Most driver CV advice you will find online is written for Dubai, Qatar or the UK. None of it mentions PrDP, code 14, or the medical certificate, which are the three things a South African transport employer actually checks. This is the local version.
Licence and PrDP Go at the Top
Transport companies filter driver applications on qualifications first, because an unlicensed driver is an insurance problem before they are anything else. So the top of your CV should read something like:
Johannes Mokoena
073 555 0182 | Germiston, Gauteng
Licence: Code 14 (EC) | PrDP: G, valid to 08/2028 | Medical: current
6 years driving experience | No endorsements
"No endorsements" means no demerits or restrictions on your licence, and it is worth stating explicitly because employers will ask.
Code 10 and Code 14: What They Actually Mean
| Old name | Current code | What you can drive |
|---|---|---|
| Code 8 | B | Light motor vehicles up to 3,500kg |
| Code 10 | C1 | Rigid trucks above 3,500kg |
| Code 14 | EC | Heavy vehicle over 16,000kg with a trailer over 750kg, meaning articulated and truck-and-trailer combinations |
Adverts still say "code 14" far more often than "EC", so put both on your CV. Writing Code 14 (EC) covers whichever term the person reading it uses, and matches whichever term the screening software is searching for.
The PrDP, and Why It Is Not Optional
A Professional Driving Permit is required to drive heavy goods vehicles for hire or reward. It sits on top of your ordinary licence and comes in three categories:
- G for goods, which is what most truck driving vacancies need
- P for passengers, for buses, taxis and e-hailing
- D for dangerous goods, which carries the highest minimum age and is worth real money if you hold it
Applying for one requires your ID, photographs, your driving licence, a medical fitness certificate and a police criminal record check. Because a PrDP expires, put the expiry date on your CV. A driver whose permit runs out in two months is a scheduling problem, and being upfront about it reads as professionalism rather than a weakness.
Summary Examples You Can Adapt
Rewrite these in your own words rather than copying them.
Experienced code 14:
Code 14 (EC) driver with six years of long-distance experience on the N1 and N3 corridors, running superlink and tri-axle combinations. PrDP G valid to 2028, medical current, no endorsements. Familiar with load securing, tracking systems and daily trip sheets.
Code 10 moving up:
Code 10 (C1) driver with two years of local distribution experience in Gauteng, delivering to retail sites on a fixed daily route. PrDP G valid, medical current. Currently completing code 14 training and available for yard and assistant driver work in the meantime.
Newly licensed:
Recently qualified Code 14 (EC) driver with PrDP G and a current medical certificate. Trained on truck-and-trailer combinations including reversing and coupling. Available immediately for local routes, yard work or assistant driver positions in Ekurhuleni.
Be Specific About What You Have Driven
This is where most driver CVs are weak. "Drove trucks" tells an employer nothing. These do:
- Vehicle types: rigid, superlink, interlink, tri-axle, tautliner, flatbed, tanker, tipper, refrigerated
- Loads: general freight, palletised retail, bulk, abnormal, hazardous
- Routes: local distribution, regional, long distance, cross-border and which countries
- Systems: tracking units, electronic logbooks, trip sheets, proof of delivery
- Practical skills: load securing, coupling and uncoupling, reversing into tight bays, basic roadside checks
- Record: accident-free kilometres or years, if you have that record
An accident-free record is the single most persuasive line on a driver CV. If you have one, say so plainly and give the number of years.
Do You Need a Code 14 CV Template?
People search for a code 14 driver CV template expecting a designed document. You do not need one, and a designed template actively works against you here: columns, icons and colour blocks are what screening software fails to read, and transport offices often print CVs in black and white anyway.
The layout in this guide is the template. Licence and PrDP at the top, then experience with specific vehicles and routes, then your record. Plain, one column, black text, one or two pages. The builder below produces exactly that as a PDF you can print or email.
Build It Now, Free
Fill this in and it writes the CV for you, laid out so screening software can read it. Free, no signup, and the PDF download is not locked behind an account.
The job you are applying for
This is what we tailor everything to. Even just a job title works.
About you
Work experience
Leave this empty if you have never worked. Your education and skills are enough.
Education
Skills and languages
Free. No signup, no watermark, and the PDF is not locked behind an account.
Where Driver Jobs Are Advertised
Real driving vacancies appear on Indeed, Pnet, Careers24, CareerJunction and Gumtree, on transport company careers pages, and through driver recruitment agencies. Many are also filled by word of mouth in the yard, which is why handing a printed CV in at a depot still works.
The Scam That Targets Drivers
Drivers get a specific version of the job scam, because the qualifications are expensive and scammers know applicants are already used to paying for things. The pattern:
- A WhatsApp advert offering unusually high pay for a code 14 position
- You are "approved" almost immediately, with no interview and no test drive
- Then a fee appears: a placement fee, an "induction", a medical they will arrange, or a uniform and PPE deposit
The distinction that matters: paying the licensing department for your own PrDP, paying a doctor for your own medical, and paying a driving school for code 14 training are all normal costs you pay to official providers. Paying an individual on WhatsApp so that a job will be given to you is not. No legitimate transport company charges you to be hired.
Before you send money to anyone, you can check whether the company is actually registered, or paste the message into our free checker.
Common Questions
What must a code 14 driver CV include?
Your licence code (EC, commonly called code 14), your PrDP category and expiry date, your medical certificate status, your years of driving experience, the vehicle types you have driven, and your route experience. South African transport employers screen for the licence and PrDP before they read anything else, so put both directly under your name rather than at the bottom of the page.
What is the difference between code 10 and code 14?
Code 10 is now C1, covering rigid trucks. Code 14 is now EC, which allows you to drive a heavy vehicle over 16,000kg pulling a trailer over 750kg, in other words an articulated truck or truck-and-trailer combination. Many drivers hold code 10 and are working towards code 14, and it is worth saying that on your CV rather than leaving a gap.
Do I need a PrDP to be a driver in South Africa?
For commercial driving, yes. A Professional Driving Permit is legally required to drive heavy goods vehicles (codes C1, C, EC1 and EC) for hire or reward. It is issued in addition to your ordinary licence and comes in categories: G for goods, P for passengers, and D for dangerous goods. Applying requires your ID, photographs, your driving licence, a medical fitness certificate and a police criminal record check.
Can I get a driving job with a code 14 and no experience?
It is harder than for other entry-level work, because insurance and load risk make employers cautious, but it is possible. Lead with the licence and PrDP, state your medical is valid, and be specific about what you have actually driven, including during training. Yard work, assistant driver, and short local routes are the usual way in, and many companies will not consider long-distance until you have a couple of years behind you.
Should I put my ID number and licence number on my CV?
Put your licence code, PrDP category and expiry. Do not put your full ID number or a photograph of your licence card on a CV you email or send over WhatsApp. Those documents are exactly what identity fraud needs, and a genuine employer will verify them in person or through the official process once they are actually hiring you.
Should I pay a fee to get a driving job?
No. Paying for your own licence, PrDP or medical certificate is normal. Paying a "recruiter" or "agency" a placement fee to be given a driving job is not, and it is one of the more common scams aimed at drivers. A real transport company pays you.
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