Becoming a CDL instructor is a rewarding career choice if you’ve got a passion for trucking. As a certified commercial driving instructor, you’ll help train the next generation of professional truck drivers and play an important role in keeping our highways safe.
If you’ve got a clean driving record, patience for teaching students, and want to share your knowledge with aspiring truckers, then you might want to consider teaching students how to drive big rigs.
What is a CDL Instructor?
A CDL instructor teaches potential truck drivers how to properly and safely operate commercial motor vehicles like trucks, buses, and trailers on public roads. Some states require CDL instructors to complete a training program and become certified. The typical training program covers principles of adult education, safe driving techniques, and vehicle maintenance. You’ll have to pass knowledge tests to earn certifications to teach.
Once you have the necessary licenses, experience, and certifications, you can start applying to local driving schools, trucking companies, bus lines, and private training programs to work as an instructor.
What Does a CDL Instructor Do?
As a CDL instructor, you get to teach eager students how to safely operate large commercial vehicles like trucks, buses, and cargo vans. Your main role is to educate students on driving techniques and safety procedures so they can pass their CDL license test. You’ll teach them:
- How to properly inspect vehicles before driving
- Safe driving methods, like maintaining control, proper braking, and checking blind spots
- Rules of the road for commercial drivers
- How to develop confidence on the road
You may use simulators, videos, lectures, and demonstrations to give students hands-on experience. Then you’ll take them out on the open road under your guidance.
How to Become a CDL Instructor
Valid CDL License
First, you must have a valid CDL license for the type of vehicle you want to teach, like a Class A license for tractor-trailers. You’ll also need to be at least 21 years old, pass knowledge and driving skills tests, and have a clean driving record.
Experience
You’ll need experience driving a commercial vehicle to become an instructor. Most trucking schools prefer 2 years of recent driving experience. The more experience you have, the better equipped you’ll be to teach students.
You must also have a valid CDL license for the class of vehicle you want to teach, like Class A for tractor-trailers. You’ll also need to obtain an instructor’s license or certification which involves both classroom and behind-the-wheel training. The specific requirements vary by state.
Clean Driving Record
A lot of CDL schools look for candidates with a clean driving record or a clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR). Obviously, if you have a bad driving record, there’s an assumption that you’ll pass your bad habits to your students.
Certification
Some states require CDL instructors to be certified. The Commercial Vehicle Training Association offers instructor certifications. To earn certification, you’ll need a high school diploma or equivalent, log a minimum number of hours driving a commercial vehicle, and complete an instructor training program.
Other Skills to Have
- You have excellent knowledge of safety regulations and possess best practices for commercial driving
- You have proficient communication skills to deliver training materials in a classroom setting, and offer constructive feedback to your students
- You have training or teaching experience especially adult students
- You are detail-oriented with the ability to assess trainees’ performance
Develop Your Skills
Stay up-to-date with commercial driving regulations and industry best practices. Continuously improve your teaching abilities through mentorship or instructor development courses. Strong communication, patience, and the ability to motivate students will serve you well as an instructor.
Find Job Opportunities
Look for CDL instructor jobs at truck driving schools, community colleges, and vocational schools in your area that offer truck driving programs. Some trucking companies also hire instructors to train their own drivers. There are job listings on sites like Indeed, Monster, and ZipRecruiter. Networking on LinkedIn also helps to connect with employers.
CDL Instructor Benefits
As a CDL instructor, you’ll enjoy several benefits in addition to helping train new truck drivers. CDL instructors typically have flexible schedules since many truck driving schools offer classes on evenings and weekends to accommodate students’ work schedules.
You may also have the opportunity to create your own schedule within the parameters of the school’s hours of operation. This can be ideal if you prefer non-traditional work hours or want to balance another job. The job also provides stability as trucking schools operate year-round. While the number of students may fluctuate seasonally, instructing CDL students is an ongoing need.
CDL instructors are in high demand, so the role often offers solid pay and benefits. It also provides decent pay. Actual pay will depend on factors like your experience, credentials, location, and the school. Many trucking schools also offer benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement or discounts.
CDL Instructor Salary
As a CDL instructor, you can earn around $56,000 per year in the US. Moreover, the job outlook for CDL instructors is quite good due to the high demand for truck drivers. The field is growing at around 6% per year, faster than average. Many instructors also receive benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Sasha is a freelance writer for TruckersTraining.com and an entrepreneur. She has 10+ years experience as a writer with expertise in the transportation, business and farming industry. She is a wife, a mother, and co-owner of DreCampbell.com.
