HGV Mechanic (HGV Technician) CV Examples & Writing Guide
An HGV mechanic CV gets you into the workshop when it lists your qualifications by level (Level 3, IMI Accreditation, IRTEC), the engines and diagnostic software you work on by name, your own tooling, and numbers such as sold hours, PMIs completed, annual test results and comeback rate. Below is a full sample plus personal statements, career objectives, bullets, skills and an apprentice version.
HGV mechanic CV example
This sample is for an HGV technician with about eleven years across a franchised truck dealer, an own-account fleet workshop and an independent commercial vehicle garage. The name and employers are invented. Keep the layout and swap in your own engines, software, qualifications and dates.
Travis Boudreaux
Lead HGV Technician, Rigid and Articulated Vehicles
Doncaster · 07700 900164 · travis.boudreaux@email.com
Summary
Level 3 qualified, IMI Accredited HGV technician with 11 years on 7.5-tonne to 44-tonne vehicles. Averages 46 sold hours a week at 108% efficiency with a 2.1% comeback rate. Diagnoses DAF PACCAR MX-11 and MX-13, Mercedes-Benz OM471 and Volvo D13 engines using DAVIE, XENTRY Truck and Volvo Tech Tool, including aftertreatment and SCR faults. Holds an IRTEC licence and a category C+E licence for road testing. Owns roughly £25,000 in tools.
Experience
Lead HGV Technician · Own-account fleet workshop, regional chilled distribution operator (140 tractor units, 300 trailers)
Sep 2020 – Present
- Diagnose and repair 12 to 16 vehicles a week across DAF MX-13, Mercedes-Benz OM471 and Volvo D13 engines, plus Carrier and Thermo King fridge units.
- Run the workshop's aftertreatment work: cleared 190 DPF and SCR fault sets last year, with 8 failed forced regens sent for off-vehicle DPF cleaning, cutting derate-related breakdowns from 34 to 11 a year.
- Carry out safety inspections (PMIs) with roller brake tests on a 6-week cycle and prepare vehicles for annual test across 140 tractor units and 300 trailers, with no brake-related prohibitions at DVSA roadside checks in 2025.
- Hold a 2.1% comeback rate on roughly 620 job cards a year and average 108% efficiency against standard times.
- Lead 3 technicians and 1 apprentice on the night shift, allocating job cards and signing off apprentice brake and wheel-end work.
HGV Technician · Franchised truck dealer workshop
Feb 2017 – Aug 2020
- Completed 700+ job cards across warranty, recall campaign and retail work, averaging 42 sold hours a week.
- Rebuilt 26 engines and 40+ gearboxes and axles, including ZF AS-Tronic and TraXon automated gearboxes and Allison automatics.
- Passed the dealer's manufacturer warranty audit two years running with under 1% of claims returned for documentation errors.
- Completed manufacturer training on engine electronics, aftertreatment and multiplexed chassis electrical systems, 14 courses in three years.
Apprentice, then HGV Technician · Independent commercial vehicle repair and recovery garage
Jul 2015 – Jan 2017
- Started on servicing and PMIs and worked up to brakes, hubs, air systems and clutch replacement, completing 20 to 25 services a week.
- Handled 6 to 10 roadside breakdown call-outs a month in the service van, getting 8 out of 10 vehicles moving without recovery.
Education
Level 2 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (two-year full-time college course)
Further education college, Doncaster, 2015
GCSEs (including English and maths)
Secondary school, Doncaster, 2013
Certifications
- Level 3 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (IMI), completed through apprenticeship, 2017
- IMI Accreditation, heavy vehicle diagnostic technician (current, renewed 2024)
- IRTEC licence, HGV inspection technician (current, renewed 2024)
- Safety inspection (PMI) and brake test sign-off, employer-authorised
- F-Gas certificate for mobile air-conditioning and transport refrigeration units
- Category C+E driving licence, current
Skills
What a workshop controller looks for in the first minute
HGV workshops are usually short-staffed, and hiring is done by the workshop controller or service manager. They are trying to work out how much of the workshop you can cover unsupervised.
- Qualifications, by level. "Fully qualified" alone means little. Level 3 in heavy vehicles, IMI Accreditation and an IRTEC licence each tell the controller which jobs they can hand you. Master-level manufacturer training changes your pay grade.
- Engines and software. DAF, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Scania, MAN, Iveco and Renault Trucks, plus DAVIE, XENTRY Truck, Volvo Tech Tool, Scania SDP3, Jaltest. Aftertreatment and electrical diagnosis are the skills in shortest supply.
- Your tools. An HGV technician is expected to own their hand tools. Give a pound figure for the box, and mention a laptop and diagnostic subscription if you have one.
- Numbers. Sold hours per week, efficiency against standard times, comeback rate, PMIs per week, annual test first-time pass rate, or vehicles per shift. Comeback rate especially: it tells the controller if the job gets fixed the first time.
- Licence and inspection status. A technician who can road test a lorry on a C+E licence and sign off a safety inspection is worth more than one who cannot.
“Put your qualifications, your engine platforms and your diagnostic software in the top third of the page. And tell me your comeback rate. I would rather hire a tech who turns 90 hours clean than one who turns 110 and I see half of them back.”
HGV mechanic personal statement and career objective examples
Use a personal statement once you have a couple of years in the workshop. Use a career objective if you have just finished college or are moving over from cars, agricultural or plant work. Three lines, and lead with your qualification level.
Level 3 qualified HGV technician with 8 years on 18-tonne to 44-tonne vehicles. Turns 44 sold hours a week at 105% efficiency with a 2.4% comeback rate. Diagnoses DAF MX-13 and Mercedes-Benz OM471 aftertreatment faults with DAVIE and XENTRY Truck.
Manufacturer master-level HGV technician with IMI Accreditation and 12 years across dealer and fleet workshops. Rebuilt 40+ engines and mentors 4 technicians on electrical and aftertreatment work. Signs off safety inspections and brake tests, and holds an IRTEC licence and a C+E licence for road testing.
Fleet HGV technician maintaining 180 tractor units and 320 trailers on a 6-week safety inspection cycle, holding 96% fleet availability. Cut breakdowns from 41 to 18 a year by tightening wheel-end and air-system inspection standards. Works in the fleet maintenance system and reviews driver defect reports daily.
College leaver (Level 2 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, two years full-time) with 400 workshop hours on brakes, air systems and services. Owns £7,000 in hand tools. Seeking an HGV apprentice or trainee technician role with a route to Level 3 and IMI Accreditation.
Vehicle technician with 6 years, Level 3 in light vehicles and IMI Accreditation, moving into HGV work. Strong on electrical diagnosis and brake hydraulics, and has completed an air brake systems course. Seeking an HGV workshop that will support a Level 3 heavy vehicle qualification.
HGV mechanic job description for a CV: bullets that work
Do not paste the workshop's job advert. Write the work you actually turn out, with a count or a rate. Here are bullets grouped by the kind of job. Use the ones that match your workshop.
Diagnosed and repaired 140+ engine faults a year on DAF MX-13 and Mercedes-Benz OM471 using DAVIE and XENTRY Truck, including injector cut-out tests, EGR flow faults and low-power complaints.
Completed 9 in-frame and 4 out-of-frame overhauls in one year, holding all liner, piston and bearing clearances to manufacturer spec with zero warranty comebacks.
Cleared 190 DPF, DOC and SCR fault sets, performed 60 forced regens and replaced 22 AdBlue dosing units, cutting derate breakdowns from 34 to 11 a year.
Carried out safety inspections with roller brake tests on 140 tractor units and 300 trailers on a 6-week cycle, with no brake-related prohibitions at DVSA roadside checks in two years.
Completed 20 to 25 PMIs a week on a 6-week cycle, including oil sampling, DPF checks, wheel-end play and air-system leak tests.
Traced 70+ intermittent electrical faults a year on multiplexed chassis using wiring diagrams and a scope, including CAN bus and starter-circuit voltage-drop testing.
Replaced or rebuilt 40+ ZF and Volvo I-Shift gearboxes, Allison automatics and drive axles, with clutch and driveline runout checked to spec on every job.
Averaged 46 sold hours a week at 108% of standard times, with a 2.1% comeback rate across 620 job cards a year.
Ran 8 to 12 breakdown call-outs a month in the service van, getting 80% of vehicles moving without recovery and averaging 74 minutes on site.
Trained 4 apprentices on brake, wheel-end and PMI work; all 4 completed their Level 2 within 18 months.
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HGV mechanic skills and tools to list
Twelve to sixteen lines, grouped. Diagnostic software and engine platforms go first, because those are the lines that get you called.
Diagnostics and software:
- Manufacturer tools: DAF DAVIE, Mercedes-Benz XENTRY Truck, Volvo Tech Tool, Scania SDP3, MAN-cats, Iveco E.A.SY
- Multi-brand: Jaltest, Texa, Bosch KTS Truck
- Component tools: Wabco and Knorr-Bremse EBS diagnostics, Allison DOC, ZF-Testman, Thermo King and Carrier fridge unit diagnostics
- Oscilloscope, digital multimeter, voltage-drop and parasitic-draw testing
- Wiring diagram and hydraulic schematic reading
Systems you can name:
- Diesel engines by platform (list the ones you have actually opened, not everything on the market)
- Fuel systems, injectors, high-pressure common rail, air management and turbochargers
- Aftertreatment: DPF, DOC, SCR, AdBlue dosing, regen fault diagnosis
- Air brakes, EBS, automatic slack adjusters, spring brake chambers and foot valves
- Suspension and steering: air suspension, kingpins, drag links, alignment
- Drivetrain: manual and automated manual gearboxes, differentials, clutches, prop shafts
- Heating, air-con and refrigerant handling (an F-Gas certificate is needed to handle refrigerant)
- Trailer work: wheel ends, landing legs, air lines, lighting, tail lifts
- Welding and fabrication for chassis, brackets and body mounts
- Specialist bodies and hydraulics if you have them: tipper, refuse, mixer, tanker, crane and lorry loader
Workshop conduct and the practical stuff:
- Own hand tools (state the value), plus any specialist tooling and a diagnostic laptop
- Job card documentation, inspection records and warranty claim writing
- Fleet maintenance systems and digital safety inspection and walkaround check apps
- Night shift, weekends and on-call breakdown availability
Level 3, IMI Accreditation, IRTEC and other credentials
There is no licence you need to work on HGVs in the UK, but operators and dealers look for recognised qualifications, and the operator's licence depends on vehicles being inspected and kept roadworthy by competent people. List each qualification by its full name and level, because each one maps to work the controller needs covered.
- Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (IMI, City & Guilds and other awarding bodies), or a completed Level 3 heavy vehicle apprenticeship. Give the level, awarding body and year.
- IMI Accreditation for heavy vehicle technicians: a practical assessment of your current skills that has to be renewed. Give your level and renewal date; master-level status belongs in your personal statement.
- IRTEC licence: the technician licensing scheme run through the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, at inspection, service and repair levels. Many operators and dealers ask for it. Give the level and expiry date.
- Safety inspections (PMIs): DVSA's guidance on maintaining roadworthiness expects inspections at set intervals, often every 6 to 8 weeks for HGVs, by competent staff, with brake testing. Say how many you carry out and whether you are authorised to sign them off.
- Annual test preparation: HGVs go for their annual test at an Authorised Testing Facility. Your first-time pass rate is a number operators and their transport managers watch closely.
- F-Gas: a mobile air-conditioning refrigerant handling certificate, and F-Gas certification for transport refrigeration units if you work on fridges.
- A category C or C+E driving licence. Not always required, but it lets you road test, and some fleets pay a premium for it.
- Manufacturer training: DAF, Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Iveco, Allison, ZF, Wabco, Knorr-Bremse. Group them by manufacturer with a course count and year range.
Entry-level and apprentice HGV mechanic CV
Workshops are short of technicians and will train someone who turns up with tools and a clean licence. Your CV has to prove three things: you have hands-on hours, you own a starter tool set, and you are reliable and safe to have in a workshop (many fleets run drug and alcohol testing).
- 1Put "HGV Technician" or the advert's title under your name, with your college course and qualification level underneath.
- 2State your course hours: "Level 2 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, two years full-time, 400 workshop hours" is more useful than the college's name alone.
- 3List every qualification and short course you have completed. A Level 2 Diploma is the usual first one, and PMIs and servicing are the work you will be handed.
- 4Write your college workshop time as experience bullets with counts: how many brake jobs, services, air-system tests, engine strip-downs.
- 5Name your tools and their value. A workshop controller genuinely wants to know whether you can start work on Monday.
- 6Add the practical points: full UK driving licence with a clean record, category C provisional or licence in progress, able to lift 25 kg, comfortable in a cold workshop in January.
- 7One page, plain layout, PDF. Take a printed copy to the workshop in person; in this trade, walking in still works.
Completed 400 supervised workshop hours: 55 brake and wheel-end jobs, 30 services and inspections, 12 injector and fuel-system repairs and 3 full engine strip-downs and rebuilds on DAF and Mercedes-Benz training engines.
Carried out 30 to 40 oil and filter services a week on 3.5-tonne vans and 7.5-tonne lorries, and completed walkaround air-brake and lighting checks on 15 vehicles a day.
Tools: £7,200 in hand tools and a roll cab, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch impact guns, torque wrenches to 800 Nm. Full UK driving licence, clean record, category C provisional held and D4 medical passed.
Format, length and keywords for an HGV mechanic CV
- One page, two at most. Controllers read these on a clipboard next to the parts counter.
- Order: header with target title, personal statement, qualifications, skills and software, experience, education, tools. Qualifications go above experience on this CV because they are the screening question.
- Single column, plain black text, no photo, no date of birth, no graphics. Workshops print CVs and the print is often bad.
- Add shift availability and whether you will take breakdown call-outs. Night shift openings are the ones most fleet workshops cannot fill.
- PDF unless the application asks for Word. Name it Firstname-Lastname-HGV-Technician-CV.pdf.
Advert words worth mirroring when they are true of you: HGV technician, heavy vehicle, 7.5 tonne, 44 tonne, tractor unit, trailer, Level 3, IMI Accreditation, IRTEC, aftertreatment, DPF, SCR, AdBlue, air brakes, EBS, electrical diagnosis, wiring diagram, hydraulics, PMI, safety inspection, brake test, annual test, ATF, O-licence, driver defect reports, overhaul, drivetrain, welding, C+E licence, breakdown call-outs, sold hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an HGV mechanic CV?
Start with the advert's job title, then a three-line personal statement that leads with your qualification level and names your engine platforms and diagnostic software. Put qualifications above experience. Write each job as bullets with counts: vehicles per week, sold hours, efficiency, comeback rate, PMIs completed. One page, two at most, plain layout, PDF.
What skills should an HGV mechanic put on a CV?
Diagnostic software (DAVIE, XENTRY Truck, Volvo Tech Tool, Jaltest), engine platforms you have actually worked on, aftertreatment diagnosis, air brakes and EBS, chassis electrical and wiring diagrams, drivetrain, safety inspections and brake testing, hydraulics if you have specialist body experience, plus your own tools with a value and the fleet maintenance system you record work in.
How do I list Level 3, IMI Accreditation and IRTEC on a CV?
By full name, level and year or expiry: "Level 3 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (IMI), 2017", "IRTEC licence, inspection technician, valid to" and the date on your card. If you hold master-level status, put it in your personal statement as well. Never show an expired accreditation or licence as current, because employers check.
What is a good career objective for an HGV mechanic CV?
Two or three lines with hard facts: course and hours completed, qualifications passed, tool value and what you want next. For example: "College leaver, Level 2 Diploma in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, 400 workshop hours, £7,000 in tools, seeking an HGV apprentice role with a route to Level 3."
Should I put my tool value on a CV?
Yes. In HGV workshops technicians supply their own hand tools, so a controller reads a pound figure as a sign of how much of the job you can pick up on day one. One line under skills is enough, plus any specialist tooling and a diagnostic laptop.
Do I need an HGV licence to work as an HGV mechanic?
Not usually, but it helps a lot. A technician with a category C or C+E licence can road test a repair instead of waiting for a driver, and some fleets pay extra for it. List the category and status under qualifications, and mention it in your personal statement if the advert asks for it.
How long should an HGV mechanic CV be?
One page if you can, two at most. Give the last ten years in full bullets and compress older jobs into single lines. Two pages are worth it if you have run a workshop, built a long manufacturer training record and can keep a number on every line.
How do I move from car mechanic to HGV mechanic?
Lead with the transferable strengths, which are electrical diagnosis and brake work, and name your Level 3 and any IMI Accreditation. Then show you have started on heavy vehicle specifics: an air brake course, safety inspection work, a category C provisional licence, or any 7.5-tonne work you have done. Say in your career objective that you want a workshop that supports a heavy vehicle qualification.
Ready to write yours?
The builder suggests a summary from your own experience, then checks it against the job posting.
How this page was made: a first draft was written with AI assistance from cvplex's example library, then edited and fact-checked by the cvplex Careers Team. Examples are fictional composites; numbers are illustrative. Report an error via the editorial policy page.