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Dustin Dipentivia Google

4 months ago

I would personally avoid this CDL school based on my experience. The staff is friendly, and the classroom portion is well-structured. However, significant shortcomings became apparent during the yard training portion. On the first day, we were told verbatim, “We don’t teach you to become good drivers, we teach you to get your CDL.” I find this concerning, as anyone planning to drive an 80,000-pound vehicle on public roads should feel confident and fully trained before entering the workforce. If a student struggles with maneuvers, the course moves them immediately to the next task without ensuring mastery, and many of the trucks appeared to have mechanical issues. For those coming from Amazon’s Career Choice program, I’ve heard better experiences from schools like Roadmaster.

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Matt B.via Google

4 months ago

Outstanding Instructors Saved the Day for CDL Refresher Course ​I recently completed the 1-week (40-hour) Refresher Course at 160 Driving Academy to prepare for my CDL test. While the overall experience was a success, I want to clearly separate the administrative issues from the phenomenal training I received. ​The Initial Challenge (Front Office/Admin) ​My first point of contact with the front office staff and the transition into the training schedule was poorly communicated. There was a noticeable lack of coordination between the administrative side and the yard instructors, which made the first day or two confusing and inefficient. Clearer instructions and better follow-up from the office are definitely needed. ​The Five-Star Instructor Experience ​The yard instructors absolutely made this course worth it, and I would rate them 5 stars across the board. They immediately focused on getting my training back on track, ensuring my goals were achieved so I could complete the class on time with all the specific training I needed. ​I want to give specific shout-outs to the following staff: ​Jo did a great job with road testing and teaching me how to double clutch. As a matter of fact, she is a great example of what excellence looks like. SUPER knowledgeable. ​Derrick (The Yard Manager) did everything he could with the time he had to work with and, overall, I think he did a great job managing the complexities of the yard schedule. ​John did a great job as a maneuverability coach, helping me fine-tune my backing skills. ​Conclusion ​If you are looking for a top-tier refresher course that delivers results, the instruction at 160 Driving Academy is superb. Just be prepared to be persistent with the administrative side of the house. The quality of the people teaching you is what truly matters, and in that regard, this academy excels.

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Karma Grantvia Google

4 months ago

Wonderful experience, all instructors were kind, helpful, and gets straight to the point. They teach fast but you have to be dedicated to learn and make mistakes, instructors aren’t hard on the students and acknowledge what students might need on an individual level. As a female the school also is very female friendly and non-bias other than the porta potties. Equipment sucks but gets the job done. Got me in and out within under 4 weeks and passed my test with confidence. The yard lead Derek is great, kind and understanding, he found the root of the problem, helped me, fixed it, and made sure I was to pass my test; so a big shoutout to him and his leadership. I recommend 160 to anyone or any female that wants their CDL.

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Rogervia Google

4 months ago

Unfortunately, I cannot put everything I want to say in this review. So, I will highlight the main points and then attach screenshots with more detail of everything I want to say. My job required me to get my Class-A CDL for Manual. With not a lot of schools still teaching Manual, 160 Driving Academy seemed like the best fit for cost, certifications necessary, and my work schedule flexibility. Although I have years of towing experience, Commercial Vehicles are a different animal entirely, so I went into the school with a mindset of “I know nothing.” I want to start this off by saying 90% of my success is thanks to Jo. Her ability to work in a systematic way and tailor her teaching to the student is UNMATCHED. Her mentality of teaching you to crawl first, to build a good foundation is exactly how a teacher should be. Once you’re confident in the maneuver, she will purposely make you mess up and then show you how to recover. This ability to combine the necessary skills to pass the CDL exam but also give you real world application is EXACTLY what I was looking for in a school and an instructor. She is the best “hype man” for some of these students, when some of these students wanted to give up, she knew exactly what to do/say to get them inspired to keep trying. Jo very simply cares about the students, and you can genuinely feel that she wants you to succeed. In the attached images, I go into more detail but thank you Jo for all your help!! The remaining credit goes to Patrick, he did an EXCELLENT job preparing me for the Pre-Trip portion of my CDL exam, every nuance that Patrick explained to us that first week showed up on my Exam and as a result I was able to confidently point it out and passed. So, I owe that to Patrick for all his help in preparation for that. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fantastic, there were some bad experiences during my training. I had instructors that would get frustrated during demonstrations, and as a result would teach the maneuver poorly, and become almost useless when asking for assistance. So much so, you had to go to another instructor for guidance. From my experience, the Yard Lead was almost always never present, he spent 95%-100% of the day in his trailer, and only came out to reprimand with no consequences, send students home, or use the bathroom. There were multiple instances where staff and students weren’t following what we should be doing based on what was explained during orientation, and occasionally someone would get called out, but because there were no consequences, they went right back to doing it once the Yard Lead left. Overall, it’s a good school if you are fortunate enough to get paired with a good instructor. Patrick is very good with Pre-Trip, Jo & Aaron care and are very helpful with maneuvers on the yard, and Jo is AMAZING at teaching on the road especially Manual. Thank you all for your help!

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Shaiv Bhadolavia Google

about 2 years ago

My experience with 160 driving school has been amazingly nice, I got my CDL at first attempt, one time and out, I self paid for my tuitions. I have no compalsion to write anyone wrong or right review, All my instructors were amazing, big thanks to them, it’s like you can show a well to a person who is thirsty, but that person has to drink water by themselves, SAME HERE instructors can show you the way, but efforts are yours, it’s just how badly you want your CDL. Moreover All instructors were all the time on the yard regardless or harsh weather conditions, it’s was raining, snowing (3.2F / -16C). It’s not easy at all to work on open yard, weather conditions did not stop their will to train us, it was same intensity the whole time, felt welcomed the whole time from start to end, 160 Family Big thanks to AARON, CHRIS , BLAIR, RYAN, LUIS , BRUCE, DENIS 🙏🏼. Thankyou guys it’s because of you all I got what I deserved. Will see you all soon