160 Driving Academy Blog

On a Friday afternoon, Darick walked into the Baytown location of 160 Driving Academy to meet with Jennifer, the Branch Manager. By Monday morning, he was already in a classroom—his professional driving career officially underway. “Met with Jennifer… on Friday afternoon, and was sitting...

Starting a career as a professional truck driver is a big decision. The difference between just getting a CDL and building a long-term, successful career comes down to preparation, training, and support. That’s where 160 Driving Academy stands apart. This isn’t about checking a box. It’s about sett...

160 Driving Academy succeeds because of the people inside each location—and Magdalena S.’s review of our Niles campus makes that clear. In her own words, “I am so grateful to everyone at the Niles location.” From the start, Magdalena felt fully supported, calling out Marta as “amazing” and “so...

The Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule was introduced to improve safety and raise standards for new commercial drivers. The intent was right. The execution wasn’t. Since ELDT went into effect, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has relied heavily on self-certification, allo...

Across the country, state and federal regulators are cracking down on illegal and non-compliant trucking schools. These operations promise fast, cheap CDL training—but cut corners, ignore safety standards, and leave students with invalid training, wasted money, or worse: a CDL that can be revo...

A renewed push by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to strictly enforce English-language proficiency for CDL drivers is already reshaping the trucking industry. According to recent reports, drivers who cannot properly communicate in English are being placed out of service durin...

You’ve read that the trucking industry is undergoing a massive shift — with capacity dropping and demand for certified drivers rising. Now that you’ve made the decision to get your CDL through 160 Driving Academy, here’s what comes next — and why timing, strategy and the right training w...

Steven came to 160 Driving Academy’s Peoria location with a clear goal: earn his CDL and pick up part-time work in retirement. What he didn’t expect was how quickly the opportunities would stack up—or how much he’d enjoy the journey getting there. A Strong Start in the Classroom Steven’s first...

The trucking industry is heading toward one of its biggest shifts in decades. According to recent reporting by FreightWaves, the U.S. could soon experience the largest capacity purge in modern freight history, with as many as 600,000 drivers and carriers exiting the market as freight rates remain lo...