In the age of online shopping, one-day shipping, and home delivery, the demand for drivers is booming. Not all drivers move boxes, however. Whether you drive a truck, a bus, or a limousine, a great driver resume is one of the most important tools to land you your next job on the road.
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Delivery Driver
Uber Driver
Tractor Driver
Truck Driver
Bus Driver
Transportation
This writing guide and driver resume example is designed to help you highlight your ability to be trustworthy, efficient, and flexible—key skills that will set you apart in the transportation industry.
Resume guide for a driver resume
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This resume guide and corresponding driver resume example will cover the following:
- How to write a driver resume
- Choosing the right resume format for drivers
- How to add your contact information
- Using summaries
- Adding your driving experience
- Listing education and relevant experience
- Picking the right resume design/layout
- What the driver job market looks like, and what salary you can expect
How to write a driver resume
The very first step in writing your driver resume is understanding what sections to include. Your resume should contain the following elements:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Before taking a closer look at each of these resume sections, it’s important to carefully read the job description and learn more about the employer. While your same driving skills will be applied across jobs, familiarizing yourself with the specific position allows you to customize your application which increases your chances of standing out and landing the interview.
As you'll see in later guide sections, your resume should highlight your ability to ensure proper vehicle function and safe travel at all times. It should provide assurance that you are knowledgeable about the systems of a vehicle and able to handle a variety of issues ranging from simple to complex.
Your superior navigation skills and ability to plan efficient routes should also come across. A winning truck driver resume sample (or any driver resume) should showcase excellent communication skills as well as superior customer service skills.
Optimize for the ATS
If you’re applying to truck driver jobs online, you may not know that before your resume will be seen by human eyes, there’s a good chance it must first pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This recruitment software is in use at almost all of today’s large and medium-sized companies.
The ATS scans your resume for keywords and then ranks your resume against those received by other candidates. Only the top-scoring applications will be passed on to a human hiring manager. While this process saves the employer a considerable amount of time, it also means you could spend hours on a resume only to be filtered out by a machine.
Luckily, there are simple yet effective ways to protect your resume from ATS rejection:
- Understand the hiring process for drivers and the most requested skills.
- Use keywords from the job description strategically throughout your resume.
- Format your resume so that it is well-organized and easy to read for both humans and robots.
Choosing the right resume format for drivers
In about 90% of instances, regardless of whether you’re a delivery driver, truck driver, or another type of commercial driver, the reverse chronological resume format is recommended and used with good reason. Recruiters prefer it because they can easily tell at a glance how much of the most relevant experience you have. The emphasis is on your professional experience, outlined in the employment history section.
For each previous job, descriptive bullet points are listed with each employer heading and date, organized in order from most recent to earliest dates.
There are two other resume formats that sometimes work well for workforce newcomers or those changing careers. The functional and hybrid (combination) formats allow some flexibility in putting your skills or education above the employment history section.
Include your contact information
Your delivery driver resume should have a clean and simple header that clearly lays out your name and contact information. As you’ll see in our adaptable driver resume sample, there’s no need to go overboard with fancy colors or formatting. The most important goal is that your contact information is easily accessible. Just as important, however, is that it’s professionally presented.
- Full name & title. List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you are pursuing like truck driver, delivery driver, or commercial driver.
- Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected]. Don’t use a quirky, unprofessional email address.
- Phone number. List a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
- Location. List only your city and state. Don’t list street address or zip code. It’s both outdated and unsafe. Note 'Willing to Relocate' here if applicable.
Don’t include:
- Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
- Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.
Make use of a summary
Your resume summary is just what it sounds like: a place on your resume to offer a bit of your skills, experience and qualifications. A great summary (sometimes called profile or personal statement) shouldn't be boring. Even though drivers may spend hours alone on the road, they still need to have some customer service skills and a generally pleasant demeanor—no one wants to work with a grouch! So your resume summary should give a hint of your personality.
Remember to use as many powerful action verbs and job-specific information as you can. Highlighting your key attributes and talents that prove your qualifications and accomplishments is crucial.
Check out the summary section from our driver resume example:
Need inspiration for your summary? Check out our related resumes:
You can find adaptable driver resume example summaries below:
Highly motivated delivery driver with 5+ years of experience ensuring on-time and secure deliveries. Proven ability to navigate complex routes efficiently and maintain a clean driving record. Skilled in customer service, providing a positive experience for all recipients. Eager to contribute to a fast-paced team environment.
Discreet and professional chauffeur with 3+ years of experience providing safe and reliable transportation for high-profile clients. Possesses exceptional driving skills and a commitment to passenger comfort and privacy. Maintains a meticulous appearance and prioritizes client satisfaction in all interactions.
Dependable and safety-focused CDL-A truck driver with 4+ years of experience delivering goods across the Midwest. Proven ability to achieve on-time deliveries while maintaining a clean driving record and excellent customer service. Skilled in route planning, vehicle inspections, and adhering to DOT regulations.
Outline your driver work experience
Your employment history section is the place to showcase previous work experience as a driver. First, list the name of the employer, the location, and the dates you worked there. Underneath, you can create 3-5 bullet points that highlight your most relevant skills. Remember to use powerful action verbs and mention job-specific accomplishments that prove you are an excellent candidate.
If you have at least three positions related to driving, you may want to leave unrelated work experience off your resume. If this is your first driving job, use your employment history section to point out transferable skills that will help you quickly adapt to the driving role. Whenever possible, use numbers and percentages to quantify the bullet points regarding your achievements and prove your value.
Take a look at these bland bullet points:
- “Drove a truck cross-country to deliver goods.”
- “Transported passengers as a bus driver.”
- “Made deliveries around the city.”
See how these options are stronger:
- “Drove 3,000 miles per month to deliver goods on time across the Midwest.”
- “Safely transported 2,000+ passengers per day as a friendly and reliable bus driver.”
- “Efficiently delivered 50+ packages per day to clients around the city.”
Here's the employment history section from our driver resume example:
Driver at Albert's Trucking Company, Phoenix
April 2013 - August 2023
- Logged 200,000+ accident-free miles delivering goods for clients primarily in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.
- Delivered on schedule 97% of the time by adjusting routes to traffic conditions.
- Proactively identified and resolved vehicle maintenance issues to save the company $6,000 per year on average.
- Maintained 100% clean traffic safety and drug screening test record.
- Helped recruit and train 17 new drivers, including instruction in routine vehicle maintenance.
Driver at Bears Transportation, Phoenix
September 2008 - March 2013
- Drove 20-passenger tour buses on half-day or full-day excursions within Arizona and longer overnight trips to neighboring states.
- Received a 5-star rating from 250+ clients.
- Performed routine vehicle maintenance, including regular oil changes, wheel rotations and tune-ups.
- Named “Safe Driver of the Month” three times by the employer.
How to write a driver resume with no experience
Since drivers are in high demand, it’s possible that you can land a great driving job with no experience as long as you have a driver’s license and a clean record, of course! The path to landing your first driving job may look a bit different depending on whether you’d like to work as a delivery driver, truck driver, bus driver, or another type of commercial driver.
Many trucking companies offer programs where they’ll help you pay to get your CDL as long as you agree to work for them afterward. If you’d like to deliver food or work for a ride-share app like Uber, you can get started with little more than a license and your own car.
In any case, the key to writing a driver resume with no experience lies in focusing on transferable skills. These are abilities you’ve successfully used in other positions that apply to driving. For example, responsibility and safety, route planning, punctuality, clear communication, or the ability to work independently and efficiently are all great skills to highlight on your driver resume.
Previous positions in the transportation and logistics industry such as work in a warehouse can help show the hiring manager that you’d make a great addition to their driving team.
Include the relevant key skills that make you a great driver
Skills are at the heart of your job as a driver and therefore should be paid extra attention to on your resume. Make sure to include any hard skills from the job posting, like a clean driving record, mechanic experience, or shipment tracking software. A driver resume sample should also include several soft skills like communication, efficiency, or organization to show that you're a well-rounded candidate.
Your skills section is often placed at the bottom or on the side of your resume. However, if you believe your skills are stronger than your work experience, you can also place this section above your employment history. Remember, the skills section should be updated for every job you apply to as it gives the employer a better sense of why you’re the right fit for the role. Tailoring this section makes it clear that you’re serious about the position and would make a better driver for the company than other candidates. It also helps you increase your chances of beating the ATS in use at most large trucking companies that hire online.
Here's the skills section from our driver resume example:
- Hand-Eye Coordination
- Safe Driving Skills
- Manual Dexterity
- Ability to read maps
- Customer Service Skills
Detail your education & relevant driver certifications
Since many drivers can begin working without a college degree, you won't have to worry about creating a lengthy education section on your resume. However, some large shipping companies are known to prefer college student drivers, so listing a degree in progress in this section may increase your odds of landing the job. If you hold a degree higher than a bachelor's degree, you may leave out your high school information.
When creating the education section, list each degree or diploma from most recent to oldest, as you did in your employment history section. Include the degree name, school, dates attended, and location. If you are still a student, you can add one or two bullet points that mention impressive academic achievements that are also relevant to the driver job.
Your education section should develop as you grow in your career. While drivers might not need much formal education, their certifications like a CDL are essential for the job. List your licenses and their numbers here. If you've completed any training like hazmat driving or road safety courses, you should include it in your education example.
Should I include the dates of my education?
While age discrimination is not fair or right, it still exists in hiring today. If you’ve been out of school for a significant number of years, you may choose to leave the dates of your education off of your resume to encourage employers to focus more on your relevant qualifications. Read more about combating age discrimination in our blog.
Here's the education section from our driver resume example:
Class B Commercial Driver's License, Phoenix Driving School, Phoenix
August 2005
High School Diploma, Morris High School, Morris
September 2005 - June 2009
Pick the right resume layout and design for a driver resume
Your essential driving qualifications won't amount to much if the information is not well organized in your resume page layout. It should allow both the ATS and the hiring manager to quickly find the information they are looking for. Use traditional section headings like "Education" or "Work Experience" so as not to confuse the reader.
When it comes to the design and formatting elements of your driver resume, we recommend keeping it simple, with sparing use of color and design elements. Readability and organization are key.
If you don't have time to fuss with these visual considerations or would prefer not to, using one of Resume.io's field-tested resume templates can help. Our collection of simple designs is a good place to start. The resume builder can let you easily modify the template or create a stellar driver resume of your own.
- Keep a balance of white space to text
- Use a commonly accepted resume font like Georgia or Helvetica
- Create an attractive header with your personal information
- Go overboard with colors, creative fonts or images
- Use unusual section heading titles that cannot be read by the ATS
- Create a resume longer than one page
Driver text-only resume example
Profile
Personable and reliable Driver with 15 years of experience working in the transportation of goods and passengers. Successful career history is documented by dozens of commendations from satisfied passengers and clients, and an unblemished traffic safety record. Expertise and experience performing maintenance and minor repairs on vehicles contributes to significant cost savings for the employer and reduced service down time.
Employment history
Driver at Albert's Trucking Company, Phoenix
April 2013 - August 2023
- Logged 200,000+ accident-free miles delivering goods for clients primarily in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.
- Delivered on schedule 97% of the time by adjusting routes to traffic conditions.
- Proactively identified and resolved vehicle maintenance issues to save the company $6,000 per year on average.
- Maintained 100% clean traffic safety and drug screening test record.
- Helped recruit and train 17 new drivers, including instruction in routine vehicle maintenance.
Driver at Bears Transportation, Phoenix
September 2008 - March 2013
- Drove 20-passenger tour buses on half-day or full-day excursions within Arizona and longer overnight trips to neighboring states.
- Received a 5-star rating from 250+ clients.
- Performed routine vehicle maintenance, including regular oil changes, wheel rotations and tune-ups.
- Named “Safe Driver of the Month” three times by the employer.
Skills
- Hand-Eye Coordination
- Safe Driving Skills
- Manual Dexterity
- Ability to read maps
- Customer Service Skills
Education
Class B Commercial Driver's License, Phoenix Driving School, Phoenix
August 2005
High School Diploma, Morris High School, Morris
September 2005 - June 2009
Driver job market and outlook
Although driving positions may sometimes be considered entry-level, they are often highly competitive. Drivers can earn a decent income without ever facing a shortage of hours. Some large delivery companies even require that candidates for driver positions first gain experience in the warehouse.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the demand for delivery drivers to grow by 10 percent over the coming decade. That’s much faster than the average for other jobs!
What type of salary you can expect as a driver
While pay can vary by location, here are a few examples of average salaries for common driver positions:
- Truck driver: $51,578 per year via Salary.com
- Delivery driver: $52,357 per year via Salary.com
- Bus driver: $45,290 per year via Salary.com
Key takeaways for building a driver resume
A thoughtfully prepared resume showcasing the right skills and experiences is the best way to get a hiring manager's attention and land your next driver job. Pay special attention to your summary section since this is the place you'll get to show off your personality. Your resume might first need to pass through the ATS, so optimize it with the right keywords from the job description.
An online resume builder can help you format a perfect resume that impresses employers and puts you in the driver’s seat when landing a great new job!
