Introducing Mr. Dogan

Introducing Mr. Dogan Mr. Dogan is a native of Greenville, SC and still resides there with his wife and three children. In 2006, he was employed by a trucking company’s body shop. He worked on the trucks which sparked his interest in them. A few years later, he begun to work as a box truck driver, which made him even more interested in driving an 18- wheeler. Mr. Dogan said after he graduates, he may drive a “flatbed or a dump truck”. When asked about what he liked most about his training his response, “The staff is great! They are very dedicated.  The training has been wonderful, and I have made some friends along the way.” Mr. Dogan has done a magnificent job in his program at SBL Driving Academy. He is in his last phase of the course where students are tested on the range and on the road. Mr. Braziel described Mr. Dogan as “a good guy. He is a lot of fun to be around…. always upbeat and a very positive attitude”. Director of SBL Driving Academy said, “Mr. Dogan has such a great attitude. He is always laughing or smiling. He seems to also be a very dedicated family man.” Mr. Dogan is definitely on the road to success and we cannot wait to see where the path leads him.

February's Newsletter 2020

From the Director's Desk at 

SBL Driving Academy

Our last class graduated, and we finally have a disposition on them. They did an outstanding job in the classroom and on the range. This was apparent by their grade point average. The students' averages were above 90%. That is not an easy task to do. There is a magnitude of information that is passed out and given during their duration here. Our curriculum and information given is designed to make students problem solve in real world scenarios. That class is at a 100% success rate for CDL licensing.

Our newest Entry Level Driver Training class that begun in February is at a 100% pass rate on their Commercial Learner's Permit. The class average for driving on the road and in inclement weather. They actually begun night driving academic grades is a 90.99%. Our current class has had a lot of experience believe that the entire class should easily get their CDL and be gainfully this week. Based on reports from the instructors and observations of myself, I employed soon

Meet Mr. Castillo

  

Mr. Castillo is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. He came to the United States at 4 years old with his mom and dad. They moved to Taylors, SC., however, Mr. Castillo currently resides in Greer, SC. He works in the trucking industry already as a dispatcher. Mr. Castillo explained why he wanted to get his CDL, “It was combination of the stories from the other truckers coming in and out of my terminal. Plus, I enjoy the comradery that comes with trucking. It is one of the few industries you can get into with little education and still make good income”. Mr. Castillo explained that he “plans on doing dry bulk or getting into tankers for a few years then, I may come back and teach at SBL Driving Academy”. He also expressed the great experience he had at SBL Driving Academy and would really “enjoy instructing others wanting to get in the trucking business”.  

The entire crew at SBL Driving Academy enjoyed Mr. Castillo’s time with our academy. He was always very astute, punctual, and a team player. His instructors often complimented his ability to study even though he was working a full-time job. Mr. Bailey explained “Mr. Castillo’s story is truly inspirational. It makes me want to work even harder to ensure the student’s success.  And I would love for him to come back and work at the Academy once he has a few years under his belt”. 

Please Note: Mr. Castillo is a recent graduate of the Entry Level Driver Training program. Since this interview was conducted, Mr. Castillo obtained his CDL and has recently been hired by a local trucking company.

Introducing Mr. Miles

Mr. Miles is originally from Florence, SC. Him and his family moved to Spartanburg, SC for employment opportunities in 2015. Mr. Miles served in the United State Navy for 4 ½ years. He was stationed at Point Loma and at Pearl Harbor. While serving in the United States Navy, Mr. Miles built torpedoes. He also discovered his love of travel. He enjoyed going to different installations and traveling during his time of service. Mr. Miles also “enjoyed meeting new people”.

After his discharge, he started working in the manufacturing industry. He worked for a company that manufactured pharmaceutical and another who made eye products. Mr. Miles begun to get tired of the that industry and decided that he wanted to do something different. “I wanted a career where I could better support my family. Trucking is good money and steady, you can make as much as you want by how much you work” explained Mr. Miles. He is excited and motivated to obtain his CDL, and get into the industry. For someone who likes meeting new people and traveling, I believe that Mr.  Miles has made a good selection with the trucking industry. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Braziel have both described Mr. Miles as ambitious, intelligent, punctual, and hardworking; which explains why he has the highest academic average in class: 96.25%. 

January Newsletter 2020

Introducing Mr. Griffin

Kenneth Griffin is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved down to the south when he was young.  “Love at first sight” was how he described truck driving. “It was the first time I made good money.” Mr. Griffin drove mostly dry box and hauled manufacturing items, along with tires for Michelin.

He started to encounter some health issues, which lead to dialysis. He was devastated because he had to stop driving a truck for almost 10 years. He diligently tried to stay in the trucking industry, but due to his medical condition, no one wanted to hire him. He went on disability while he waited for 9 years and 10 months on the transplant list. After his transplant and recovery, he decided that he wanted a change, so he went through the Vocational Rehabilitation program. Mr. Griffin decided that he wanted to get back into the job force, so he obtained a job at Furman University as a cook.

That didn’t seem to be exactly what he wanted to do, so he decided to go through a helpful program called SC Works to try to get back into what he loved: trucking. That brings us to today. Mr. Griffin is in his first week of class and his favorite part has “been being back, I know I’m on a journey to getting back to what I want to do. It is difficult to live off one paycheck and a set amount of money”.

SBL Truck Driving Academy would like to wish Mr. Griffin the best of luck in his program. He is truly an inspiration and a great example of what you can achieve when you set out to change your life. Mr. Griffin decided that his journey wasn’t going to end on disability and being a transplant recipient, he decided his story would have a second path that would lead him back to where he wanted to be, in the trucking industry.