul Driver with over 4 years experience with zero accidents. Possesses a Class A License.”

Then move on to a list of your Professional Experience–starting with the most recent and working backwards. With concise bullet points, emphasize the specific responsibilities you mastered with each position, particularly any unusual or high-skill aspects of the job. Employers like to see well-rounded applications who have experience in all aspects of the job. Make sure you use a consistent tense and format for each bullet, (i.e. “Drove mix truck…, Conducted inspections…, Operated levers…,” NOT “Load materials…, Trained employees…, Follow guidelines…”).

Next is the Additional Skills section, which you can alternatively call a Highlights section and put before your experience if you’d prefer to show off your skills (or if you’ve got less on-the-job experience to promote).  This section can be an even pithier list of your defining characteristics — Reliable; Safety-minded; Defensive Driver, Customer-Oriented, Experienced Navigator; Clean DMV Record; Efficient and Punctual, etc. If your resume is looking a little barren, consider spending some time bulking it up with vehicle repair classes or even a first aid certification–anything that will make it clear you’re an asset to have on the road.

Lastly, the Education and License sections! Give the name of your school and the class of your license.

Have a friend with excellent communication skills look over your resume for grammar and punctuation issues, then start sending it out to land the gigs that will take you across the country in style!

The Road Ready Truck Driver Resume

Read More at www.alltruckjobs.com

About the author

Miranda Pennington

Miranda K. Pennington is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared on The Toast, The American Scholar, and the Ploughshares Writing Blog. She currently teaches creative nonfiction for Uptown Stories, a Morningside Heights nonprofit organization. She has an MFA from Columbia University, where she has also taught in the University Writing program and consulted in the Writing Center.