Ideal Driving School is very good now as of the year 2026; they have wonderful staff working in the Fords office and at their CDL yard -Woodbridge location, and even their scheduler, Veronica who appears to work out of the Moonachie NJ location is fantastic and very professional. I can not comment on some of the other employees who answered the phone in the Fords office because I always requested to speak to this wonderful young lady I dealt with who is named, Stephanie, who is just absolutely the best; she is very knowledgeable and makes your paperwork process go smoothly and she cares about answering all your questions with accurate information about the entire CDL process. Now to comment on the instructors, at the Woodbridge location- the main gentlemen that was tasked to teach me everything I needed to know to pass my CDL was named, Jairo, and I can not say enough wonderful things about HIM both as an instructor and as a person! He will give you HIS very best and then some, to teach you how to pass not only your CDL Pre-trip but all the rest to pass the skills testing also. I also have to say a big thank you to the owners, wife- who is fantastic at guiding the entire process and always tries to do everything in her power to help you succeed in obtaining your goals of passing your road test. I will make note, that I did not have any interaction with the owner George, but he is a lucky man to have a wife that is so professional that she handles his clients (his students) with caring and encouragement and she always responded in a timely manner, which is a big plus when dealing with driving schools . Overall I say thank you to everyone who was involved with my CDL training process and I will be recommending you to all my colleagues and friends. read more

If I could, I would give zero stars. When you call, you're immediately put on hold and left there until the automated system hangs up. The receptionist is rude and disorganized it took them two days to locate my information, and I never received a call back. I had to go there in person, only for them to "find" it. Turns out, they didn't even have my name in the system just my phone number, which is unacceptable. On top of that, the driving instructors are either late, lazy, or make you feel uncomfortable. If an instructor is running late, no one notifies you. And if you go back inside to ask what's going on, they'll claim you refused to take the class and mark it as completed anyway. read more

I went there to take a CDL class not even 24 hours later decided not to take the class. I went for a refund and was refused. I didn't even take any classes yet. Rip off artist. Do not go here!! read more

I'D GIVE ZERO if I could! HORRIBLE experience at Ideal Driving School in Fords, NJ. DO NOT waste your money or TIME here. They are unprofessional, disorganized and RUDE! I'm VERY SURPRISED they're still in business. I'm going to involve the BBB. I purchased a package for driving lessons during COVID - spent over $400. My daughter had issues w/her permit not being validated. I called and spoke to Alicia who advised they could not give money back but, promised the money would NEVER expire. Alicia said she was the director and was very aware of the delays at the DMV. Called again a few months later and spoke to Ligia. I advised Ligia of further delays due to the permit expiring, my daughter having to retest, etc. Ligia also promised not to worry that the money would not expire. We also went in and paid more money for permit help/prep. Fast forward to today, my daughter passed the exam and we went in person to schedule the prepaid driving lessons. I spoke to Danny, who explained they had no recollection or record of us. That after a year they do not save anything. He said I could speak to his manager. We waited over an hour 1/2 to speak to a manager that was rude, standoffish, egotistical, unprofessional and uneducated. I can not believe he was chosen to manage. I asked his name and he said he did not have one, I asked what was his position was and he said he had none, I asked who was the CEO or owner there and he replied it was a corporation and he didn't know. He mentioned their contracts expire after 6 months. I advised him, I NEVER signed a contract, this was a verbal agreement by phone and told him the dates/times/contact I had with Alicia and Ligia. He told me he was busy, picked up his cell phone, and said for me to call my bank and resolve this on my own. He said he did not care that this was my problem. Danny, front desk, called Alicia. Alicia advised me that she was the director and had no recollection and Ligia was no longer working there. She also advised their prices have gone up since I booked and she's not sure what she could do. Alicia advised the general managers name is George but, he has NO ROLE there because she calls the shots! Horrible customer service. I would NOT give my money to these people EVER! While we were there waiting, 3 other people came in to complain. DO NOT waste your money HERE! THEY DO NOT deserve it with how they treat customers! We should have them BANNED from doing business in our community. Signed, A very disappointed customer! read more

I would have given negative ratings , the way reception talked with us today ,07/212023 had very bad experience . please don't waste your money and time , very unprofessional behavior by both receptionist ,at fords office. They have a weird payment system. Either you pay 5% charge with credit card or pay exact cash. When I did not have exact change, she started yelling at me and ordered me to go looking for it in different shops! This is one of the rudest behaviors I have seen. If they were supposed to get cash, why would they not keep any change? This tells me there is something fishy. read more

I called twice to get info for my daughter; no one answered the phone. Then I completed the online request info option and never heard back from anyone. I just tried calling again and no answer. This is no way to run a business. read more

amazing, I went the day I had my road test and they thought me everything I needed to know which helped me pass my test at the first try

Besides some scheduling issues which led me to having to wait for the instructor, the experience was flawless at this place. The instructor was engaged, which allowed me to (re)learn a stick shift car in less than two hours. read more

It says it closes at 7 PM, so I went in by 6:20 to get information for driving classes. The lady at the counter told me they closed at 6:30 and did not attend me. Also wasn't nice at all. It's very unprofessional and disappointing to see the lack of attentiveness to customers. Change the closing time on Google and on your door decal. I will not be returning to Ideal Driving School and instead enroll to another school with better services. read more

Went there initially to talk to george after speaking to him on the phone prior. I was advised by the lady at the front desk when i got there that he was gone and wouldn't be back for an hour but she could help me instead. I tried to explain my situation but she kept over talking me and didn't answer any question i asked so i had to keep repeating myself. Then when i asked if she had all the information about classes in a pamphlet or if she could write the pricing and hours down she informed me that she writes to much as it is and that i could write it. She gave me a business card, when i got outside i threw it in the air as hard as i could. I will never knowingly pay for bad service and i wouldn't recommend this place to anyone read more

I would give ZERO stars if I could. Extremely unprofessional and provided no customer service. They're unbearable and it's impossible to try to get any help with them. The instructors rushed every session and provided no real teaching. They overcharged me compared to other driving schools in the area. They will nickel and dime you for services that should be included considering the prices they charge. Took me almost an entire year to take my drivers exam that they wanted to charge me an extra $200 for!!!! AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!! read more

This place is a joke!!! Do not waste your money or time they are extremely disorganized. High turnover. They never resolved issues they created & they tried to charge us extra. I ended up having to pay extra with another school. read more

This school has great instructors and most of the staff are very nice. Unfortunately the 'general manager' Jesenia is rude, unprofessional and honestly doesn't know what she is talking about. After I had to reach her through their Clifton location, I told her I had left multiple messages with no callback. She said "we don't check those". Then she told me she had no record of my daughter or the money I paid. All this in the rudest fashion. I went there later with my receipt and thankfully the gentleman in the front immediately pulled out my daughter's contract and set up her appointment with no issues. They need new phones and a new 'general manager'. read more

I already knew how to drive an automatic but was interested in learning stick shift. I took two, 1 hour stick shift lessons with them. In the latter half of the 2nd lesson, I felt confident enough that I was able to drive around the town, although I did stall a few times along the way. If you're interested in learning how to drive a stick shift, I would strongly suggest that you first watch a bunch of Youtube videos on how to drive a stick shift. This will help you to understand the theory behind stick shift driving. So that, when you start taking the lessons, the practical instruction you receive will complement what you've already learned on a theoretical level. I would estimate that most people, who already know how to drive automatics, would probably need 2-3 hours of lessons, to learn stick shift. --- Update: One thing I wish my instructor had caught was that I was not releasing the clutch pedal properly. I was lifting my entire leg instead of simply pivoting on my heel. I don't know if this is a common mistake that newbies make, but in retrospect, my instructor should have checked for that mistake and corrected it right away. Catching that mistake early on will, I think, dramatically help newbies in controlling the clutch properly. I've just emailed them about it, so hopefully they will improve their instruction to cover this very critical aspect of clutch control.. I will leave my 5 star review in place, in the expectation that they will have adjusted their instruction, per my email feedback.. read more

If I could give this school a ZERO I would. This is the WORST Truck Driving school ever!!! please save your MONEY and TIME they only care about your money they waste your time. You have days where you go to the yard if you don't have a restriction. They don't inform you about placing you in an automatic truck that particular day. My first road test I didn't have a back window on the tractor to see out of, I had to depend on the driver and passenger mirror. Also, this was my first road test you would think the school would assist me on passing my road test so I can start my career. However, they set you up so won't pass the test; because your first three chances are free, in regards to the road test this school just wants you to keep paying them money. The young lady that answers the phone is very rude and they are very racist. In addition, they give African Americans a HARD TIME with that being said if that applies please don't attend. Had the worst experience in the history of truck driving school. I overpaid more than I should have to get my CDL class A. In addition, I was charged more thank I think I was for renting the truck. Trucks are really bad during my road the truck shut off. They are very very disorganized they rescheduled my test at the last minute but when I wanted to change my road test to a different location they gave me the hardest time and wanted me to pay extra. Now is that how you treat a paying customer ?... read more

Awful... Covid caused us to reschedule a test and they wanted $20. Bucks to do that and a SS NUMBER.. ummm, no.. I went to my car, scheduled it myself, charged myself nothing and called a different school to take the test with. It's a shame I paid for them to take me but they wanted proof that I paid on top of all this other nonsense.. (the girl said she wasn't there and needs a receipt, she has no way of checking if I paid) BTW, when I rescheduled the test SS NUMBER was not necessary.. FYI, when we pulled up, an instructor had no mask on with a student in the car, came in while we were inside asking for a mask. The desk told him they don't have any.. WTH?!? You get what u pay for I suppose.. shame on me. read more

Please do not waste your time or money on this school that are totally unprofessional. And if you don't have just a little bit of knowledge of operating class vehicles they serve you no purpose. Go with a bigger School read more

its more a self service school you pay they provide the trucks in a yard. usually 4 trucks practicing same time while the instructors watch from sidelines. this is how every two hour session will go until the day before your test. if you have no choice and need to move fast you..ok. I had no problems seeing as tho I had prior experience but for a first time leaner...this is not it. Then the office is usually lost or not sure when you test is or scheduled days messed up. double check everything they are not sure! read more

I've been struggling with parallel parking which kept me from passing my road test.. However, I stumbled upon Ideal and I called they scheduled me for an hour practice for the day of the road test in that same week. Receptionists are SUPER accommodating.. I HIGHLY recommend Carolina Carra she is the BEST driving instructor ever!!! She is such a blessing.. She will also motivate you to perform your best and WILL MAKE YOU PASS. read more

Don't go to this driving school. I showed up 30 minutes early for my 2 hour session and the instructor showed up 20 minutes late. Then the instructor wasted 15 minutes in a line to get gas. 35 minutes of my paid 2 hours were wasted. They refused to refund me the missed time and would not allow me to make up the time. read more

I can not say enough about how nice the people in the office at the fords location were and how nice the instructors were! My son is 16 years old and while he was not nervous about learning to drive this mom sure was! but they were so nice and re assured me everything was going to be ok. they were very accommodating to my son's school and work schedule. If I needed to re schedule last minute because of work or school activities they were very flexible with it. The instructors made my son feel at ease while on the road. every time he came back from a lesson he was telling me how cool they were. they walked me threw step by step of what they were going to do and then what I needed to do. Growing up we tell our kids don't get into cars with strangers so it was very hard for me to let go and allow someone else to teach him to drive as I have been there to teach him everything, but I am glad I did because it turned out to be a great experience. It put my mind and heart at ease knowing he was in good hands.. I would recommend Ideal Driving School to anyone. read more

I made an appointment for an hour before, as well as pick up and drop off. For $125 I only got 45 minutes and a pick up. I did however learn a few tips and tricks in that time since I did not take my 6 hours and began driving straight away. I did however pass my road test But after I already paid in the car while being picked up, the instructor told me that they do not wait for the student to get their license...that I'd need to find someone to pick me up or bring me another day. I OBVIOUSLY WOULD NOT HAVE PAID THEM IF I KNEW THAT WHEN I SCHEDULED MY APPOINTMENT AND THE NOTICE WAS NOT SO LAST MINUTE. The girl who took her test ahead of me went with her driving school and her instructor waited for her PATIENTLY. Very disappointed. read more

DO NOT COME HERE! I spent over TWO MONTHS just trying to get my eye exam done. Every time I called, they NEVER picked up. And when they did pick up, they would tell me to come another day than my scheduled appointment. It took OVER 4 MONTHS to finish my six hours. Even though I booked appointments weeks in advance, they would either cancel LAST MINUTE or NEVER SHOW UP/TELL ME and then proceed to blame me. They rescheduled me OVER 7 TIMES. Their customer service was TERRIBLE. The lady at the front was super rude and unprofessional. After six months, they wouldn't help validate my permit (which most schools do), forcing me to go on my own (but the DMV made me pay a fee). Luis was a bad instructor; he did not give tips and was very unclear. He made me go to his house (wasting 15 mins of what I paid) and pick random strangers up. The manager fought with my dad and was very unprofessional, screaming "colorful" words at us. Their prices are the worst and unreasonable. THIS PLACE IS HORRIBLE!! NEVER COME HERE!!! read more