Dry Van Driver Resume Guide (2026): Retail, General Freight, and LTL-Adjacent Bullet Templates

Dry Van Driver Resume Guide (2026)

Dry van is the largest freight segment in U.S. trucking by load count. Every mega carrier (Schneider, Werner, JB Hunt, Knight-Swift, CR England, Prime, Stevens, Heartland, Marten, Covenant, Crete, Roehl) runs dry-van fleets, and most private fleets (Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Costco, Home Depot) built their driving workforces on it. That scale is why the work is plentiful — and why the ATS filter for dry-van resumes is tight.

This guide is the dry-van companion to the main truck driver resume guide. It covers what recruiters scanning a dry-van resume expect to see, how to make retail DC experience quantifiable, and the bullet patterns that move a resume from "general CDL" to "regional dry van, hire him."

TL;DR — What a dry van resume needs

Lead with CDL-A + any T endorsement in the credentials block. Name the trailer size (48' or 53'), the retail DCs and regional customers you've worked into, the ELD platforms you've run, and quantify your on-time delivery rate and OS&D-free performance. Segment the bullets by route type: OTR, regional, dedicated.

What dry-van recruiters scan for

Dry van is the default trucking job. Recruiters scan for five dry-van–specific signals:

1. CDL-A (T endorsement is a plus for LTL-adjacent dry-van doubles work).
2. 53' trailer fluency (a few carriers still run 48' — name the size you've pulled).
3. Retail DC experience — Walmart DC, Target DC, Costco DC, Home Depot DC, Dollar General DC, Publix DC — most dry-van lanes anchor at these customers.
4. Cross-dock workflow — electronic appointment, dock-door scanning, driver-load/driver-unload policy.
5. On-time delivery % and OS&D-free record — the two numbers retail shippers are tracking you against.

Dry van credentials block

CDL CREDENTIALS CDL-A · Georgia · Exp. 2029-06 Endorsements: T (Doubles/Triples) — useful for LTL-adjacent work DOT Medical Card: current through 2028-02 Smith System five-keys defensive driving: current ELDT: PTDI-certified program (completed 2023-08)

Trailer and equipment specifics

Name the trailer and tractor. ATS tools match on equipment terms:

• Trailer: 53' Utility dry van, 53' Wabash DuraPlate, 48' Great Dane, 28' pup (LTL-adjacent).
• Tractor: Freightliner Cascadia, Peterbilt 579, Kenworth T680, International LT / LT625.
• Transmission: AMT (Detroit DT12, Eaton UltraShift Plus, Volvo I-Shift) or manual (Eaton Fuller 10/13/18-speed).
• ELD: Samsara, Motive, Omnitracs, Isaac, Platform Science, PeopleNet, EROAD, Geotab, Trimble TMW.

Summary examples

Regional dry van, mid-career:

CDL-A regional dry-van driver, 6 years, 520,000 accident-free miles on a 9-state Southeast retail lane (GA / AL / TN / NC / SC / FL / MS / LA / KY). 99.2% on-time across 320+ loads annually into Walmart, Target, and Publix DCs. Samsara + Omnitracs ELD fluent. Seeking a home-weekly dedicated dry-van seat out of Atlanta.

OTR dry van, entry-level:

CDL-A dry-van OTR driver with 92,000 accident-free miles in first 11 months on a 48-state lane for a mega carrier. Graduated PTDI-accredited ELDT program (2025-04), fluent in Samsara ELD and Smith System. Targeting a regional dry-van seat within 500 miles of Cincinnati, OH after first year.

Dedicated dry van, senior:

CDL-A dedicated dry-van driver, 11 years, 1.12M accident-free miles on dedicated grocery and retail customer lanes. Zero preventable accidents, zero OS&D claims in 8 consecutive years. Samsara + Omnitracs ELD, current T endorsement, trained 16 new drivers through a carrier-certified mentor program.

Experience bullets — dry van specifics

OTR: - Logged 118,000 accident-free miles annually across 48-state OTR dry-van territory for a Fortune 500 retail shipper, averaging 2,900 paid miles per week. - Delivered 98.7% on-time across 540+ multi-stop loads through proactive dispatch communication and rolling HOS optimization via Samsara ELD. - Cleared cross-dock appointments at six regional Walmart DCs in under 45 minutes each to preserve downstream delivery windows.

Regional: - Ran a 9-state Southeast regional dry-van lane (GA / AL / TN / NC / SC / FL / MS / LA / KY), averaging 2,400 paid miles per week across 320+ loads annually. - Delivered into Walmart DCs, Target DCs, Publix DCs, and Costco DCs with 99.2% on-time rate and zero OS&D claims across 18 months. - Operated electronic appointment-check-in, dock-door scanning, and driver-load/driver-unload workflows per customer SOP.

Dedicated: - Dedicated dry-van driver on a retailer grocery DC → 32-store network, running a fixed-schedule route at 300-mile radius, home nights. - Completed 1,600+ store deliveries annually with zero OS&D claims and 99.8% on-time. - Executed electronic POD via Samsara Driver, with signature capture and customer-specific key-on access protocol.

Skills section — dry van specifics

• Trailer types: 53' Utility, 53' Wabash DuraPlate, 48' Great Dane, 28' pup.
• Load securement: load bars, E-track straps, floor-load bracing per retail DC SOP.
• Dock workflow: electronic appointment-check-in, dock-door scanning, driver-load vs. driver-unload, lumper-service coordination.
• ELD platforms: Samsara, Motive, Omnitracs, Isaac, Platform Science, PeopleNet.
• Navigation: Rand McNally TND OTR, Garmin Dezl 780, truck-specific commercial routing.
• Compliance: HOS (11/14/70), 30-minute break, split-sleeper optimization, 34-hour restart, DVIR per 396.11.
• Pre-trip: tractor + 5th wheel + trailer-in 45-point inspection sequence, brake-adjustment check, tire-tread measurement.

Education and certifications

• CDL Class A — state, issue, expiration.
• ELDT per 49 CFR Part 380.¹
• PTDI (Professional Truck Driver Institute) program, if applicable.
• Carrier-sponsored CDL school (Schneider, Werner, Prime, CR England, Stevens, Roehl, CRST, Swift).
• Smith System five-keys defensive driving.
• Fleet-specific safety training (annual, carrier-specific).

Common dry-van resume mistakes

1. "Drove dry van" — replace with quantified route, stop count, and on-time rate.
2. No customer names — retail DC names (Walmart, Target, Costco, Publix) are credibility.
3. Missing ELD platform name.
4. No trailer size specified.
5. Generic safety claim — quantify accident-free miles and OS&D-free duration.
6. Omitting dedicated / regional / OTR distinction — recruiter has to guess.
7. Missing home-time target.

Dry van FAQ

Is dry van the best freight to start in?

For most new drivers, yes. Dry van is the highest-volume segment, has the broadest carrier pool, and builds transferable skills (HOS discipline, DC workflow, ELD fluency) that move cleanly into reefer, dedicated, or LTL later. The pay floor is lower than specialty freight but the work is steadier.

Do I need the T endorsement for dry van?

Not for most dry-van work. It's useful if you're applying to LTL linehaul carriers (Old Dominion, Saia, XPO, Estes) where doubles and triples are standard, or to a carrier running 28' pups on high-utilization dedicated lanes.

How do I transition from dry van to reefer?

Name the retail DCs you've served (Costco and Walmart both run large cold-chain operations), highlight any dock-to-driver temperature handoffs you've executed, and apply to carriers that do both (Prime, Marten, Stevens, Werner). Our reefer driver resume guide covers the specific bullet patterns.

What about BLS pay context for dry van?

The BLS median for heavy and tractor-trailer drivers in May 2024 was $57,440.² Dry-van OTR pay varies widely by carrier and experience: mega carriers commonly advertise CPM in a documented range, and regional / dedicated / private-fleet dry-van pay is often higher per year with better home time. Use the CPM → Annual Salary calculator to compare offers.

Build your dry-van resume in ResumeGeni

ResumeGeni's CDL template includes dry-van bullet libraries segmented by OTR / regional / dedicated, pre-fills retail DC customer names, and runs your draft through the ATS analyzer. Start a dry-van resume.

Related guides

• Main Truck Driver Resume Guide (pillar)
• Reefer Driver Resume Guide
• LTL Driver Resume Guide
• CDL Class A Resume Guide

Last verified: 2026-04-17.