Tired of the Road? Pass on Your CDL Skills to a New Generation of Drivers
Are you a commercial truck driver getting tired of long hauls on the road? If you’re not ready to retire completely, you’re in luck. There are various alternative CDL careers to consider. You can pass your knowledge and experience onto the next generation of aspiring commercial truck drivers by becoming a CDL instructor. Driving Academy also offers franchise opportunities in addition to driver training and road testing for CDL licenses. Here, we share information about how to become a CDL instructor.
What Does Being a CDL Instructor Involve?
Working as a commercial truck driver is a fulfilling career with many benefits. However, as you get older, start a family, or want to spend more time at home, you may want to step away from the road. The good news is you don’t have to stop working in the industry completely. You can take the knowledge and expertise you have gained over your career and use it to teach new students by becoming a CDL instructor. CDL instructors teach students to drive trucks and how to pass the required CDL exams. This involves providing a mix of in-classroom training and hands-on training behind the wheel. To become a CDL instructor, you need to:
- Have a high school diploma
- Possess a valid Class A CDL
- Have more than two years of driving and over-the-road (OTR) experience
- Earn a CDL instructor certification, given after passing a 120-minute test
- Pass the Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exam and drug screening
The good thing is you have already completed most of these by having a CDL. Once finishing your certification, you will be a CDL instructor and can retire from the road, if you choose to do so. Some people choose to continue driving part-time and instructing part-time.
Being a CDL instructor comes with the convenience of staying in one spot, being able to spend time with family, and not having to spend long hours in a truck. It is also rewarding. By spreading the knowledge you have gained over your career to younger people, you will feel satisfied and know that the future of the industry is in good hands.
CDL Instructor Jobs at Driving Academy
Driving Academy is a CDL training and testing site operated by experienced instructors. Its founder comes from a family of CDL drivers and teachers who have inspired Driving Academy’s mission of helping people find their road to freedom. Driving Academy’s goal is to create the best learning environment for students so they can succeed as commercial truck drivers. This is done by hiring experienced instructors who complete extensive training so they can effectively teach the next generation.
If you’re interested in teaching aspiring drivers how to become licensed, Driving Academy is a great place to become an instructor. With an already-developed teaching system and a supportive community to rely on, Driving Academy can help you transition from driver to instructor smoothly.
Driving Academy is special because we are one of the few schools in the country that can train students as well as test them. As a certified third-party tester, instructors at Driving Academy can give the CDL road test to anyone in the country with a CDL permit. By becoming a CDL instructor at Driving Academy, you can help students prepare for the test and be the one who is testing them, which is a unique and rewarding experience.
Franchise a Driving Academy School
If you’re getting tired of being on the road but aren’t ready to retire and don’t want to become an instructor, you may be stumped on what to do next. Fortunately, Driving Academy has another exciting option for you—owning a Driving Academy franchise. Driving Academy has plans to expand to more locations, intending to help 1,000,000 people find their way to freedom. To reach our goal, we need more franchises! Starting a Driving Academy franchise is a way to own a business without having to do all the work from the ground up.
The franchise process at Driving Academy generally entails:
- An initial contact about owning a franchise
- A call from our franchise advisor team to determine your qualifications and eligibility
- Completing the Driving Academy training program that consists of online training and two weeks of in-person training at our franchise headquarters (if qualified)
Once you have completed the training, you will be ready to open your very own Driving Academy franchise. However, it’s recommended to check your state’s guidelines on franchising before continuing, since different states often have different franchising rules.
Learn More About Becoming a CDL Instructor
If you are ready to retire from the road and train to become a CDL instructor, Driving Academy is the place to go. Headquartered in New Jersey and with more locations coming soon, Driving Academy is taking the trucking industry by storm. We invite you to join our team and prepare to teach the next generation of CDL drivers. If teaching isn’t your style, owning a Driving Academy franchise may be a suitable option for you. Contact us today to learn more about available CDL instructor jobs or owning a franchise.