Jobs You Can Get With a CDL
Congratulations! You’ve just earned your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Obtaining this opens many opportunities for jobs and career options for you. To quickly review, a Commercial Driver’s License is required to operate large and heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and trailers. Once you have received your CDL, you may be thinking: What now?
Don’t worry! There are many jobs that are in need of a CDL. There are three different types of CDL’s:
- CDL A
- CDL B
- CDL C
The type you have could affect the amount of job opportunities and the types of jobs you can get. In this article, we will have them listed out based on the different types.
Jobs With CDL A
CDL A allows drivers to operate only semi-trailers or trailers with two or more wheels. As well as, flatbeds, livestock carriers, and tank vehicles. Here are the types of jobs you can get with a CDL A:
- COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVER/ OVER THE ROAD DRIVER
Being an over the road truck driver also means that you have to be away from home for long periods of time. Commercial truck driving eventually becomes a lifestyle. Commercial truck drivers carry oversized goods, sometimes hazardous materials (freight driving), refrigerated goods (refrigerated driving), or transporting liquids that’s in tankers (tanker driving).
Commercial truck drivers earn a pretty well amount, averaging up to an $80K+ yearly salary!
- LONG – HAUL CARGO TRUCK DRIVER
Being a long haul truck driver, you need to be aware that you will be driving in long intervals and be mostly away from home for a lot of the time. Because of this, this specific position is always on high demand.
Being a long haul truck driver, sometimes you will have to travel from one country to another and travel through different regions. The average salary of a long haul truck driver adds up to $40K a year.
- SHORT- HAUL CARGO TRUCK DRIVERS
If shorter driving intervals are much preferred for you, short-haul trucking could be the answer. You would have a shorter driving time of 12 hours or less and you would only have to drive cross country instead of going international.
One advantage of being a short-haul truck driver is that you get to be closer to home. Short- haul drivers make up to $48k a year.
- TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR
Almost, if not, every single company is in need of a supervisor, more specifically a transportation supervisor. Especially if the company is involved in a lot of shipping and cargo.
The job of a transportation supervisor involves scheduling and organizing delivery runs. These supervisors tend to make $55k a year.
- TRUCK DRIVER INSTRUCTOR
Truck driving instructors are considered a profitable career. You’ll never run out of students who want to obtain their Commercial Driver’s License. Truck driving instructors usually make an hourly wage of $22/hour.
- TERMINAL MANAGER
Terminal managers are responsible for the operation and run of trucking centers where freight cargo is loaded and unloaded. You would also have a duty of supervising and watching over the cargo being loaded/unloaded to prevent any damage from happening to these important materials. Terminal managers make between $55k-$72k a year. An hourly rate would average at around $24/hour.
Jobs With CDL B
Drivers with a CDL B license are allowed to drive vehicles heavier than 26,000 pounds. As well as drive any towing vehicle that holds other vehicles that are less than 10,000 pounds. You could get these following jobs with your license:
- CEMENT CONCRETE TRUCK DRIVERS
This job allows you to drive with vehicles that carry concrete and cement and machinery that you would often find in construction sites. The yearly salary of this particular job averages at $55k a year.
- FIRE AND RESCUE
To become a firefighter driver, you must have either a CDL A or a CDL B in order to drive their fire trucks. The average salary for these firefighter drivers could range from $32,000 to $55,000 a year.
- RECRUITER
Trucking recruiters are people who take in and hire other candidates seeking trucking careers. They usually already have their commercial Vehicle license and have had their experience in the trucking scene. Recruiters must have good communication skills for when they discuss matters with candidates. There is a big difference in hourly rate, ranging from $18- $40 an hour.
- COURIER
This job is responsible for loading and unloading parcels, packing, pallets, etc. They are also responsible for moving and transporting cargo to their respective destinations. The average hourly rate for couriers is $36/ hour.
- MECHANIC
Mechanics are super important to the trucking industry. Trucks and commercial vehicles are in need of consistent maintenance especially if they are being used on the daily. This goes to show that the mechanics job is a profitable path. The salary for truck mechanics goes up to $51K.
Jobs With CDL C
Getting a CDL C will allow you to operate on any type of vehicle. Even combinations that CDL A and CDL B holders can’t drive. Vehicles that CDL C holders have are able to hold up to 16 or more passengers or hold/ transport hazardous materials.
- BUS DRIVER/ MINI BUSDRIVER
Bus drivers drive from city to city (mostly domestically). They transport people from point A to point B. For example, school bus drivers. Even though they get shorter routes from school to the designated students home, they still have the duty of transporting people to their locations.
Bus drivers could be a very vague term. There are many types of bus driving jobs depending on the ones that you could be interested in. The yearly salary for these bus drivers could range from $33k to $58k.
- DELIVERY DRIVER
Delivery companies such as Amazon, Fedex and UPS main responsibility is to transport packages and mail to their respective places. The yearly rate you’re getting as a delivery driver could be from $23.5K to $40.5K a year.
- DISPATCHER
This is a non trucking job however, it is heavily connected to the industry. The main role of a dispatcher is to be in contact with other truckers at all times, guiding them to the safetest or fastest routes to their destination. Dispatchers can make from $39k or $19/hour.
CONCLUSION
The trucking jobs you can get does depend on the type of CDL license you have. However, aside from the jobs mentioned above, there are countless more jobs and careers you can get with these licenses. CDL licenses are extremely useful and could be a benefit if you want to expand your career opportunities.