What does a driving instructor do?
Driving instructors are hired by new drivers who are learning how to improve their skills in driving. Their duties are to supervise theory class timings, inform student drivers with safety driving procedures, and teach the students about the correct traffic rules. Most of these instructors must have several characteristics to help the new driving students understand driving to let their students practically operate vehicles. The working hours of driving instructors must be flexible to suit the needs of the students. They may need to work during the weekends and sometimes during the evening.
Driving instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real driving instructor resumes:
- Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
- make sure they drive truck to dot standards.
- Provide knowledge of the road and rules of the law.
- Present classroom instructions and on the road practice, instruct students for exams.
- Construct an AutoCAD program which offers college credit while still in high school.
- Ensure events run smoothly with all details in place for safe and enjoyable events.
- Work OTR and then go to Sears/NTB account delivering tires to malls and tire stores.
- Utilize principles of modeling, such as visual poise, wardrobe coordination, and cosmetic application
- Work with a range of students from ages 5 and up teaching the fundamentals of Autodesk Maya.
- Instruct laboratory for junior and senior level of general and organic chemistry students.
- Add developmental psychology to the syllabus and utilize personal perspective and accomplishments to provide solid education.
- Conduct and supervise laboratory classes; creating anatomical dissections and physiology workshops for students to gain hands-on training.
- Coordinate and develop in-house opportunities for participants to gain leadership experience and the soft skills necessary for employment.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate on topics such as calculus, differential equations, and business mathematics.
- Analyze current English radio programs and supervise concept development and production of new programs targeting young audiences utilizing contemporary literature.
Driving instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Driving Instructors are proficient in CDL, DMV, and Motor Vehicle. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Physical health, and Visual ability.
We break down the percentage of Driving Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CDL, 24%
Worked as a second pat time job as an Instructor for new CDL drivers in driving, safety and DOT regulations.
- DMV, 17%
Authorized and issued temporary permits and Completion Certificates required by the California DMV if under the age of 18 years old.
- Motor Vehicle, 11%
Provided information and instructions relating to Army motor vehicle and equipment operators' selection, training, testing, and licensing.
- Driver Training, 11%
Licensed by the State of Ohio as a certified Driver Training Instructor to teach the mandatory thirty-two hour Driving Training Course.
- Drivers License, 6%
Instructed students in the knowledge and skills required in order to obtain their Commercial Drivers License.
- Road Safety, 6%
Conducted routine inspection of vehicle and supplies to assure road safety.
Common skills that a driving instructor uses to do their job include "cdl," "dmv," and "motor vehicle." You can find details on the most important driving instructor responsibilities below.
Hand-eye coordination. One of the key soft skills for a driving instructor to have is hand-eye coordination. You can see how this relates to what driving instructors do because "drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to coordinate their legs, hands, and eyes simultaneously so that they will react appropriately to the situation around them and drive the vehicle safely." Additionally, a driving instructor resume shows how driving instructors use hand-eye coordination: "educate student drivers on traffic laws and access driving and coordination abilities. "
Physical health. Another essential skill to perform driving instructor duties is physical health. Driving instructors responsibilities require that "federal regulations do not allow people to become truck drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their ability to operate a truck." Driving instructors also use physical health in their role according to a real resume snippet: "prepared teen and adult drivers for the california state motor vehicle test through classroom education and physical on-the-road instruction. "
Visual ability. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of driving instructors is visual ability. This skill is critical to many everyday driving instructor duties, as "truck drivers must be able to pass vision tests." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations. "
The three companies that hire the most driving instructors are:
- Coastline40 driving instructors jobs
- Werner Enterprises23 driving instructors jobs
- AAA Northeast16 driving instructors jobs
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Compare different driving instructors
Driving instructor vs. Voice teacher
Dance Teachers are responsible for leading dance classes to teach individuals or groups of people various dancing techniques. Dance Teachers are required to help their students improve their dancing skills by participating in amateur or professional dance competitions or performing in social events such as high school reunions. They must teach one or more dance genres such as ballet, ballroom, or hip hop. They must also be physically fit and should possess a good sense of quality music.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a driving instructor are more likely to require skills like "cdl," "dmv," "motor vehicle," and "driver training." On the other hand, a job as a voice teacher requires skills like "kids," "stage presence," "music education," and "musical theater." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that voice teachers earn slightly differ from driving instructors. In particular, voice teachers are 14.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a driving instructor. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Driving instructor vs. Dance teacher
Each career also uses different skills, according to real driving instructor resumes. While driving instructor responsibilities can utilize skills like "cdl," "dmv," "motor vehicle," and "driver training," dance teachers use skills like "hip hop dance," "role model," "front desk," and "musical theater."
Dance teachers earn a lower average salary than driving instructors. But dance teachers earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $51,036. Additionally, driving instructors earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $50,977 annually.In general, dance teachers achieve similar levels of education than driving instructors. They're 1.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Driving instructor vs. Guitar teacher
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from driving instructor resumes include skills like "cdl," "dmv," "motor vehicle," and "driver training," whereas a guitar teacher is more likely to list skills in "learning process," "group classes," "songwriting," and "ran. "
When it comes to education, guitar teachers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to driving instructors. In fact, they're 1.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Driving instructor vs. Private music teacher
Even though a few skill sets overlap between driving instructors and private music teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a driving instructor might have more use for skills like "cdl," "dmv," "motor vehicle," and "driver training." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of private music teachers require skills like "mathematics," "language arts," "cello," and "in-home. "
In general, private music teachers hold higher degree levels compared to driving instructors. Private music teachers are 9.3% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of driving instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
