Meet Your Instructor
Meet Bill Collins
Bill Collins has spent decades around commercial vehicles, CDL students and driver training.
He is a veteran, longtime Class A CDL holder, former owner of Interstate Truck Driving School, and commercial-driving instructor who has been teaching drivers since 1998.
True North CDL is built around something Bill has spent most of his career doing:
Teaching drivers directly.
- 50+ Years
- Holding a Class A license
- Since 1998
- Teaching commercial drivers
- ~10,000
- Students personally taught over his career
- Former Owner
- Interstate Truck Driving School
Approximately 10,000 students over Bill’s teaching career.
A Career Built Around Drivers
Bill’s experience goes beyond holding a commercial driver’s license.
He has spent decades teaching people how to understand commercial vehicles, prepare for CDL testing and become safer, more capable drivers.
Bill began teaching commercial drivers in 1998 and went on to personally instruct approximately 10,000 students during his career.
For many years, he was deeply involved in the classroom himself while also leading and developing other instructors.
His work has included students preparing for Class A and Class B commercial driving, as well as drivers learning the federal rules and responsibilities that come with operating commercial equipment.
Truck Driver Training Experience
Former Owner of Interstate Truck Driving School
Before starting True North CDL, Bill owned Interstate Truck Driving School in West St. Paul, Minnesota.
During that chapter of his career, Bill was directly involved in training students and leading an instructor team.
That experience gave him a front-row view of what helps CDL students succeed — and where traditional driver training can sometimes lose the student.
True North CDL is intentionally smaller and more personal.
The goal is not to create another high-volume training operation.
It is to give students access to an instructor who can actually explain the material, answer questions and help them understand the equipment and responsibilities behind the license.
How Bill Teaches
Teach the Student — Not Just the Test
Knowing how to drive and knowing how to teach someone else to drive are not the same skill.
Bill’s approach has always been centered on helping the student understand what they are doing and why it matters.
That means slowing down when something is not clicking.
Explaining the same concept a different way.
Connecting classroom material to what the driver will actually see on the road.
And making sure students understand the vehicle instead of simply memorizing enough information to pass a test.
Decades of Experience — Both Teaching and Driving
Bill has held a Class A license for more than 50 years.
That matters because the best driver training combines two different kinds of experience:
Knowing the rules.
And knowing what those rules look like when you are actually operating commercial equipment.
Bill’s background gives True North CDL a practical foundation.
Students are not learning from a faceless course company.
They are learning from someone who has spent decades around commercial drivers, commercial vehicles and CDL students.
Behind the Wheel
50+ years holding a Class A license.
In the Classroom
Commercial-driving instruction since 1998.
Why Start True North CDL?
After decades in commercial-driver training, Bill wanted to continue teaching in a more direct way.
True North CDL is built around live instruction, practical explanations and smaller-scale training.
Online students can learn Class A theory, Class B theory and Hazmat material live rather than relying only on self-paced lessons.
Students able to travel to Minnesota will also have access to planned hands-on Class A Hotshot and Class B training.
The goal is simple:
Give students experienced instruction and a clear understanding of what comes next.
Beyond CDL Training
A Life Around Vehicles
Commercial driving is not Bill’s only experience behind the wheel.
Bill is also a race car driver and has spent time around motorsports.
That part of his background reflects something that carries into driver training as well:
Preparation matters. Equipment matters. And good decisions behind the wheel matter.
A More Personal Kind of CDL Training
True North CDL is not being built as a massive truck-driving school.
It is being built around direct access to an experienced instructor.
That means:
- Live online instruction
- Opportunities to ask questions
- Practical explanations
- Clear training paths
- Specialized hands-on training in Minnesota
- Straightforward pricing
- No pretending one training path fits every driver
If you are going to invest the time and money to earn a commercial license or endorsement, you should understand what you are learning — not just check a box.
Learn Directly From Bill
Start with live online Hazmat training now or explore the Class A and Class B programs planned for Spring 2027.