An Introduction...

My name is Brandon Dufour, I am the General Manager of All-Star Driver, LLC. We are a family operation based in Watertown CT. Every day, I have the pleasure (mostly, sometimes it's a pain) of working alongside my Aunt, Uncle and Father. My family comes from the School Bus Business (Dufour Brothers in the 60's and 70's, Dufour Transportation in the 80's and 90's and All-Star Transportation today) and saw the parallels between Student Transportation and Student Driving. When Connecticut's largest Driving School ran into some legal trouble, we jumped at the opportunity.

It has been two years since we took over the now defunct Academy of Driving and entered the Driving School Business. We came in blind, having a lifetime of safe driving knowledge and a goal to be not the biggest driving school in Connecticut, but to be the best. The Academy of Driving was a well publicized disaster, and purchasing its assets came with its challenges. Somehow or another, we have gotten through them all, and in two years we have created an Education product that I will put up against any other driving school in the state.

For me, the most surprising part about this industry was its antiquated nature. Education materials were still being used from the 60's, 70's and 80's. E-mail was (and in may schools case, still is) a foreign object. Most things were still being done with pen and paper. In today's fast paced world, it appeared the Driving School Business across the nation had been left in the dark. At All-Star Driver, we worked hard and fast to change this. Today, our customers experience a fully interactive educational program behind the wheel and in the classroom, and a professionalism and service standard that is among the highest in any industry.

Also surprising was the response of the consumer to the idea of Driver's Ed. When we first started, we thought that the we had to create safety and security for our customers. Things like vehicle maintenance, employee drug tests, fire extinguishers in our cars and staff training on what acceptable behavior with teens means were immediately made a part of our company. And no one cared.

To the parents that are selecting driving schools: remember that you are dropping off your teen to spend 2 hours in a car, alone, with a complete stranger. This stranger is going to teach them skills that may save their life every day for the rest of their lives. There are certain things worth shopping to the lowest bidder, but driver's ed is not one of them. Whether you choose us or another driving school, make sure that you are doing your research. There are too many schools that don't offer a quality product, and we all owe our kids a quality education.

This is the first entry in what will grow to be a blog of Safe Driving information, specifically geared towards the State of Connecticut. Thanks for stopping by, please check back often.

Until Soon...
BD