Only hold a C licence and never drove a tractor-trailer — how do I write a container CV?

State your real licence class, the vehicles you drove and the routes you ran. Do not claim tractor-trailer experience you do not have — apply for a truck role matching your licence class and state clearly that you are ready to upgrade your licence.

How many vehicle types should I list in a long-haul driver CV?

One line per vehicle type, with the cargo carried in that vehicle. Listing many vehicles you never drove only makes the driving test expose it faster.

Drove for many transport companies for short periods — should I list them all?

Yes — list them all, one main task per place. Hiding them and being found out on verification is the real weakness.

No trips or kilometre figures — is the CV weak?

No, if the things you can do are written clearly with concrete verbs and licence class, routes and driving hours are fully stated. Invented figures are what weaken a CV when checked.

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CV for truck, container and long-haul drivers: write it so recruiters call you

Keep it to 1–2 pages: one line with the vehicle type and main cargo, your licence class plus the vehicles you have driven, 3–5 things you can do written as concrete action verbs, the routes you have run and the cargo you carried, and your driving hours plus start date. Skip vague lines like “experienced, careful, hardworking driver” with no licence class, vehicle, route or cargo attached.

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How long-haul recruiters read a CV

Unlike office CVs, a long-haul driver's CV is read closely in exactly two places: the licence class and the vehicles driven. Recruiters look for four answers: do you hold the right licence class for the employer's vehicles, have you really driven that vehicle and cargo, can you drive the employer's routes and hours, and when can you start. Missing any one of the four usually puts the CV behind others, even if you are a strong and serious driver. So put the licence class and vehicles right after the role line, then the things you can do, then the routes, with driving hours and documents at the end of the main part.

One role line: vehicle type + cargo + driving mode

Open the CV with exactly one line: the vehicle you want to drive, the main cargo, and the driving mode. Examples: “15-tonne truck driver, consumer goods on the North–South route, long-haul per trip.” For containers: “Tractor-trailer container driver, import-export cargo on port–warehouse routes, by shift and by trip.” For a small inter-province truck: “3.5-tonne truck driver, groceries on inter-province routes, day and night by the employer's schedule.” One such line tells the recruiter at once whether you fit the vehicle and route needed. The most common mistake is writing it too generally (“applying for driving work”) or naming the vehicle without the cargo and driving mode — both force the recruiter to ask, and when drivers are urgently needed, people who need asking are usually skipped first.

Licence class and vehicles driven: be specific

This section is mandatory for long-haul driver CVs. State your licence class exactly (B2, C, D, E, FC — with the year issued and how long it remains valid), each vehicle you have driven on its own line (1.5-tonne, 3.5-tonne, 8-tonne, 15-tonne trucks, tractor-trailer, 20ft/40ft containers, tankers, refrigerated trucks — name the vehicles you really drove, not just “trucks of all kinds”), and the cargo you carried (consumer goods, farm produce, building materials, frozen goods, import-export cargo — name the cargo you really carried, not just “all kinds of goods”). If you drove for a transport company, name it and the vehicles you drove for it. Recruiters check the licence class against the vehicle before assigning a route; a wrong class or vehicle gets you rejected at the document check or on the first driving day.

List what you can do, one task per line

The most important part is the list of things you can do, one line each, written with concrete action verbs. For long-haul trucks: check the vehicle before each trip (tyres, brakes, oil, lights) and report any fault for repair at once; drive the assigned route and meet the employer's delivery times, staying in contact with dispatch throughout the trip; hand over goods in the right quantity with full signatures and report damaged or missing goods at once. For containers: collect the container by the correct seal number at the port, check the seal and photograph it before leaving the port; drive the port–warehouse route, observing load-ban hours and port entry times; drop the container in the right warehouse position and hand over full documents to the storekeeper. For refrigerated trucks: keep the cargo hold at the temperature the goods require throughout the trip and log temperatures as required; check the refrigeration unit before each trip and report at once if the temperature drifts; deliver on time so goods do not lose their cold while waiting to unload. Claiming a vehicle you never drove to “make the CV look good” shows up at the driving test or on the first day.

Routes driven: route + dates + main task, no long descriptions

For each route you drove, three facts are enough: the main route (for example Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang, Cat Lai port – Binh Duong warehouse — name the routes you really drove, no need to list every small stop), the dates (month/year from–to), and one or two main tasks on that route. No long description of the route, no list of every small trip. Recruiters care whether you really drove that route — one line stating the main task answers that. If you drove many short routes, do not hide them: list them all, one main task per route. Short stints are not automatically a weakness when the routes and cargo are clear; hiding them and being found out is.

Driving hours, documents and numbers: only real, verifiable figures

Driving hours set this CV apart — state the hours you can drive (nights, multi-day inter-province, weekends, holidays, by shift) and the hours you cannot, so recruiters do not have to ask and only then learn the schedule does not fit. For documents, state what you hold: a valid licence of the right class, a driver's health check, a transport operations certificate (if any), a driver card and vehicle badge (if the employer requires them) — name each document with its validity; if you do not have one yet, say so. Only give numbers that are real and verifiable: long-haul trips in a month, kilometres driven on the main route, or traffic incidents or violations during your driving time (if the employer recorded them). Never invent figures or claim the whole fleet's numbers as your own. If you have no figures because you are new or the employer kept none, write the work instead: “drove the assigned route, delivered on time and handed over full documents throughout my employment” — honesty beats impressive but unverifiable numbers.

Contact details and next step

At the end, only three things are needed: full name, phone number, and the area you live in. No detailed home address, no hobbies, no elaborate portrait photo. Recruiters in this group mostly call or message — the phone number must be one you actually use and answer during office hours. Next, create an account and upload your CV so recruiters can find it: register as a candidate on timviecde.vn (/register). Note: with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails — verify your email right after registering, before uploading.

Do this next

One role line: the vehicle you want to drive + main cargo + driving mode.
Licence class and vehicles driven, stated clearly; 3–5 things you can do, written as concrete action verbs.
Driving hours you can cover and your start date stated; a phone number you actually use and answer.

Common questions

Only hold a C licence and never drove a tractor-trailer — how do I write a container CV?: State your real licence class, the vehicles you drove and the routes you ran. Do not claim tractor-trailer experience you do not have — apply for a truck role matching your licence class and state clearly that you are ready to upgrade your licence.
How many vehicle types should I list in a long-haul driver CV?: One line per vehicle type, with the cargo carried in that vehicle. Listing many vehicles you never drove only makes the driving test expose it faster.
Drove for many transport companies for short periods — should I list them all?: Yes — list them all, one main task per place. Hiding them and being found out on verification is the real weakness.
No trips or kilometre figures — is the CV weak?: No, if the things you can do are written clearly with concrete verbs and licence class, routes and driving hours are fully stated. Invented figures are what weaken a CV when checked.
After registering an account, what do I do before uploading my CV?: Verify your email right after registering — with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails (verified in experiment 22/10-C).

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