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Cross country truck driver skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted expert

Martin Garsee

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical cross country truck driver skills. We ranked the top skills for cross country truck drivers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 32.3% of cross country truck driver resumes contained dot regulations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a cross country truck driver needs to be successful in the workplace.

7 cross country truck driver skills for your resume and career

1. DOT Regulations

Here's how cross country truck drivers use dot regulations:

Documented accurate call log reports to follow (DOT) Department of Transportation, guidelines.
Loaded and delivered products cross country on time following all traffic and DOT laws.

2. Trip Inspections

Here's how cross country truck drivers use trip inspections:

Completed and documented trip inspections.
Completed Pre/Ongoing/Post-trip inspections as required and as necessary.

3. Unload Trucks

Unload trucks is an activity that is undertaken to remove items that have been carried on a truck. It could be raw materials, work-in-stock or finished products. Unloading a truck may require people and some equipment that may help unload items that are too heavy or dangerous for humans to handle.

Here's how cross country truck drivers use unload trucks:

Load and unload trucks for household moving.
Unload trucks and replenish stock/hi-lo certified* Customer service and general maintenance duties

4. 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 cross country truck drivers use gps:

Followed GPS directives and maintained in constant communication with dispatch when necessary.
Radioed communication and GPS communication with dispatch.

5. Drive Trucks

Here's how cross country truck drivers use drive trucks:

Drive trucks with capacities greater than 3 tons, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
Drive trucks to weigh stations before and after loading and along routes in compliance with state regulations.

6. 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 cross country truck drivers use federal regulations:

Managed hours of service on Department of Transportation approved electronic equipment according to the state and federal regulations.
Provided on-time service to customers * Self-managed day-to-day operations * Complied with all state and federal regulations

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7. Truck Log

Here's how cross country truck drivers use truck log:

Maintain truck log according to state/federal or company regulations.
Maintain Bill of Lading, truck logs, delivery logs, interface with customers and management on a daily basis.

What skills help Cross Country 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 cross country 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 cross country truck driver skills to add to your resume

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

DOT Regulations
Trip Inspections
Unload Trucks

GPS
Drive Trucks
Federal Regulations

Truck Log

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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