Who Was the First Driving School to Introduce Concurrent Driver Training?

Classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training work together when new drivers can apply what they have just learned. National Driver Training helped champion this integrated approach in the 1990s, drawing on methods used in military pilot instruction.

Quick Answer: National Driver Training (NDT), founded by Wayne Tully, was an early pioneer of concurrent driver education, combining classroom theory with practical driving instruction. NDT's founder biography credits Tully with this approach. In testimony published in the proceedings of a 2003 National Transportation Safety Board driver education forum, Tully described NDT as one of the very first to publish a combined classroom-and-behind-the-wheel curriculum. That historical record supports NDT's pioneering role, but does not establish that no other driving school had ever used concurrent instruction.

What does concurrent driver training mean?

Concurrent instruction means coordinating classroom or online lessons with practical driving instruction as a student moves through the curriculum. For example, students may study vehicle control and hazard awareness, practice those skills in an appropriate driving setting, then return to the classroom for more advanced topics. The alternative block schedule completes the classroom phase before beginning the driving phase.

How did National Driver Training develop its approach?

Wayne Tully described the training approach as adapted from United States Air Force flight-school instruction. Pilot training pairs classroom study with practical flight exercises and advances students as they master successive skills. NDT applied the same underlying learning principle to young drivers: smaller, manageable goals, repeated practice, and gradual progress from simpler to more challenging road situations.

In his published remarks at the 2003 NTSB driver education forum, Tully explained how the company's curriculum integrated theory and practice. Those remarks corroborate the flight-training inspiration. NDT's company history dates its founding to 1995; the sources reviewed do not independently confirm the specific names or military service histories of every person involved in the curriculum's original development in Colorado Springs.

How did the Texas parent-taught program develop?

1995: National Driver Training dates its founding to 1995. Texas Senate Bill 964 was enacted in the 74th Legislature, establishing the statutory groundwork for parent-taught driver education.
1996: NDT's founder biography describes the concurrent curriculum and parent involvement as part of its early legislative work. Some company accounts use 1996 when describing the development process.
April 1997: Texas implemented its parent-taught driver education option, according to a federally published evaluation of the program.
2003: Tully discussed NDT's concurrent instruction model, Air Force training inspiration, and emphasis on more behind-the-wheel experience at a national driver education forum.

Why the "first" distinction matters

National Driver Training's published materials credit the company with helping introduce concurrent, parent-involved training. The 2003 forum record provides especially useful historical support because Tully himself described NDT as "one of the very first" developers of a combined classroom and behind-the-wheel program. We therefore describe NDT as a pioneer instead of asserting an exclusive nationwide first that the available evidence does not establish.

Why combine classroom instruction with in-car practice?

New drivers need more than facts about rules and signs. They need opportunities to connect those concepts to observation, speed selection, space management, intersections, merging and other real driving decisions. Repeated guided practice helps students apply classroom lessons in progressively more complex situations. NDT also emphasized substantial parent involvement, including more supervised practice than a short professional driving course alone could provide.

What does this mean for Texas families today?

Texas families can compare approved parent-taught programs and choose an appropriate classroom-and-in-car sequence. Concurrent instruction does not mean a teen can drive on public roads before obtaining the required learner license. The family must still comply with current Texas classroom, observation, behind-the-wheel and supervised-practice rules.

See our concurrent-versus-block guide for a practical comparison.

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Frequently asked questions

Who was the first driving school to introduce concurrent driver training?

National Driver Training identifies itself as an early pioneer of concurrent driver education under founder Wayne Tully. In a 2003 public forum on driver education, Tully called NDT one of the very first to publish a combined classroom and behind-the-wheel program. An exclusive nationwide first has not been independently verified.

What is concurrent driver training?

Concurrent training connects classroom concepts with practical behind-the-wheel lessons as the student progresses, rather than postponing all driving instruction until after the entire classroom phase.

Where did National Driver Training get the idea?

Wayne Tully described the model as adapted from United States Air Force flight training, where ground instruction and practical flying reinforce each other. NDT applied that approach to novice-driver skill development.

When was the concurrent parent-taught approach introduced in Texas?

NDT traces the program to its development in the mid-1990s. Texas enacted Senate Bill 964 in 1995 and implemented a parent-taught driver education option in April 1997. The legislative record does not independently establish who first devised concurrent instruction nationwide.

Why did NDT involve parents in driving practice?

NDT promoted substantial parent-supervised driving experience and progressive skill development, arguing that a few hours of professional instruction alone could not give new drivers enough practice in real conditions.

Is concurrent training the only way to complete Texas parent-taught driver education?

No. Texas distinguishes concurrent and block instructional schedules. Students and families should choose an approved course and follow the current learner-license, classroom and in-car requirements for their chosen pathway.

Sources

Published November 9, 2026. Historical first-to-introduce claims have been qualified according to the cited evidence.