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Professional Truck Driver skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Martin Garsee
Professional Truck Driver Example Skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical professional truck driver skills. We ranked the top skills for professional truck drivers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 17.2% of professional truck driver resumes contained cdl as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a professional truck driver needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 professional truck driver skills for your resume and career

1. CDL

Here's how professional truck drivers use cdl:
  • Observed speed limits and driving laws as over-the-road driver with a Class A CDL.
  • Obtained a Class A CDL license with a clean driving record.

2. Safety Regulations

Here's how professional truck drivers use safety regulations:
  • Unload product at destination following all company guidelines and safety regulations.
  • Followed DOT safety regulations by maintaining daily driver and maintenance logs

3. On-Time Delivery

On-Time Delivery, or OTD, is a metric that measures the rate at which finished goods and deliveries are completed on time. This rate is measured by the overall number of units shipped within a specified time frame agreed upon by the consumer and supplier. On-Time Delivery allows suppliers' compliance with delivery deadlines, and hence their consistency, to be assessed using a continuous and collaborative development approach.

Here's how professional truck drivers use on-time delivery:
  • Communicated with dispatch to confirm delivery destination and provide real time updates on location to ensure on-time delivery.
  • Maintain consistent on-time delivery record in transportation and delivery of military, commercial and residential personal property.

4. OTR

Here's how professional truck drivers use otr:
  • Attended Truck driving school with 4 weeks in class training, and then 35 days OTR with truck driver trainer.
  • Diversified freight transportation OTR, as well as business and home delivery.

5. Vehicle Service

Here's how professional truck drivers use vehicle service:
  • Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service/repair status.
  • Maintain vehicle service, fueling and delivery records updated on respective inventories

6. Semi

Here's how professional truck drivers use semi:
  • Worked as a team driver in a flatbed Semi.
  • Maneuver Semi Truck in tight spots.

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7. DOT Regulations

Here's how professional truck drivers use dot regulations:
  • Possess a TSA Security Background Investigation and DOT Medical Certification.
  • Exhibited thorough knowledge of DOT regulations/log reporting.
Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

8. Post-Trip Inspections

Here's how professional truck drivers use post-trip inspections:
  • Preformed and recorded daily pre-trip/post-trip inspections using company checklist and submitted detailed reports after trips and delivers.
  • Performed daily pre-trip inspections and post-trip inspections.

9. Log Book

Here's how professional truck drivers use log book:
  • Keep driving records by maintaining an up to date, by the minute log booklet.
  • Maintained appropriate log books and ensured scale tickets and shipping documents were correct.

10. Hazmat

Hazmat is a combination of the words ‘hazardous' and ‘material'. The meaning of this word is found in the integration of the aforementioned words -- which is dangerous or toxic material.

Here's how professional truck drivers use hazmat:
  • Drive eighteen wheeler pulling tankers loaded with liquid HazMat in the lower 48 and Canada.
  • Deliver and unload hazmat material in a safe and timely manner while staying in compliance with FMCSA regulations.

11. Tractor-Trailer Combination

Here's how professional truck drivers use tractor-trailer combination:
  • Experienced in operation of Tractor-Trailer combinations with 53' and 48' Trailers.
  • Transport refrigerated goods across the United States with a tractor-trailer combination.

12. Pickup

In musical terms, a pickup is a transducing device used for capturing and converting mechanical music waves into an electronic signal. A pickup senses the mechanical vibration produced by a mechanical or electrical guitar and amplifies those vibrations using an amplifier. These amplified musical sounds are then produced through speakers. A pickup can also be used to produce mashup music.

Here's how professional truck drivers use pickup:
  • Delivered product to 37 states, interacted with customers upon pickup and delivery.
  • Review rules and guidelines to new access a ride customers during first pickup.

13. Hazardous Materials

Any substance or good that is harmful to human health as well as the environment are called hazardous materials. Such materials must be handled carefully to avoid any mishaps. Harmful gases. chemicals, strong medicines or drugs, radioactive elements required for radiation purposes, a human blood sample that carries germs, all of these are considered hazardous materials.

Here's how professional truck drivers use hazardous materials:
  • Followed all state and federal regulations dealing with commercial vehicle transportation including hazardous materials.
  • Followed all organizational/OSHA rules and guidelines regarding handling hazardous materials.

14. Pre-Trip Inspections

Here's how professional truck drivers use pre-trip inspections:
  • Perform pre-trip inspections on Tractors and Trailers to insure safe operation.
  • Performed pre-trip inspections, various maintenance and inspection processes.

15. GPS

GPS stands from Global Positioning System. It is a navigation system comprising of satellites that helps in determining the location, velocity, and synchronize time data for different modes of travel like air, sea, or land.

Here's how professional truck drivers use gps:
  • Chart out daily routes by using atlas, maps, or provided company issued GPS.
  • Planned Routes using a road atlas and GPS.
top-skills

What skills help Professional Truck Drivers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young Professional Truck Drivers need?

M

Martin GarseeMartin Garsee LinkedIn Profile

Executive Director, NAPFTDS

To enter the trucking world, a person should have a clean driving record and a clean criminal (not sure if there is a better word) history.
To enter the industry, have obtained a CDL, that in itself requires a "new" set of skills than driving an automobile.
Ability to communicate, you will have to communicate with dispatchers, customers, and other drivers.
Ability to work with minimum supervision.
The trucking industry operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and realizes that there is not typically a "set" schedule to work.

List of professional truck driver skills to add to your resume

Professional Truck Driver Skills

The most important skills for a professional truck driver resume and required skills for a professional truck driver to have include:

  • CDL
  • Safety Regulations
  • On-Time Delivery
  • OTR
  • Vehicle Service
  • Semi
  • DOT Regulations
  • Post-Trip Inspections
  • Log Book
  • Hazmat
  • Tractor-Trailer Combination
  • Pickup
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Pre-Trip Inspections
  • GPS
  • Federal Regulations
  • Traffic Laws
  • Vehicle Inspections
  • Dollies
  • Trip Planning
  • Safety Procedures
  • FMCSA
  • Safety Inspections
  • State Regulations
  • Pallet Jack
  • Emergency Equipment
  • Trip Logs
  • Unload Cargo
  • Traffic Violations
  • Customer Locations
  • Qualcomm
  • CB
  • Freightliner
  • Transport Goods
  • Tractor-Trailer Truck
  • Delivery Schedules
  • Clean Truck
  • Electronic Logs
  • Landing Gear
  • Plan Routes
  • Dry Goods
  • Inspect Goods
  • Wireless Devices
  • Radiator Fluid
  • Mechanical Problems
  • Paper Logs
  • Tire Chains

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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