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Commercial truck driver skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Martin Garsee

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical commercial truck driver skills. We ranked the top skills for commercial truck drivers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 30.0% of commercial truck driver resumes contained cdl as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a commercial truck driver needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 commercial truck driver skills for your resume and career

1. CDL

Here's how commercial truck drivers use cdl:

Maintained Valid CDL Driver License and Up-to-date medical certification.
Followed DOT regulations, maintained valid Class A CDL license and established positive working relationships with co-workers.

2. Good Time Management

Here's how commercial truck drivers use good time management:

Provided good time management to avoid being late for pickups or deliveries.
Maintain good working relationship with everyone.Skills UsedGood time management skills, professionalism.

3. Safety Issues

Safety issues entail any report, occurrence, violation, or action that could lead to a negative impact on the physical well-being of a person, product, or environment.

Here's how commercial truck drivers use safety issues:

Inspected assigned vehicle for mechanical safety issues.
Performed preventative maintenance & minor repairs to equipment as well as identify safety issues needed for the mechanic to repair.

4. Safety Equipment

Here's how commercial truck drivers use safety equipment:

Maintained a record of vehicle inspections and make sure the truck was equipped with safety equipment such as hazardous material placards.
Inspect truck, tires, fluid levels, trailer brakes/lights, no air leaks to maintain safety equipment.

5. Federal Regulations

Federal regulations refer to the set of rules, both general and permanent that are published in the Federal Register by the agencies of the federal government and the executive departments. Federal regulations are the large body of rules that govern federal practice. Examples of these laws include taxes and financial regulation, discrimination law, wages law, and so on.

Here's how commercial truck drivers use federal regulations:

Provided on-time service to customers * Self-managed day-to-day operations * Complied with all state and federal regulations
Maintained logs of working hours/vehicle service/repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.

6. OTR

Here's how commercial truck drivers use otr:

Route Distribution Over the Road Semi Truck Driver Knowledgeable, dependable and safe truck driver with OTR and tractor trailer experience.
Started as OTR Team Operation and was selected for Elite Team of Dedicated Route within the State of Ohio.

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7. Good Communication

Here's how commercial truck drivers use good communication:

Keep good communication with all employees to prevent anyone going in the high pressure area during pressure test or when pumping.
Arrive at the customer on-time, maintaining good communication, being safe and keeping logs.

8. Safety Regulations

Here's how commercial truck drivers use safety regulations:

Delivered various forms aggregate for road construction, conformed to safety regulations for commercial vehicle and construction operations.
Conduct daily preventative maintenance inspections to ensure compliance with all DOT safety regulations.

9. 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 commercial truck drivers use hazmat:

Maintain Class A commercial driver's license with HAZMAT, Tankers, Doubles, and Triples Endorsements.
Loaded, Unloaded Various Salt Products & Hazmat Bulk Tanker Products North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia

10. Post-Trip Inspections

Here's how commercial truck drivers use post-trip inspections:

Perform Daily Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections of Equipment
Conducted Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections.

11. 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 commercial truck drivers use gps:

Planned routes with assistance of maps, GPS, and personal knowledge for local and interstate travel.
Maintained and recorded communications and routing information with company's GPS tracking devise.

12. Vehicle Service

Here's how commercial truck drivers use vehicle service:

Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service/repair status following applicable regulations.
Maintain vehicle service fueling and delivery records updated on respective inventories.

13. Asphalt

Here's how commercial truck drivers use asphalt:

Completed commercial asphalt delivery using 12 speed Mack dump truck through high traffic areas efficiently and safely.
Transported trench plates, loader, skip tractor, asphalt machine, and backhoe.

14. Propane

Here's how commercial truck drivers use propane:

Loaded and unloaded propane, butane, and other energy products to both residential and commercial customers.
Transported loads in dry bulk cement tankers, and liquid propane gas tankers.

15. Dependability

Here's how commercial truck drivers use dependability:

Accomplished a reputation of dependability and trustworthiness with the Company and Customers.

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What skills help Commercial 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 commercial truck drivers need?

Martin Garsee

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.

Do you want to know more?

List of commercial truck driver skills to add to your resume

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

CDL
Good Time Management
Safety Issues
Safety Equipment
Federal Regulations
OTR
Good Communication
Safety Regulations
Hazmat
Post-Trip Inspections
GPS
Vehicle Service
Asphalt
Propane
Dependability
DOT Regulations
Hazardous Materials

Safety Procedures
Vehicle Inspections
Customer Locations
Pre-Trip Inspections
Preventative Maintenance
Log Book
Tractor-Trailer Combination
Traffic Violations
GVW
Pallet Jack
Emergency Equipment
Dump Truck
State Regulations
Drive Trucks
Commercial Vehicles
Traffic Laws
Construction Sites

Trip Planning
Delivery Schedules
Truck Log
Qualcomm
Federal Motor
FMCSA
Unload Trucks
CB
Distribution Centers
Dangerous Goods
Construction Materials
Electrical Lines
Driver Logs
Vehicle Logs
Trip Logs
Transport Goods

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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