Revved up for a career move? A persuasive truck driver cover letter can put you in the fast lane to job-winning destinations, often on a straighter and smoother road than with your resume alone.
Resume.io is a leading global source of job search expertise. We’ve produced an extensive collection of occupation-specific writing guides and corresponding cover letter examples. We also offer resume writing tools, informative blogs and field-tested templates to help you create both types of job application documents.
This cover letter writing guide, backed by a truck driver cover letter example, will help secure your foot on the accelerator in one of today’s most promising job markets. We’ll be covering these topics:
- The best format for structuring a cover letter
- Speaking to your strengths as a truck driver job candidate in each cover letter part: header, greeting, introduction, body and conclusion
- Writing psychology
- Common mistakes to avoid in your truck driver cover letter.
Job prospects for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers will keep rolling steadily along into the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Employment Statistics. The projected market demand growth of 6 percent from 2020 to 2030 is about as fast as the average for all occupations. This represents about 231,100 new job openings each year on average, over the decade, many to replace truck drivers transferring to different occupations or leaving the labor force.
Best format for a truck driver cover letter
One intersection at a time, we’re going to guide you along the surest path towards an interview-winning truck driver cover letter. Following the same structure that works for all occupations, your cover letter will be consist of these parts:
- Cover letter header
- Cover letter greeting / salutation
- Cover letter introduction
- Cover letter body
- Cover letter closing (conclusion and sign-off).
Before taking the wheel to move forward, section by section, keep in mind these considerations for the most reader-friendly ride your cover letter should strive for.
- Keep it short — 300 to 350 words is just about right.
- Make it simple and straightforward to navigate by fitting on a single page that looks inviting to read. The layout, design and text formatting should be neat, clean and streamlined, with enough white space to let your words breathe in the surrounding margins and between lines.
You can find even more specific formatting and presentation advice in our comprehensive cover letter writing guide.
Here is an adaptable truck driver cover letter example that you can customize for the position and employer:
Dear Mr. Roarke,
I am applying for the role of truck driver with Ready Removals after three years working for your competitors Last Mile (who have recently gone into administration).
I first received my HGV licence fourteen years ago and spent the first decade of my career in trucking and road freight roles with major transport providers. I also have a variety of machinery certifications, including a forklift licence. This has come in useful when working in the warehouse of my previous removals firm and I understand that much of your international removals business is handled through a central warehouse with heavy duty racking. 70% of my jobs involved the use of a forklift for loading and unloading.
In terms of my driving ability, I have gone 11 years without accident or incident. I am experienced in terms of driving an uneven load along narrow suburban streets and always seek to maximise the care for my cargo. No matter how carefully you pack a lorry full of personal possessions, there is always an unexpected bump that threatens to jolt things out of position. 94% of my customers rated the delivery of their goods as “excellent.”
I am also a qualified mechanic and regularly seek to update my knowledge on the latest technology. I know that your lorry fleet is not the newest and am confident of diagnosing and fixing the most basic issues without the need to call for roadside assistance.
Lastly, I very much enjoy the truck driver lifestyle. My cross-country removals often take a few days and I enjoy the solitude that this entails. The trucking community offers me a family away from home and I hope that I will fit in well with your other drivers.
Sincerely,
Maurice Johnson
For additional inspiration, you can check out our other writing guides and cover letter examples in our related Transport & Logistics category, along with the guides and examples for these Transportation occupations:
Cover letter header
The cover letter header clearly identifies who you are and how to reach you when the hiring manager is impressed enough to want to contact you right away for an interview. It also plays an important role in creating an attractive design that makes the hiring manager remember your application.
A matching set
For all of the same advantages that a carefully crafted cover letter offers, it only takes a few extra steps to make your truck driver resume header match. Hiring managers will think highly of your attention to detail when your two application documents look like they belong together, because they do. It could improve the chances of both getting more than a passing glance.
Goal of the cover letter header: Set yourself apart from other job applicants with a visually distinctive identity that is also functionally practical.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting of your truck driver cover letter is easy if you know the recipient’s name. Depending on the employer and size of the company, it may be your future boss or a manager in the HR department. If no one is specified in the posted job application, try to find out by checking the employer’s website or making a phone call.
The traditional salutation “Dear <Mr.> or <Ms.> Surname” is generally recommended. It may be fine to replace “Dear” with “Hello”, “Greetings” or even “Hi,” as long as you’re certain the workplace is close-knit and casual enough. A first-name-basis cover letter greeting is only OK if you and the recipient know each other.
If you aren’t able to come up with anyone’s name for your cover letter greeting, try something along these lines that fits the situation: “Dear [Company Name] Logistics Manager” or “Dear Driver Operations Hiring Team.”
Goal of the cover letter greeting: Start off on a professional note while making a direct personal connection with the cover letter recipient.
Here’s the greeting from our truck driver cover letter sample:
Dear Mr. Roarke,
Cover letter introduction
Your truck driver cover letter introduction starts the engine to intrigue readers right away. It launches your convincing case for being a standout truck driver that this employer can hire with confidence on all of these counts.
- Your truck driver qualifications are an ideal match to what this company needs and wants.
- You are excited about the opportunity to work for this employer and would be proud to join its truck driver team.
- This company stands to benefit from the experience and achievements you have to offer.
Your tone should be energetic and conversational, but courteous. Sound respectfully self-assured. Reveal just enough to pique the reader’s curiosity but stop short of the details.
Goal of the cover letter introduction: Capture the recruiter’s interest with just enough highlights to motivate further reading.
Here’s an introduction idea from our truck driver cover letter sample:
I am applying for the role of truck driver with Ready Removals after three years working for your competitors Last Mile (who have recently gone into administration).
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle section of your truck driver cover letter is where the metaphoric rubber hits the road. What makes you a lucky find for this employer? Speak to your track record in the most relevant and relatable terms, based on what you know about the company and its business goals.
Pull out some impressive qualifications and accomplishments from your resume, reframed as future contributions in the truck driver role you are targeting. Cite facts and figures to quantify outcomes you’ve helped achieve, and share an anecdote or two with a personal “lessons learned” spin.
Goal of the cover letter body: Reinforce relevant connections between your truck driver background and potential benefits to the hiring organization.
Our truck driver cover letter sample illustrates what you might include in the middle part:
I first received my HGV licence fourteen years ago and spent the first decade of my career in trucking and road freight roles with major transport providers. I also have a variety of machinery certifications, including a forklift licence. This has come in useful when working in the warehouse of my previous removals firm and I understand that much of your international removals business is handled through a central warehouse with heavy duty racking. 70% of my jobs involved the use of a forklift for loading and unloading.
In terms of my driving ability, I have gone 11 years without accident or incident. I am experienced in terms of driving an uneven load along narrow suburban streets and always seek to maximise the care for my cargo. No matter how carefully you pack a lorry full of personal possessions, there is always an unexpected bump that threatens to jolt things out of position. 94% of my customers rated the delivery of their goods as “excellent.”
I am also a qualified mechanic and regularly seek to update my knowledge on the latest technology. I know that your lorry fleet is not the newest and am confident of diagnosing and fixing the most basic issues without the need to call for roadside assistance.
Cover letter closing
Your truck driver cover letter should end on an upbeat note that does leave things up in the air on purpose. That makes it a concluding section that does not actually sound conclusive.
Instead you close off with a call to action that puts the next move on the employer. Include a reminder of your top reason for being the best truck driver candidate. Then make it seem uncomfortable to leave your letter unanswered, set aside and forgotten. Convey eagerness to meet for an interview and perhaps even ask if you can follow up with a phone call to make that arrangement. At the very least, say you look forward to hearing back soon.
Now, simply sign off with “Sincerely,” Best regards,” or “Best,” above your name.
Aim of the cover letter closing: End on an upbeat, self-assured note with a call to action that ideally results in an interview.
Below is the closing section of our truck driver cover letter example.
Lastly, I very much enjoy the truck driver lifestyle. My cross-country removals often take a few days and I enjoy the solitude that this entails. The trucking community offers me a family away from home and I hope that I will fit in well with your other drivers.
Sincerely,
Maurice Johnson
Writing psychology: who’s in your driver’s seat?
Think of your truck driver cover letter as the ignition switch powering on the reader’s interest in your job application. What employers need to know about your driving track record, and licensing endorsement qualifications can be found in your resume. But the story of who you are and what you would look like in the driver’s seat for a specific trucking company is where your cover letter high beams should be aimed.
Just because truck drivers spend a significant number of working hours alone does not make their people skills and character traits any less valuable. If anything, your ability to reassure hiring managers that you are worthy of the employer’s trust and confidence behind the steering wheel in all situations is even more critical.
As Dot Transportation Inc. notes in a drivefordot.com blog about the top qualities sought in job candidates, “We value our drivers not only for the work they do but for simply being great people.”
This is the company’s top 10 list of truck driver attributes:
- Education and training
- Patience
- Stress management skills
- Alertness and awareness
- Time management skills
- Reliability
- Customer service
- Communication skills
- Self-dependence
- Mechanical knowledge
Another U.S. employer of truck drivers, National Retail Systems, Inc. (NRS), has a similar list of desired traits that also includes healthy lifestyle habits.
Common cover letter mistakes
Avoid giving hiring managers any of these reasons to ditch your truck driver job application by correcting these common errors:
- An obviously generic cover letter sends a hazard signal that you aren’t taking your job search seriously enough to target this specific employer.
- Meaningless clichés and redundant word bloat pose a reading roadblock.
- Lack of personality and soft skills can be a cover letter dead end.
- Typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical goofs are a red flag for carelessness.
- Flawed design and formatting can be perceived as a shortcut habit favoring the easy way instead of the best way.
If you don’t have time to fuss with word processors or graphic design software, a simple template can help you make a great first impression and ensure your cover letter has a professional feel.
Key takeaways for a truck driver cover letter
- A dynamic cover letter will give truck driver job applicants an edge over other qualified candidates relying only on their resume.
- Tailor your case for being an excellent truck driver job applicant to what the employer needs and values, as well as the industry and types of transport goods.
- Each cover letter section reinforces the hiring manager’s first impression towards an overall positive impact.
- To feel totally confident about your overall roadworthiness, hiring managers need a sense of your personality and soft skills, not just your driving track record.
- A neat and visually attractive cover letter document reflects well on your sense of professionalism.
