This is a very bittersweet situation. Despite passing my DMV exam on the first attempt, my experience with this school did not live up to the reputation it presents. Initially, I chose this program because of its well-known name and presence across multiple states. I assumed that level of expansion would reflect strong organization and a well-structured training system. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The program felt very unorganized. While there were a couple of great instructors, I personally did not get consistent time with them. One instructor in particular Anthony Batiste was highly skilled, knowledgeable, and an excellent teacher. In the short time I trained with him, I learned a great deal. However, due to his high demand, he was sent out of state for training, which left me without the additional guidance I felt I needed. Because of time constraints within my program, I ultimately made the decision to switch from manual to automatic transmission training. A major concern was the school's capacity versus its enrollment. It felt like they accepted far more students than they could effectively train. There were only a handful of instructors available, and many of the trucks were either broken down or in poor condition. Between manual and automatic, there appeared to be only a couple operational trucks for each and often one of those would be out of service or running roughly. I entered as a manual student through a county funded three-week program. Out of those three weeks, I only got behind the wheel approximately three to four times in total. By the time I reached about two and a half weeks in, I was just then being introduced to downshifting despite having no prior experience driving manual vehicles at all. For someone completely new, that timeline felt rushed and insufficient. Most days consisted of long periods of waiting. Out of an eight-hour day, I spent the majority of my time sitting on the bench observing, and if I was lucky, I would get one sometimes two short practice sessions behind the wheel. To summarize: I did successfully pass, and there are good instructors here, but the overall structure, equipment availability, and student-to-instructor ratio made the learning experience far more difficult than it needed to be. Because of that, I personally would not recommend the program in its current state. read more

Tony and Juan' are the best instructors ever they really interact with their students they showed me everything I needed to know to be able to obtain my license. I really appreciate them being there for me and believing in me. read more

Very much recommend all the instructors are very hands on & do what they can to make sure you can be great!! Thanks to Lawrence & Jarrold I graduated & have plenty of opportunities read more

Originally enrolled at 160 Driving Academy through my employer's Career Choice program, drawn by their strong reputation and numerous nationwide locations. While the school as a whole receives positive reviews, my experience at the San Bernardino location was mixed. After earning my permit, I was cleared for yard instruction--but I went nearly a month without communication from the office. I eventually had to visit the location in person just to receive next steps. Once training began, the on-site instruction was solid and the instructors were helpful. However, the school underwent staffing reductions, which caused a noticeable shift in the learning environment. The student-to-instructor ratio became overwhelming--sometimes as high as 10 to 1--which left many of us waiting hours with minimal practice time. Basic amenities, like restroom access, were removed, and while the school provided bottled water, it didn't offset the overall lack of support. I also witnessed concerning safety violations during on-road sessions. When the training shifted to students spending full days waiting for a best 30 minutes of drive time, I knew it was time to find a program that better respected students' time, safety, and commitment to learning. read more

The instructors were awesome And I got my CDL They know what they are doing and teach very well read more

Truly a great, fun and fast experience here at 160. Instructors were all great. I fully appreciate the help from Daniela and Jojo as well. One and Done! I also applied and recent got hired at Werner. Thank you guys! read more

160 Driving Academy - One & Done! - Driving Schools Near Me - San Bernardino, California

After I got my permit, I was left in the dark. Kept emailing the admin and have not gotten any word back. At this point 160 driving academy is the reason why I am not pursuing my CDL anymore. I have read a lot of reviews for this place and I have friends who did have some success, and a lot with the similar problem I have. Thank you 160 for changing my career choice!! read more

Applied to this school in hopes of finding a career in trucking. This school offered a payment plan for schooling, and I was hopeful only to be let down. If I had questions no one was ever available to answer phone calls or emails. Had to drive to in order to get any information about my start date. Such a poorly ran school I ended up dropping out and finding a more reliable trucking company. read more

I'm giving this place 5* coming from someone that has difficulty with learning new things these guys have the program on point.... it was a little rough start could have went smoother... The yard instructors have every skill set to help you learn everything you need to know to pass that DMV test..... My BIGGEST shout-outs go to Matt and Juan those two guys need a raise..... some of the other students come though this place are wild and could probably scare the pants off anyone they keep calm cool and collected under all circumstances..... and want to give a thanks to the rest of the crew for doing what they do.... read more

160 Driving Academy - Driving Schools Near Me - San Bernardino, California

I loved the experience and they answered all my questions!!! If I could do it all over I would pick 160...

Highly recommend going here to get your CDL! All the instructors here are very professional and have lots of experience. They truly want everyone to pass and get their license and will work with those who are struggling to make sure they are successful. Tony and Michael were my instructors and they both did a great job. They made the learning experience fun and easy to retain. read more

From beginning to end my experience was good. Instructors (shout out to Jojo and Daniel!) Really guided me in the right direction and at the end I was successful read more

160 Driving Academy - Driving Schools Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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Overall experience was great. I attended the Oceanside CA location. Instructors Mark and Winton are outstanding and professional. They're dedicated and always went the extra mile during instruction and coaching students to mastery all while running a "safe" program. read more

This is going to be long, so you may want to take a seat. All of us students are sitting and waiting to get tested out bc you want to putt around with fixing these trucks? Major air leaks and trash trailers. Test truck major air leak at the leveling valve. Told mechanic, was to fix it 2 Fridays ago, no show. Was to fix it Tuesday, no show. Finally got it to the shop on Wednesday. Told to pick up yesterday. The damn leveling valve broke again same day as pick up. Didn't even have it 8 hrs. We have 2 students that should have tested out in freaking Nov of 2025. Me and another was to test out in December. All 4 of us are a no go. I was FINALLY scheduled to test out Monday the 12th of jan. That pesky leveling valve put a damper on that plan. What are you guys doing? Your bottom line means jack when you cant get us out to bring in new. One poor instructor (who is fantastic and a super woman btw), no on-site mechanic, no road instructor, just one person doing everything. Ive already lost 12k in wages, not including the money to attend here and gas to and from, waiting to test out bc you all do NOT want to fix these trucks. And by the time I do test out, im looking at a total of 15k-20k in lost wages, thats IF I test out before the end of jan. Your site says high quality training and safety effectiveness. Not too safe or high quality when you have NO TRUCK TO TRAIN OR TEST ON because they keep breaking down due to lack of hustle on your site managers side. Then youve got us on the hold 90% of the time for tech students. read more

Great experience with Rob at the Daleville IN location. Everyone was provided plenty of time both on the road and on the range, while on the range any time you wanted you were encouraged to get in a truck (1 of my fellow students spent a lot of time on his phone, the same student that needed the most practice passed his test on the second try the rest of us passed on the first attempt.) Robs teaching style is awesome all of the attention and instruction you need (different for every student) without constantly telling you what you did wrong, usually reserving comments for when your done driving. I found myself completing the first maneuver perfectly right from the start so I stopped practicing it every time, instead I used my time to practice the other maneuvers. Most of us would use the automatic truck to practice our precheck skills, most of the time another student would hop in and help you run through it. Rob had a meeting every Thursday this did not interfere with us practicing on the range. I've taught many kids how to drive or how to drive a manual trans because their parents were unable to teach them, most/almost all parents make it impossible for the child to learn. It did not matter what the student did Rob kept his cool promoting an it's ok environment don't stress! Last I would suggest taking the permit test before you start the course, I did and passed mine but if you fail part of the permit test you know what you need to focus on in the first 40 hrs. read more

I would 100% recommend this 160 driving academy to anyone wanting to get their CDL. Everyone there knows what their talking about and have a lot of experience driving as well. Matt, JoJo, Daniel, Justin, Tony, Tracey, Lora they are all professionals at what they do and are the BEST OF THE BEST. Do not listen to all these negative reviews about the school because like anywhere else, in life... if you are not going to school everyday, and your jus there to be there, YOU WONT LEARN ANYTHING!!! You have to want it, you have to take what each instructor teaches you and also need to meet halfway!! When you go home you need to study, you need practice and keep practicing till you got it down. Every negative review you see are people who don't show up, they complain for nothing because I can tell you right now that every single person there KNOWS WHAT THEIR DOING. Tons of students passed and got their CDl through 160 so that alone should tell you everything. Thank you for everything guys, you are all truly the best!! And I appreciate every single One of you. 100 !!! read more

One & Done! Thank you. July 31, 2024. NEWS!!! I am a new ... Class A Commercial Driver Licensed!!! First & foremost thank you Jesus God Almighty! Thank to my family, friends, co-workers & business circle for their support as I went thru my CDL course. Thanks also to Fedex Ground for paying my Tuition. Thanks especially to 160 Driving Academy San Bernardino-Lora, Matt, Tracy, Daniel, Jo-Jo, Tony , Justin & forgive me if I'm missing any names-but all the wonderful instructors who got me to graduation-completion of the course. I am thankful to you all. 160 Driving Academy is a very fine school, reasonably affordable and highly recommended. The instructors are skilled and pros at what they do. Look at me- I passed & only because they gave me the training and ability to pass my CA DMV CDL Driving test. Class A ID & it'll be a 'Real ID' too will arrive shortly. Thank you to my Examiner at the DMV, i appreciate you!. I'm going into a new career for my end career. I've done the Hotel-Restaurant industry both line level & management, I've done the US Army as a commissioned officer both reserve & active, I've own & operated 3 small businesses (2 prior & 1 currently). And now I'd like to hit over the road as a long haul driver over the 48 states playing my Eddie Rabbit songs like 'Driving my Life Away'.. Whether it'll be with Fedex or UPS as I am also a Teamster there thru p/t work too or one of the national trucking companies-God knows & it's his will as always to have me just where he wants me. Yes, I continue to be a Jack of all trades & Master of nothing except for my faith in God. I can leave you with these final words...there are countless trucking schools and you can google & yelp all you want. 160 Driving Academy is equipped, huge driving range, lots of trucks, lots of instructors and resources- study apps, job apps ect. You must bring the passion, drive & will to succeed and they will provide the rest. The 160 hours really go by in a flash and then you test at the DMV so you have to put in some homework time too. You will learn, you will.pass. Go for it. 160 Driving Academy did it for me. They are real people who worked as truckers and are down to earth. You can't beat that. You will get real life, real working world learning experience. I wish you the best! read more

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Amazing driving school. Super friendly and professional trainers. Juan is the best trainer there in my opinion. Always watch your tandems!

after going to this school must say I was really disappointed, didn't learn anything spent more time on the side line then anything else 15 students to one trainer I wouldn't recommend this school. read more

Hope you pass the first time or they will not talk to you they just want your money no one answers the phone at the San Bernardino office

$5000 wasted. terrible instructors, equipment, and education materials. failed the first time around because they told me not to worry about something on the test that was otherwise important. revolving door of instructors and staff. they only help you and pay attention to you if they think you're "cool". the ONE truck they have for all students is broken half the time, rendering it useless for me to head to Redding. they do not work with you if you are commuting either. you are expected to be there at 7am sharp M-F regardless of where you are coming from. they don't help you, they just yell at you and tell you that you're wrong. very discouraging for someone trying to get into this industry. save your time and money and GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! read more

Michael C. is giving a canned reply to all the negative reviews. There is a canned reply on reviews through out other apps too. If they cared to actually fix the issues the negative reviews wouldn't continue to say the same things. I had hopes after talking to Paul a regional supervisor. He made promises that did not come to fruition. He said Brent the Anaheim manager would text me a screenshot of some data on a document, he failed to. Brent was also supposed to call and apologize, that didn't happen either. Paul was going to look into our issue and work with us. That didn't happen. To paraphrase from what Paul said, if you are not coming to them from Amazon or Pepsi, you will not get the level of service most people taking out a personal loan commitment would expect. They simply care about the large contracts. read more

I am giving this school a poor review based on its disorganization, misleading statements, and lack of overall training. They will tell you that there is a need for drivers in the industry and that you will be in high demand as a CDL holder, but this is not factual. The truth is that as a new CDL holder it is nearly impossible to find a company that will hire you, as most want 1 year or more in experience ( told to me directly from a recruiter with Performance Food Group ). This school has no connections within the industry and will leave you without any prospects, guidance, or assistance after graduating; which is a task within itself! The lack of staff, poor equipment, and minimal driving time makes testing challenging. Many students fail on their first attempt, with a number failing to get away from the curb. Sometimes the school fails to schedule testing or forgets that students are scheduled to test; the trucks fail pre-trip inspections, or have mechanical issues such as keys which won't go into the ignition, etc. While there are downsides to everything, the sheer number of cons with 160 are enough to cause me to warn those looking for training to look elsewhere! If you're a seasoned driver looking to re-enter the industry, this is a place for you. But for the new driver, look for a program with industry connections, sufficient staff, and an organized program that graduates students with the skill and confidence that companies will salivate over. This company misses on those accounts. Graduate (52 applications submitted, 1 call back) (Stockton, Ca. Campus) read more

Horrible management especially Matt...horrible upper management as well...only bathrooms are outside port a potties.

I highly recommend this school to anyone Brent was very straight forward with me. I've learned a lot in the first week of school and the 2nd week was challenging at first because I had no clue of any knowledge of underneath the hood of an 18 wheeler. But they do have great Instructors there at the yard in San Bernardino. I was trained by Moe, Tim and Dee All great teachers to be working with behind the wheel. It's a lot to learn but well worth it. Your pre-trip sheet is your Bible to study everyday. I'm very excited to say I have made it and graduated from 160 Driving Academy I will return for my hazmat endorsement soon. Thank you Brent, Tim, Moe & Dee for working with me from the beginning to the end. read more

The staff at 160 is top notch at their Oxnard, CA location. From Fred in the front office answering all your questions and getting you registered for classes. To the online zoom classroom training that is very convenient. The best part of the school, is their instructor Carlos which helped me pass my CDL test. Carlos has 20+ years of driving all over the road, in every type of truck and set up you could think of as a career. Just that knowledge and experience alone that he shares about those careers is invaluable. Not to mention all the tips and tricks he teaches you behind the wheel from his experience. The reason for only 4 starts, is their equipment. I'll be honest and very straight to the point. The trucks are shitty and in need of repairs/replacement or maybe a truck wash every now and then. It was embarrassing driving on the road and pulling up to DMV to test in their trucks and trailers. They are dirty, in some cases major components held together by zip ties or having to use a screwdriver to adjust your seat. Not to mention airlines leaking and trailer lights not all working consistently. For being a large corporation you would think they would care more about their students and some of these safety issues. There was also no lack of complaints from the staff (Carlos) to the upper management to address these concerns, but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other because nothing was addressed during my time there. Unless that improves, I would recommend one of the other companies in the area that had better quality rigs and retailers. I would recommend you ask to see the yard and trucks/trailers before you sign up and see if these issues where addressed. read more

They should call this place 180 driving academy because after you give them your hard earned money they pull a 180 on you. Your first week of class there is this hype and build up until you get to the yard. I can honestly tell you I know what it feels like when a dog is brought to the pound. My first day entering the yard was depressing. All of these sad confused faces waiting their turn, with no direction and all scared to get destroyed at the DMV. I tried not to let this get me down but it was defiantly not what I expected. Between having most of the vehicle not operational or not having enough instructor's and me having a personal deadline this stressed me out. I came to the realization that they were scamming me on hours in the beginning of the program. At the end of the day you will be asked to sign out on Ipads where the instructors put your daily training hours. On days I've driven 30 - 40 minutes max they put me down for a whole hour, I have not once driven a whole hour. When I questioned it they said it will work out in the end. As I got to the end of my training hours this missing time was not given back to me. Between there being so many students in the yard and not enough trucks I was lucky to get 20 minutes a day to perform skills. Generously speaking I would say I got 1 hour of training a day behind the wheel during a 10hr shift. I was promised a 4:1 student to instructor ratio when I signed on and not 14:1. Again I tried to keep a positive prospective of this thinking this is just a rough patch and the school would make this up to me. As time went on I've learned my experience was nothing new and is common practice of this place. When you bring these issues up your spoken to like a second-class citizen. I wish I knew this prior to enrolling in this course. read more

Instructors are not bad but the facilities are terrible! Half of the time we are just waiting around doing nothing!!! Do yourself a favor....Find a better school and give this one a miss read more

I was definitely hyped up and eager to begin the process only to be told after I applied, that this is a personal loan. Applying for financial aid through a privat bank is very pertinent information. I just bought a house so applying for a loan through a bank is not an option for me. To find this out after I cancelled 3 appts this morning to go there was so devastating to me. And now that's another ding to my credit that I'm going to have to fix. My credit score is great, but because of this large purchase I just made I will not qualify for a loan for a while. YOU HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE / CUSTOMERS WHAT THEIR SIGNING UP FOR. read more

Do not come here!! This place is heartless. They are taught to push everyone to the side who is not from Amazon! Take your hard working money and go to a different driving school. The instructors are clueless on what they're doing, they're also very judgmental instead of worrying about teaching. I heard them say " the 160 drivers are not serious we don't pay attention to them". You will feel separate from the Amazon " group" people and not learn as much as them which is not fair considering you are paying out of pocket for this crap of a school! This is a scam go elsewhere with people who actually care!!! Not to mention they're very unorganized!! read more

The school offers 160 hours (40 hours in the classroom then 120 hours on the yard) At the end of all of it you're supposed to get 160 hours of training and a certificate that backs that up I was hesitant at getting my license at 19 years old due to the insurance policies and the laws that don't allow me to leave California. Paid 5,200$ at 19 years old because Paul told me this school had the resources to find me a job. For the first 40 hours you'll be in a classroom Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm in front of a lap top on a zoom call with people from all over the country. Then you'll go take your permit test and if you pass you'll have to do 120 hours on the yard but in reality it's gonna be groups of 4-5 students with 1 teacher and 1 truck. When they take you on the road you'll get around 20 minutes sometimes just In circles around certain neighborhoods. If you suck at driving they'll get frustrated and take you out the wheel after like 10 mins. At one point they had like 10 students and around 5 teachers on the property.. they could've made groups of 2 students with 1 teacher and 1 truck but instead they allowed 3 teachers to VTO and force all the students into big groups. In a span of 2 hours you'll probably get about 20 minutes behind the wheel because you're waiting for the other 4 students in your group to have their turn. I passed everything my first try due to being a "natural" and having some background knowledge of manual transmission and backing boat trailers. If you have no knowledge you'll get treated as a number and pushed to the side unless you really want it. When I graduated, the job resources that were promised to me were nowhere to be found. I emailed the guy and asked him about the job resources they had for me and he recommended I make an indeed account and apply for anything I see, which I was already doing. If you're underage and think that this school is gonna be the answer to your problems you're wrong. You might as well go to a smaller school that charges 2,500$ you'll get the same amount of training and when it comes to finding a job these employers don't care where you went to school. Unless you get to go here for free you'll be wasting tons of money and time. read more

The worst school I have ever been to in my life bad trucks with technical problems super expensive they are not interested in the students only the money look for another school read more

In the beginning they were kind of attentive and nice once our 40 hours started in class which I realize and learned from other schools and other people that you don't need to attend classroom for 40 hours. This was wasted time. Then we started going into the yard and they make you stand there it was 105 in the summer. When we began behind the wheel we had to share our time with four or five students and probably got 30 minutes on that skill then after lunch we'd rotate. They claim to say you get 160 hours which isn't true instructors don't hold themselves accountable and instead blame students. This is why the passing rate is low. At the time I was going they had an Amazon account and gave them the newer trucks and showed little attention to those who paid out of pocket like me. Every time we'd go to the yard the trucks were broken down or unavailable. Once your 160 hours was up I wasn't able to go to the yard. On the app instructors would show your hours are up and schedule your exam with the DMV regardless of the students ability to preform. Once your hours are done they would make you pay more. Arlene uses a tactic that if you wait then the price will go up. Other students said she told them the same thing. I made several attempts to work with the school even spoke with the regional manager Marcelina she was rude and unprofessional confrontational and hung up on my husband and I a couple of times. Stan doesn't care he only says, " it is what it is!" They always assured me that they never had students that don't pass and not to worry.. overall don't waste your time going to this school this is why they lost the Amazon account and do your due diligence before attending this school. read more

Don't go to this school You'll be wasting your money and your time was this a school because the guy is working over there he think hes the only professional on the world for training Even the guy in the office before you start the 40 hour throwing in the class hes different after he collect the money from you And when you go training in the yard we have to meet the most worth people for training His name ruben oll day in hs phone or texting in the phone and the other he thinks hes the most professional his name Mike and he keep yelling to everyone Hard left hard right for no reason or no attention what you need to do And you'll be setting all day in the heat no one can be attention even inside the truck What the skill can be done with you because the day is not recognized It's not worth it to go there from Sunday to Wednesday because this is the worst people you're gonna be dealing with hemp with this school because all of them is being attention more was the Amazon contract read more

Stay away i spent 5000$ just to end up having to go to another school after this one. They are horrible district manager just makes fun of you and argues super unprofessional. read more

Wow! What a joke?! They can't quote pricing for the program over the phone tells me what a scam your academy is. The one closest to my location was Anaheim. Lol! They must think they bring you in and they can smooth talk you to sign on the spot. read more

I want to thank Matt , paul, jojo,and Ruben for helping me through this course , they made it so easy and they helped me so much , thanks to you guys I have my CDL and it took me one time to pass it , if you don't study and work hard you won't get it ,they are their to help and guide you through it but it's really up to you if you really want it , I just want to say this is a really good school and you mf are the good at what you do thanks again 160 read more