Truck driver job description: what a truck driver does, duties and responsibilities, the UK rules and a template

Everything in a shop, a warehouse or a factory arrived on a truck, driven by someone who checked the vehicle in the dark, secured the load, planned the hours so that the law and the delivery slot both held, and handed over the paperwork at the other end. The truck driver's job is a chain of small disciplines, done alone.

This truck driver job description explains what the job involves, sets out six duties, summarises the UK rules on licences, Driver CPC and drivers' hours that shape the work, lists the skills and qualifications employers ask for, gives a template that you can adapt and suggests how to describe the work on a CV.

Drivers work alone for most of the day, and their managers rarely see the work. See how New Dynamics continuous feedback supports check-ins between managers and their teams.

What is a truck driver?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a truck driver, mainly a US term, as “a person who drives a truck, especially as a job”, and notes that the usual UK term is lorry driver. In UK regulation the vehicle is a heavy goods vehicle, so the driver is an HGV driver; in the apprenticeship standard it is a large goods vehicle, so the driver is an LGV driver. All four titles describe the same job.

Skills England's large goods vehicle driver apprenticeship standard, a level 2 standard typically taking 12 months, gives the purpose: “to drive large goods vehicles, which are vehicles with a Gross Combined Weight of over 7500kg and include Articulated and Draw Bar vehicles, in a safe and fuel-efficient manner, ensuring that the right products are delivered at the right time, location, condition and temperature (if required), with the correct documentation and within the shortest lead times”. It says drivers deliver to warehouses, shops and private homes, for customers from global organisations to sole traders and the military, in sub-sectors including shipping, removals, import and export, freight, hazardous goods and food, and that “They may be required to work shifts, unsociable hours and will usually work alone.”

Truck driver duties and responsibilities: six duties

1. Check the vehicle and report defects. Carry out the walk-round check before every shift, record it, report defects through the company's system and refuse to drive a vehicle that is not safe.
2. Plan the route and the hours. Plan the journey for the vehicle's size and weight, the delivery slots and the drivers' hours rules, and keep the tachograph or record sheet complete.
3. Secure and protect the load. Apply the correct load restraint, check the weight and the distribution, and keep temperature-controlled or hazardous loads within their requirements. The standard makes the driver responsible for “maintaining the integrity of the load and vehicle”.
4. Drive safely and fuel-efficiently within the law. Comply with traffic legislation, the working time rules and the Highway Code, and drive in the fuel-efficient manner the standard expects.
5. Deliver and complete the paperwork. Deliver to the right place at the right time, in the right condition, with the correct documentation, and deal with goods-in staff, yard marshals and end users.
6. Represent the company. The driver is usually the only person from the company the customer meets. The standard expects a quality service that encourages repeat business and customer satisfaction.

The UK rules that shape the job

Three sets of rules define what a truck driver in the UK can do, and a job description should reflect them.

Licence and Driver CPC. GOV.UK's guide to becoming a qualified HGV or bus driver sets out the route for a first-time driver: apply for a provisional HGV licence, pass the tests that make up the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, then “Take 35 hours of Driver CPC training every 5 years to stay qualified”, and renew the HGV licence every five years, and every year from 65. GOV.UK's guide to Driver CPC training adds that “You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally without Driver CPC.”

Drivers' hours. Most HGV work follows the assimilated rules on driving time, breaks and rest, recorded on a tachograph. Where the GB domestic rules apply instead, GOV.UK's guide to the GB domestic rules says a goods vehicle driver “must not drive for more than 10 hours in a day” and “must not be on duty for more than 11 hours in any working day”, and must record the hours on a weekly record sheet or a tachograph. The rules on which set applies depend on the vehicle and the work.

Roadworthiness and the operator's licence. The daily walk-round check, defect reporting and the operator's maintenance system are conditions of the operator's licence, and the driver's checks are the first line. The workshop side of that system is described in our mechanic job description, which covers heavy vehicle technicians.

This is general information about the UK, not legal advice. The rules differ in Northern Ireland and in other countries, and an employer's transport manager will know which apply to each vehicle and journey. The person who plans the day around those rules is the dispatcher; our dispatcher job description covers that role.

Skills employers ask for

• The right licence and CPC. The licence categories for the vehicles, a valid Driver CPC and, where needed, a dangerous goods qualification or a digital tachograph card.
• A clean record. Points, convictions and insurance history matter more than in most jobs.
• Reliability. Delivery slots, shifts and rest periods do not move.
• Care with the vehicle and the load. Checks, restraint, temperature and defect reporting done every time.
• Working alone. The standard notes that drivers usually work alone; self-management and judgement fill the gap.
• Customer courtesy. The driver is the company at the customer's door.
• Systems. Tachographs, defect reporting, proof-of-delivery devices and route planning tools.

Qualifications

The licence and the Driver CPC are the qualifications. In England the level 2 LGV driver apprenticeship, typically 12 months, combines the licence acquisition with the standard's knowledge, skills and behaviours, and there is a level 2 urban driver standard for goods vehicles on local work. Drivers who want to carry dangerous goods need the additional qualification, and drivers on international work need an International Driver CPC.

Truck driver job description template

Adapt the vehicles, the routes, the shifts and the loads.

Job title: HGV driver (Class [1 / 2]) / LGV driver

Reports to: Transport manager or transport supervisor

Hours: [Days / nights / rotating shifts], [number] shifts a week, including [weekends]; hours within the drivers' hours rules

Purpose of the role: To deliver [goods] to [customers, depots, stores] safely, on time and in the right condition, driving [vehicle types] within the law and the company's standards.

Main duties:

• Carry out and record the daily walk-round check and report defects
• Plan journeys for the vehicle, the delivery slots and the drivers' hours rules, and keep tachograph records complete
• Secure loads correctly and keep [temperature-controlled / hazardous] loads within their requirements
• Drive safely, fuel-efficiently and within traffic law and the Highway Code
• Deliver to schedule, complete the paperwork and proof of delivery, and deal courteously with customers and site staff
• Report incidents, delays and damage promptly

Skills and experience:

• [Category C / C+E] licence with [no more than X] points, valid Driver CPC and digital tachograph card
• [ADR qualification, for dangerous goods]
• Experience of [multi-drop / trunking / temperature-controlled] work [desirable]
• Reliable, careful and courteous, able to work alone
• Competent with [proof-of-delivery and routing systems]

We provide: Driver CPC training paid and in work time, [modern vehicles], induction on our vehicles, routes and systems, and a route to senior driver, driver trainer and transport supervisor roles.

For the layout of the whole document, use our job description template. For the people at the loading bay, see our warehouse worker job description.

How to describe driving on a CV

Employers want the licence, the vehicles, the work and the record. The lines below are invented examples, to show the form.

• Licence and CPC first. “Category C+E, Driver CPC to 2029, digital tachograph card, ADR packages.”
• Show the work. “Four years of temperature-controlled trunking between regional distribution centres.”
• Show the record. “No at-fault incidents or infringements in four years; clean licence.”
• Show the checks. “Daily walk-round checks recorded on the company's app; defects reported the same day.”
• Show the customer side. “Multi-drop deliveries to 30 retail stores a week with a 99% on-time record.”

Common mistakes in truck driver adverts

Licence category unstated. Class 1 and Class 2 are different jobs. Say which, and whether ADR is needed.

Hours hidden. Nights, weekends, tramping and start times belong in the first paragraph, with the rest arrangements.

Vehicles and work unstated. Multi-drop, trunking, temperature-controlled and hazardous loads suit different drivers.

CPC left to the driver. Say whether the 35 hours are paid and done in work time. Drivers notice.

Frequently asked questions

What does a truck driver do?

A truck driver, or HGV or lorry driver, drives large goods vehicles to deliver goods safely and on time. Day to day they check the vehicle and report defects, plan the route and the hours, secure and protect the load, drive within the law, deliver and complete the paperwork and represent the company to the customer.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a truck driver?

The daily walk-round check and defect reporting, journey planning within the drivers' hours rules and tachograph records, load restraint and load condition, safe and fuel-efficient driving within traffic law, delivery to schedule with correct documentation and proof of delivery, and courteous dealing with customers and site staff.

What qualifications does a truck driver need in the UK?

The HGV licence category for the vehicle and a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, kept up with 35 hours of training every five years. Dangerous goods work needs the ADR qualification. In England the level 2 LGV driver apprenticeship, typically 12 months, is a route in. This is general information, not legal advice.

What are the drivers' hours rules?

Most HGV work follows the assimilated rules on driving time, breaks and rest, recorded on a tachograph. Where the GB domestic rules apply, GOV.UK says a goods vehicle driver must not drive for more than 10 hours or be on duty for more than 11 hours in a working day. Which rules apply depends on the vehicle and the work.

What skills does a truck driver need?

The right licence and CPC, a clean driving record, reliability, care with the vehicle and the load, the self-management to work alone, courtesy with customers and competence with tachographs, defect reporting and delivery systems.

What should a truck driver job description include?

The licence category and any ADR requirement, the vehicles and the type of work, the shifts and hours within the drivers' hours rules, the six duties, the systems used, whether Driver CPC training is paid and in work time, and the route to senior driver and supervisor roles.

Your next step: write the licence and the hours into the advert

1. State the licence category, the vehicles and whether ADR is needed.
2. Put the shifts, the start times and the rest arrangements in the first paragraph.
3. Describe the work: multi-drop, trunking, temperature-controlled, hazardous.
4. Say that Driver CPC training is paid and in work time, if it is.

A driver's induction covers the vehicles, the systems and the sites. Read and download our employee onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want check-ins, recognition and safety goals to reach drivers who are rarely in the depot? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current approach. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.