SDI Staff

Superior Drivers Institute | 302 Rutherford Lane | Columbia, TN 38401
Contact SDI for more information about our CDL Training Program
call 615-373-7522.

Dick Gilbert, Director
Superior Drivers Institute’s Director, and lead Instructor Dick Gilbert, has been involved in the trucking industry for over thirty years.  His overall responsibilities included driver selection, training and supervision for seventeen driver locations within a nine-state area.  During that period, he developed performance standards, safety programs, and driver education for large corporate truck fleets. 

He was also awarded the IMSCO Founders Award for his commitment to the transportation industry and his fellow associates, as well as the IMSCO Award of Excellence for his commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace.  Prior to his career in trucking, he served in the United States Marine Corps.  In addition to being a former OTR truck driver, Gilbert was a pilot and previously operated a flight school in Illinois.

Under Gilbert’s supervision, his OTR truck drivers accumulated over 30 million miles per year.  Many of the drivers under his leadership accumulated over one million miles without a single accident.  He attributes this tremendous accomplishment to their commitment to the development of and reliance upon defensive driving skills.  Over the years, he brought a number of drivers into the fleets who were new to the transportation industry.  To assure their individual success, Gilbert developed and implemented a “mentoring” program utilizing drivers with seniority experience.  In turn, those senior drivers took a personal interest and involvement in seeing that the “entry level” drivers developed the necessary driving skills that assured their success and safety.

In his role as Director of the Superior Drivers Institute, a professional truck driver training school, he continues his involvement in the transportation industry and his commitment to fleet safety. Gilbert is responsible for our CDL Truck Driver Training program at SDI, as well as day-to-day management operations.