Driving Academy Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Driving Academy is a truck driving school franchise training students for commercial driver's licenses through classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction. Franchisees run the schools, managing instructors, trucks, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Driving Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $224K – $557K, including a $50K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $224K – $557K
- 51st pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subsetn=1
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 6
- 22nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $224K – $557K including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 21 audited statements are for the franchisor Driving Academy Franchising, Inc. (a New Jersey corporation; cover page says LLC), FY ended Dec 31 2024/2023/2022, reported in whole US dollars. Clean/unqualified auditor opinion. As printed, the 2024 balance sheet does not foot: total assets 383,516 vs total liabilities 863,878 + stockholders' deficit (749,960) = 113,918; figures reported as stated from the same statement. FY2024 revenue = initial franchise fees 199,500 + franchise license fees 2,500 + royalties 253,313 = 455,313. Item 19 discloses only single-unit Gross Revenue: one affiliate-owned location ($6,585,586 in 2024) and one franchised location ($2,055,650 in 2024); no franchisee-wide average/median/quartiles, so avg/median left null.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 35/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports historical gross revenue for two individual outlets (not an averaged cohort) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Driving Academy Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- Driving Academy Acquisition Inc.
- Predecessor
- None (franchisor states it has no predecessors)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Jonathan Marques
- Incorporated in
- New Jersey
- HQ
- 200 East Edgar Road, Linden, New Jersey 07036
- Auditor
- Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $455K
- vs $134K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Driving Academy
- Cosa Bella
- J Crown
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jonathan Marques
- Headquarters
- New Jersey
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 41% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Technology | $10K | $15K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $65K | $189K | |
| Real Estate | $15K | $28K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $2K | $22K | |
| Utilities | $200 | $500 | |
| Signagenot refundable | $4K | $6K | |
| Start Up Inventory | $4K | $8K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $3K | $5K | |
| Vehicles | $28K | $135K | |
| Vehicle Graphics | $5K | $11K | |
| Staffing | $12K | $31K | |
| Insurance | $850 | $2K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training Program | $2K | $4K | |
| Business Licenses, Permits, Certifications and other Professional Fees | $550 | $3K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $25K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $224K | $557K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $224K – $557K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 10% of monthly Gross Revenues or a Minimum Roy…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Minimum Royalty Fee of $1,000 per month, effective one year after signing |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $550 |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $8K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Driving Academy did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Driving Academy unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 audited statements are for the franchisor Driving Academy Franchising, Inc. (a New Jersey corporation; cover page says LLC), FY ended Dec 31 2024/2023/2022, reported in whole US dollars. Clean/unqualified auditor opinion. As printed, the 2024 balance sheet does not foot: total assets 383,516 vs total liabilities 863,878 + stockholders' deficit (749,960) = 113,918; figures reported as stated from the same statement. FY2024 revenue = initial franchise fees 199,500 + franchise license fees 2,500 + royalties 253,313 = 455,313. Item 19 discloses only single-unit Gross Revenue: one affiliate-owned location ($6,585,586 in 2024) and one franchised location ($2,055,650 in 2024); no franchisee-wide average/median/quartiles, so avg/median left null.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- historical gross revenue for two individual outlets (not an averaged cohort)
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 17 · small
- Lowest reported
- $2.1M
- Only the bottom of the cohort is disclosed — no high to range against
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 11.0% (near the Education average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports historical gross revenue for two individual outlets (not an averaged cohort) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +300.0% over 3 years (3 opened, 0 closed).
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Driving Academy Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Hawaii
- Maryland
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed
Largest disclosed settlement: $146,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 35 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to validate ROI claims or profitability benchmarks
- 02MINORExtreme unit growth (300% YoY) with only 6 locations suggests either aggressive recent expansion or cherry-picked data; unsustainable growth rates often precede contraction
- 03HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE but should be verified — unclear if franchisor disclosed financial stability issues in FDD Item 21
- 04MEDHigh royalty structure (10% + $1,000 minimum) with undisclosed revenue makes break-even analysis impossible; $1,000 minimum may be unsustainable for struggling locations
- 05MINORLarge investment range ($224K-$557K spread) indicates high variability in startup costs; unclear what drives the 149% difference
- 06MINORProtected territory lacks specifics — size, density, and exclusivity definitions should be questioned
- 07MEDOnly 6 franchised units provides minimal track record and limited peer validation data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 15 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 30 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Linden, New Jersey |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 56 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 85 hrs
- Training location
- Corporate headquarters in Linden, New Jersey
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects site within protected territory, subject to franchisor written approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Driving Academy · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Driving Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Driving Academy franchise ranges from $224K – $557K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Driving Academy franchise owners earn?
Driving Academy does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Driving Academy FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Driving Academy FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Driving Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Driving Academy (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Driving Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Driving Academy has 6 total units in the United States, including 4 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Driving Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Driving Academy as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 35 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.