A truck driver job description is the posting a fleet uses to tell CDL drivers what the job pays, where it runs and who qualifies. The template below opens with pay, home time and route type and separates the requirements set by the FMCSA from the ones your fleet adds, because the list of duties reads the same on every truck driver job posting.

Copy the job description template, fill in the brackets, and use the sections that follow to adjust it for each division you hire for.

Truck driver job description template

Job title: [CDL-A] [OTR / Regional / Local / Dedicated] Truck Driver, [home time, e.g. "Home Weekly"]

Location: [Terminal city, state] · [Hiring area or states]

Pay: [$X to $Y per week] or [X to Y cents per mile], paid [weekly]. [Explain how pay is calculated: per mile, per load, hourly or salary, and which bonuses apply.]

Home time: [Home daily / home every weekend / X days out, Y days home]

Route: [Typical lanes or region] · [Miles per week, if you publish it]

Equipment: [Truck make and model year] · [Automatic or manual] · [Trailer type: dry van, reefer, flatbed, tanker]

About the role

[Company name] is hiring [number] [route type] drivers out of our [city] terminal. You will haul [freight type] for [customers or account type] on [describe the routes]. Drivers in this division average [miles per week or loads per day] and are home [home time].

Duties and responsibilities

• Complete pre-trip and post-trip inspections and report defects before driving.

• Transport freight safely and on schedule on assigned [local / regional / OTR] routes.

• Record hours of service accurately on the electronic logging device (ELD).

• Secure cargo and [load and unload freight / use a pallet jack / tarp flatbed loads] as the job requires.

• Communicate delays, incidents and equipment problems to dispatch right away.

• Follow traffic laws, DOT regulations and company safety policies.

Qualifications required by federal rules

• Valid CDL [Class A / Class B] for the vehicle you will drive.

• At least 21 years old to drive in interstate commerce.

• Current DOT medical examiner's certificate.

• Eligible to perform safety-sensitive functions after a pre-employment query of the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and a DOT pre-employment drug test.

Company requirements

• [X months] of verifiable CDL driving experience [or: we hire recent CDL graduates].

• Clean driving record by our standards: [e.g. no more than X moving violations in the past 3 years].

• [Hazmat / Tanker / Doubles and Triples] endorsement [required / preferred / we pay for it].

• [Ability to lift X pounds, if the job includes hand unloading].

Benefits

• [Health, dental and vision insurance, and when coverage starts]

• [Paid time off and holidays]

• [401(k) and match]

• [Sign-on bonus, safety bonus or referral bonus, with the terms]

How to apply

Apply from your phone in about five minutes: [link to your mobile application]. A recruiter will contact you [the same day / within X hours].

How to write each section

Each section of the template answers a question drivers ask before they apply. Fill it with specifics from the division you are hiring for.

Job title

Put the license class, the route type and the home time in the title. "CDL-A Regional Truck Driver, Home Weekly" tells a driver what the job is before he opens the posting, and it matches the words drivers type when they search.

Pay and home time

Pay goes near the top. Heavy and tractor-trailer drivers earned a median of $58,640 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and most are paid by the mile plus bonuses. Drivers compare your number with that range and with every other posting on the page, so state how pay is calculated and what a normal week looks like. If you use an "up to" figure, put the typical weekly range next to it.

Home time belongs next to pay. It changes by division, so give each division its own posting.

Route type and equipment

OTR, regional, local and dedicated jobs attract different drivers. Name the region or lanes and the equipment, including model year and transmission type. A driver who has never pulled a flatbed or who wants an automatic will screen himself in or out before he calls, which saves your recruiters time.

Duties and responsibilities

Drivers know what a truck driver does, so keep the list short and specific to your operation. Mention hand unloading, tarping, multiple stops or customer-facing deliveries if the job includes them, since those details decide whether a driver applies. Add the skills the job needs, such as backing into tight docks or operating a liftgate, only when they apply to the route.

Qualifications

Separate what federal rules require from what your fleet adds. The FMCSA sets the floor: a CDL of the right class, a minimum age of 21 for interstate driving, a current DOT medical certificate and a clean result on the Clearinghouse pre-employment query. Experience minimums and driving record standards are company or insurance requirements, so label them that way and state them precisely.

Many job description templates list a high school diploma. The FMCSA sets no education requirement for CDL drivers, so include one only if your fleet requires it. The same goes for education and experience requirements in general: each one you add narrows the pool of qualified candidates.

Tips for posting truck driver jobs

A good truck driver job description still needs to reach drivers and turn their interest into applications.

1. Publish the pay range

Several states require a pay range in job postings, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington. Publish the same range everywhere the job appears, so a driver who sees the posting on two job boards reads the same number.

2. Link every posting to a mobile application

Drivers read postings on their phones and apply from them. Every posting should end in an application a driver can finish on a phone. Double Nickel's driver application is built for that: drivers sign in with an SMS code instead of a password, and a full DOT application takes under five minutes.

3. Screen with the same requirements you posted

The requirements in the posting should be the questions in the first screen. Double Nickel's AI Virtual Recruiter contacts applicants instantly, at any hour, and verifies qualifications such as license class and experience before a recruiter spends time on the call. When the posting and the screen use the same criteria, fewer unqualified applicants reach your recruiters.

4. Track each posting as its own source

Post the same job on several job boards and your career site, and tag each version as a separate source. Double Nickel's pipeline analytics tie each lead to its source and follow it to hire, so you can see which posting and which board produce drivers who finish the process.

CDL driver job description variations

The template covers every route type. Change these fields for each version of the job.

Frequently asked questions

What should a truck driver job description include?

Include the job title with license class and route type, pay and how it is calculated, home time, route and equipment, duties, qualifications and benefits. Put pay and home time near the top, and end with a link to a mobile application.

What qualifications does a truck driver need?

Federal rules require a CDL of the right class, a minimum age of 21 for interstate driving, a current DOT medical certificate and a clean Clearinghouse pre-employment query. Fleets add their own requirements, such as months of experience and driving record standards.

How much should a truck driver job posting say about pay?

Give a pay range, the pay method (per mile, per load, hourly or salary) and a typical weekly figure. Some states require a pay range by law.

Turn postings into hires

A clear truck driver job description template gets the right drivers to apply. To see instant contact and a five-minute mobile application behind every posting, book a call with Double Nickel.