Truck Driver Duties for a Resume
This page is a prompt list. It is not text to copy — a recruiter who reads twenty resumes a day recognises boilerplate instantly, and a duty you did not perform is a false statement on a job application.
What it is useful for is jogging your memory. Drivers routinely leave real, relevant work off a resume simply because it did not occur to them that it counted.
Turn your duties into professional resume bullets
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Duties common to almost every driving job
- Performing pre-trip and post-trip inspections and completing DVIRs
- Maintaining Hours of Service records in an electronic logging device
- Verifying load counts and documentation against the bill of lading
- Communicating with dispatch on arrival, departure, delay and breakdown
- Fueling, checking fluids and monitoring tire condition
- Reporting mechanical defects and coordinating repairs
OTR and long-haul
- Planning multi-day trips around Hours of Service, fuel stops and scale locations
- Managing appointment times across multiple time zones
- Operating in winter and mountain conditions, including chaining where required
- Scaling loads after pickup and adjusting axle weights
- Living out of a sleeper berth on multi-week runs
Regional and dedicated
- Running a defined multi-state area on a repeating schedule
- Checking in at distribution centers within assigned appointment windows
- Managing recurring customer relationships on fixed lanes
- Completing drop-and-hook exchanges at terminals and customer yards
Local delivery
- Completing multi-stop routes within customer receiving hours
- Operating lift gates, pallet jacks and hand trucks
- Hand-unloading freight at commercial and residential locations
- Collecting signatures and recording delivery exceptions on a handheld device
- Resolving shortages and order questions directly with customers
- Loading and sequencing the truck at the start of the shift
Flatbed
- Securing freight with chains, binders, straps and edge protection
- Tarping loads with steel and lumber tarps, working at height on the deck
- Re-checking securement within the first miles and at required stops
- Coordinating loading sequence and securement points with shippers
- Handling permitted and oversize loads where applicable
Tanker and bulk
- Loading and unloading product at terminals and customer sites
- Following grounding, bonding and hose-handling procedures
- Verifying product grade and quantity against loading documentation
- Adjusting driving technique for liquid surge on partial loads
- Inspecting valves, fittings, hoses and pumps before each trip
Dump truck and construction
- Hauling aggregate, sand, asphalt and fill between plants and job sites
- Scaling loads and adjusting load size to stay within weight limits
- Backing and dumping on uneven ground around site equipment and personnel
- Tarping loads before leaving the plant
- Inspecting hydraulics, tailgate and tarp systems daily
How to use this list
Read the section that matches your work. For each duty you actually performed, write one sentence in your own words describing how you did it at that specific employer. Add the equipment, the freight or the customer type — that specificity is what separates your resume from the pasted version.
Frequently asked questions
How many duties should I list per job?
Three to five bullets per employer. More than five and the reader stops. Pick the ones most relevant to the job you are applying for.
Should older jobs have as many bullets as recent ones?
No. Most recent job gets four or five, the one before gets three, older roles get one or two, and anything past ten years can be a single line or dropped.
Can I list a duty I only did occasionally?
Yes, as long as you can talk about it in an interview. Word it accurately — "assisted with" or "as required" is honest and still counts.
Related guides
Turn your duties into professional resume bullets
Build a resume from your own answers in about five minutes.
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