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How to Become a Truck Driving Instructor: CDL Instructor Jobs

DKrunner | Dec 27, 2010 |

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Truck driving instructors typically have a couple of things in common; one of course being that they hold a CDL, and second; they tend to love their jobs.

CDL instructors tend to get paid very well, and they have the ideal trucking job that easily allows them to be back in their hometown and own beds every night.

A CDL driving instructor is the dream job of many people who hold a commercial drivers license, and with all of the benefits, the pay, and the steady work, it's no wonder why.

Here's how to become a CDL instructor.

Get your CDL.

Without being too painfully obvious, one will clearly need their own commercial driver's license before they jump head first into becoming a truck driving instructor themselves.

Gain experience as a CDL truck driver.

If you want to become a CDL instructor, you are going to need to have some experience behind a big wheel yourself in order to be able to give the most helpful instruction.

The bare minimum number of years of driving experience that you will need to become a CDL instructor is going to be about three.

It should be stressed that this is likely the absolute bare minimum (unless you know someone in the business) and that companies will likely favor people who have much more experience than that.

The more experience that you have in the field, the easier it will be for you to find truck driving teaching jobs in the future. Some regular trucking jobs might even turn into CDL instructor jobs as many long haul companies have smaller sub-companies of trucking schools, where they need to employ teachers of the trade.

Keep your driving record squeaky clean, and start studying up on the technicalities of your trade.

In order to be able to do well in a CDL instructor job, you are going to need to know all of the simplest and most complex rules of the road; forward, backwards, inside out and upside down.

Keeping your record clean while you put a few years of truck driving job experience behind you will keep you a likely candidate for any CDL teaching jobs that might open up.

Start scoping out local CDL instructor positions.

Truck driving instructor jobs are found in many places-they are not just limited to truck driving schools. Check out your local community colleges and make connections with all of the small, local truck driving schools in your area.

Since there are many small truck driving schools out there, it can also help to approach this situation in a little bit more of a creative, flexible way.

One way to do this is to offer to take another position- a different kind of truck driving school job. This could be something as simple as helping out CDL instructors in the classroom or on the training field, or even assuming an office position a few hours a week (while maintaining your regular CDL job so that you don't get rusty) until a full time CDL instructor job opens up.