What a CDL resume should lead with
CDL Truck Driver jobs are in trucking companies, local delivery fleets, construction, and city services. A hiring manager for these jobs reads the top of your resume first, so put this there: CDL class and endorsements, a clean driving record and DOT medical card, miles or route type driven, and safety.
This is a licensed or certified job, so put a "Certifications and Licenses" section above your work history. If you are still in training, list it with the month you expect to finish.
Write your summary in two or three lines. Say the job you want, what you have done that fits it, and one thing that makes you reliable.
A sample CDL resume. Type your details and watch it fill in.
[Your name]
[City, State] · [your phone] · [your email]
Summary
CDL Truck Driver with [number] years of [experience, clinicals or training]. [Your two strongest skills for this job, for example safe driving and pre-trip inspections.] [One result you are proud of, with a number.]
Certifications and Licenses
- CDL Class A [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- CDL Class B [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- CDL learner permit (CLP) [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- Hazmat endorsement (H) [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
Experience
CDL Truck Driver, [Employer name], [City, State]
[Month Year] to [Month Year or Present]
- Drove tractor-trailers on regional or long-haul routes [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Drove local delivery routes [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Did pre-trip and post-trip inspections [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Kept electronic logs under hours-of-service rules [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Loaded, unloaded, and secured freight [add how many, how often, or for whom].
[Your previous job title], [Employer name]
- [A duty from this job that also matters as a CDL, with a number.]
Skills
Safe driving · Pre-trip inspections · Hours-of-service and ELD logs · Load securement · Backing and docking · Route planning · DOT rules · On-time delivery · Class A CDL · tractor-trailer · hours of service (HOS) · ELD
Nothing you type here is sent or saved. The template below is this layout as a Word file and a PDF, with tips for career changers.
Resume template
A CDL resume, laid out and ready to fill in
- The CDL duties, skills and the words hiring systems scan for, already in place.
- Blanks in [brackets] for your own facts, and tips for career changers.
- A Word file to edit and a PDF to send, emailed in minutes.
$4.99, one time
One payment. Nothing recurring. No account needed.
Credentials to list on a CDL resume
List only what you hold or are finishing. Put the state or issuing body and the year.
- CDL Class A
- CDL Class B
- CDL learner permit (CLP)
- Hazmat endorsement (H)
- Tanker endorsement (N)
- Doubles/Triples endorsement (T)
- Passenger endorsement (P)
- DOT medical card
- TWIC card
- Clean driving record
Example CDL resume lines
These are things people in this job really do. Use a line only if you did it, and add a number when you have one: how many patients, loads, orders or rooms, or how often.
- Drove tractor-trailers on regional or long-haul routes
- Drove local delivery routes
- Did pre-trip and post-trip inspections
- Kept electronic logs under hours-of-service rules
- Loaded, unloaded, and secured freight
- Planned routes and delivered on time
- Handled bills of lading and delivery paperwork
- Completed behind-the-wheel training hours
Skills and words employers look for in a CDL resume
Many employers search resumes by keyword, and recruiters skim for the same words. Use the ones that are true for you, spelled the way the job posting spells them.
Skills: Safe driving, Pre-trip inspections, Hours-of-service and ELD logs, Load securement, Backing and docking, Route planning, DOT rules, On-time delivery, Customer service, Reliability.
Words from CDL job postings: Class A CDL, tractor-trailer, pre-trip inspections, hours of service (HOS), ELD, DOT regulations, load securement, safe driving record, on-time delivery, backing and docking, route planning, FMCSA.
| Top skills to show | Words employers search for |
|---|---|
| Safe driving | Class A CDL |
| Pre-trip inspections | tractor-trailer |
| Hours-of-service and ELD logs | pre-trip inspections |
| Load securement | hours of service (HOS) |
| Backing and docking | ELD |
| Route planning | DOT regulations |
| DOT rules | load securement |
| On-time delivery | safe driving record |
| Customer service | on-time delivery |
| Reliability | backing and docking |
What the job involves: O*NET 53-3032.00, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (US Department of Labor).
Coming to CDL work from another job
Your past work counts if you say what it shows. Delivery and driving jobs show safe driving and on-time routes; warehouse work shows loading and securing freight; military shows equipment operation.
Never claim a duty you did not do. Say what you did in words this job uses.
If you still need the training, WIOA can pay for it if you qualify: see how WIOA pays for CDL training.
Next steps
- Get the CDL resume template, a Word file and a PDF laid out for this job, $4.99 one time.
- Have your own resume rewritten for one CDL job, using only what is on it, $14.99 one time.
- See CDL jobs near you and get your resume rewritten for each one. The first application each month is free.
- Practice the CDL interview questions out loud before you go in.
- Check your resume first with the free resume grader.