HGV driver CV: example, skills and writing tips

HGV driver CV example

The example below shows how the advice in this guide fits together on one page. The person, the employers and all the figures are invented: use the structure, not the content, and replace every detail with your own.

Notice what makes this CV useful to a transport manager: the licences come first, then every line says which vehicle, which type of route, which goods and which tasks around the driving. The rest of this guide explains how to build each section in the same way.

Job title and professional summary

Say what you drive in the title

“Driver” alone does not tell a recruiter which vehicle category you can drive. Use a title that states it:

HGV Driver – Category C – regional distribution
HGV Driver – Category C+E – national haulage
Refrigerated HGV Driver – food distribution
Tipper Driver – construction materials
HGV Driver – ADR

HGV driver, lorry driver, truck driver: which title fits?

The same occupation has different names depending on the country and the employer. “HGV” (heavy goods vehicle) and “LGV” (large goods vehicle) are used in the UK; “truck driver” is more common elsewhere. Pick the title used in the job ad, and always state your licence categories.

Licence systems differ between countries: in the EU and the UK, heavy goods vehicles fall under categories C1, C and C+E (also written CE), while other countries use their own classes. Always write the official name of the licence you hold.

Professional summary example: regional driver

The professional summary (often called a personal profile in the UK) is three to five lines: your experience, your licences, the type of transport and the area you cover.

HGV driver with 6 years’ experience in regional distribution. Category C, Driver CPC and driver card up to date. Used to multi-drop routes, goods checks and loading and unloading.

Professional summary example: articulated vehicles

HGV driver with 8 years’ experience in national haulage. Category C+E, Driver CPC and ADR basic certificate up to date. Experience with curtainsider semi-trailers and strict compliance with drivers’ hours rules.

Professional summary example: newly qualified driver

Newly qualified HGV driver holding category C, the initial Driver CPC and a driver card. Training covered vehicle checks, driving, delivery operations and transport documents.

Avoid “reliable, motivated and punctual driver looking for a new challenge”: it says far less than your licences and your routes.

Licences and qualifications: put them first

For a driving job, licences and qualifications should not be hidden at the bottom of the CV. Put them in a dedicated section near the top, and list only what you actually hold, with validity dates where useful.

Category C · Category C+E
Driver CPC – qualification card valid until [month year]
Digital tachograph driver card
ADR certificate – [basic / tanks] – valid until [year]
[Forklift certificate – official name and category]

Driver CPC and equivalent professional qualifications

In the UK and the EU, professional lorry drivers need a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC), introduced by EU Directive 2003/59. In the UK, you keep it by completing 35 hours of periodic training every five years (GOV.UK: Driver CPC training for qualified drivers). If your qualification was obtained in another country, give its official name and do not assume it is automatically valid elsewhere: check with the licensing authority of the country where you will drive.

ADR and other certificates

ADR is the European agreement on the carriage of dangerous goods by road. Only mention an ADR certificate if it is valid, state its scope (basic, tanks, other classes) and its expiry date. The same applies to forklift or other lifting-equipment certificates: give their official name and category, and only if they are current.

HGV driver CV skills by area

Driving is only part of the job: checks, loading, documents, safety and communication with the transport office and customers matter too. Select what you genuinely do.

A skills line such as this gives little information:

Driving – Delivery – Punctual – Reliable

This one is far more useful:

Category C rigid · Regional multi-drop · Load securing · Tail-lift · Digital tachograph · Proof of delivery

Describing your experience and achievements

For each role, a transport manager wants to understand the vehicle, the area, the type of route, the goods, the number of deliveries and the tasks around the driving. Where possible, follow this order:

context → your own action → tools or method → scope → result

For example: “For a regional haulier (context), I organised my multi-drop route (action) using the HGV sat nav and the customers’ delivery windows (tool) for 12 drops a day (scope), and delivered within the agreed slots (result).” The figures in this sentence are illustrative.

Too vague

Lorry driving
Customer deliveries
Loading
Vehicle maintenance

More informative

Illustrative figures.

Drove a 19-tonne rigid on regional routes
Delivered 10 to 15 business customers a day
Checked the load before departure
Delivered with tail-lift and electric pallet truck
Completed and returned delivery paperwork
Carried out daily vehicle checks
Informed the transport office of delays or incidents

Regional, national or international: say it

The type of route tells a recruiter a lot about your experience, and avoids offers that do not suit you: “regional routes, home every night”, “national haulage with 2 to 3 nights out a week”, or “international routes between [countries]”. Do the same for the type of transport: parcels and groupage, multi-drop distribution, refrigerated, tipper, tanker, construction sites, retail deliveries.

Achievement examples to adapt

Replace [X] and [Y] with your own reliable figures, or leave the line out if you cannot support it. Delivery or mileage figures must be credible and verifiable.

• Completed [X] deliveries a day within the agreed delivery windows on [type of route].
• Drove [type of vehicle] on [regional / national / international] routes for [X] years.
• Took part in an eco-driving programme and followed my fuel consumption reports.
• Trained [X] new drivers on the routes and customer sites.
• Handled [type of goods] requiring [temperature control / ADR / specific securing].

Vehicles and equipment: be specific

State the vehicles and equipment you have actually used: rigid or articulated, tonnage, body type (curtainsider, box, refrigerated, tipper, tanker, flatbed), tail-lift, pallet truck or forklift, and the digital tools of the job.

Vehicles: 19-tonne rigid with tail-lift · curtainsider semi-trailer
Equipment: electric pallet truck · [forklift, with certificate]
Digital tools: digital tachograph · HGV sat nav · handheld proof-of-delivery device · telematics

Keep this section short and linked to the job: there is no need for a general IT section.

Making your HGV driver CV easy to read for ATS

Hauliers and recruitment agencies often use applicant tracking systems (ATS) or recruitment software to search applications by precise criteria. The aim is not to “beat” or trick an ATS: it is to make sure your key information is extracted correctly and easy to find.

• licence categories written in full (C, C+E);
• Driver CPC, driver card and ADR with their status;
• vehicle and body types;
• type of transport and area covered;
• employers and dates easy to identify;
• availability, if the ad asks for it.

“Category C+E – Driver CPC up to date – ADR basic – 7 years in national haulage” is far more useful than “Experienced driver”.

Tailoring your HGV driver CV to each job

Two HGV jobs can require very different profiles. You do not need to rewrite your career, but you can put first the vehicles, qualifications and types of transport that match the job.

Before applying for a multi-drop, refrigerated or articulated driving job, it helps to see which elements of the job description your CV already covers and which are missing. CVReader compares your CV with a job description and highlights the points of correspondence.

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Newly qualified driver or career changer

With little professional driving experience, bring forward what you actually have.

• Newly qualified drivers: put licences and qualifications first, then describe your training: vehicle checks, urban and interurban driving, reversing onto bays, load securing and transport documents.
• Career changers: warehouse work brings loading, goods checks and forklift experience; van or delivery driving brings routes, customer contact and delivery windows. Keep this previous experience clearly separate from your actual HGV driving experience.

Vehicle checks before departure · Urban and interurban driving · Reversing onto loading bays · Loading and securing goods · Use of transport documents

Trained or working in France?

If your driving background is French, a few adjustments make your CV clearer to English-speaking employers.

French licences and qualifications

For this occupation, France Travail, the French public employment service, indicates that a C or C1 licence is required depending on the vehicle, together with the appropriate initial or continuing training, and lists routes into the job such as the CAP and bac professionnel in road freight driving and the titres professionnels for driving on rigid vehicles or on all vehicles (France Travail Métierscope: Conduite de transport de marchandises sur longue distance (in French)).

• FIMO and FCO: the French initial and continuing training for professional goods drivers. Keep the French names, explain them in a few words and do not assume they are automatically recognised in another country.
• Permis C, CE: French licences use the same category letters as other EU licences; write them as they appear on your licence.
• CACES R489: French certificate for operating lift trucks, issued by category; give the category and its validity.
• Titre professionnel Conducteur du transport routier de marchandises (sur porteur / sur tous véhicules): French state-registered vocational qualification for goods drivers on rigid vehicles or on all vehicles.

French job titles and terms

A “chauffeur PL” (poids lourd) is an HGV driver, usually on rigid vehicles; a “conducteur SPL” (super poids lourd) drives articulated vehicles with category CE. “Découchés” are nights out, “messagerie” is parcels and groupage, “frigorifique” is refrigerated transport and “benne” is tipper work.

Mistakes to avoid and final checklist

Hiding your licences at the bottom of the CV

They are among the first things a recruiter looks for.

Writing only “HGV licence”

State the exact categories you hold.

Forgetting the Driver CPC or its equivalent

When it is required and valid, make it visible.

Not stating the type of transport

Regional, national, refrigerated, tipper and multi-drop are different experiences.

Mixing up C and C+E

Never claim a licence or articulated experience you do not have.

Listing an expired certificate as valid

Give the validity of ADR, CPC and forklift certificates when relevant.

Checklist before you apply

• My licences and qualifications appear near the top, with exact categories.
• Driver CPC, driver card and ADR show their status or validity.
• My title states the type of driving I do.
• Each role shows the vehicle, the area, the goods and the tasks around the driving.
• Every figure (drops, distances, years) is credible and verifiable.
• Foreign qualifications keep their original name, with a short explanation.
• Employers and dates are easy to find, and skills are written as text.
• I have brought forward what matches the job.

HGV driver CV: frequently asked questions

What skills should I put on an HGV driver CV?

Put first the vehicles you drive, the type of transport, loading and unloading, load securing, vehicle checks, drivers’ hours compliance, delivery paperwork and any specialisms.

Where should I put my licence on my CV?

Near the top, in a “Licences and qualifications” section that a recruiter sees immediately.

Should I mention my Driver CPC?

Yes, when it is required for the job and valid. Add the expiry date of your qualification card if useful.

What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 2?

In the UK, “Class 2” usually refers to category C (rigid vehicles) and “Class 1” to category C+E (articulated vehicles and drawbars). Write the official categories on your CV.

Is a truck driver resume different from an HGV driver CV?

“Resume” is the usual American term; “CV” is used in the UK and much of the world. For a job application, the advice in this guide applies to both, but licence names differ from country to country.

How do I write an HGV driver CV with no experience?

Put your licences and qualifications first, then describe your training and any transferable experience in warehousing or delivery, kept separate from HGV driving.