About Us
40 Years Of Experience
Behind The Wheel
iDrive Hand Over Hand Driving School LLC is a bilingual (Spanish) family-owned business providing quality driver education services to clients in Johnston County, Wake County, Durham County, Chapel Hill, Cary, Morrisville, and communities the greater Research Triangle area. iDrive Hand over Hand strives to make learning a fun, easy and painless process while providing students and adults with the skills they need to obtain their permit or license and provide the defensive driving skills to drive safely on the roadways. We are certified by NCDMV School Bus and Traffic Safety, bonded and insured.
Our mission is to advise the driving community about the risks associated with operating a motor vehicle and provide the necessary tools to avoid situations that might cause traffic collisions. We make the process for obtaining your license or teen permit easy to understand and provide the training you need to be successful.
We offer teen driver education classes, 30-hour class in person or via zoom, plus 6 hours behind the wheel training. We also offer private adult driving lessons, practice for DMV driving test, international driving lessons for students and adults, Spanish bilingual driving lessons, beginner adult driving lessons and seniors who may want to brush up on their driving skills. Services will be provided for individuals with disabilities and seniors attempting to return once fully recovered from surgery and have regained total mobility.
Our main goal is to build bridges with our community and service providers. We recognize that a Driver’s License will open the doors to a successful live in our society. Our short-term goal is to establish strong coordinated partnership and collaboration with our youth and our adult students.
Katherine Vila
Owner / Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2013
An odd twist of events paved my way to an astonishing turn of events. In the year 2003 I successfully completed my training and became a proud CDL license holder. I had the time of my life working for a company in Orlando, Florida (Mears Destination Services). A day of work meant driving the designated Trolley on International Drive, Orlando. Everyone is on vacation having the time of their life enjoying the Wonderful World of Disney and Sea World, to name a few. I truly had a blast driving a 55-passenger motor coach to and from Airports, Resorts, Theme Parks and Port Canaveral (Disney Cruise Ship).
June 2005, I set sail to Baghdad, Iraq (Green Zone, Fortified Installation). I went through extensive strategic driving with our troops and became one of the designated drivers in newly established U.S Embassy in Baghdad. I there was given the opportunity to drive a 40-passenger armored vehicle. We had night mission to and from BiOP (Baghdad International Airport).
August 2007, I fulfilled a life time dream, I was issued a U.S. Army Motor Vehicle Operator Permit. I was able to put my skills to work as a Motor Vehicle Operator in the Motor Pool, Fort Eustis, Newport News, Va. It was an honor to work with our U.S Army while in preparation for deployment to Iraq, it was an experience of a life time.
In the year 2013 I re-deployed and decided to share my driving skills with the Teens and Adults in our community. My mission now is saving lives and opening doors. We teach driving skills and work on building confidence levels. Building confidence doesn’t stop behind the wheel it spills over into our daily approach on life.
Ms. Mildred Santiago
Co-Owner / Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2014
Mildred’s professional driving history started when she successfully passed her CDL training in 1990 with Westchester Day School Mamaroneck, NY. In the attempt to broaden her horizon, she advanced to work in a management capacity with Avet Coach & Ambulette Service, Yonkers, NY.
In 1995 seeking a better opportunity for growth, Ms. Santiago took on a new venture with Atlantic Para Transit as a Dispatcher/Driver. In 1998 Ms. Santiago recognized that she could take this another level by taking on a new challenge with Student Bus Company in the year 1998 in Rockland County, NY. In the year 2000 she was offered the opportunity to work with East Ramapo Central School District, once again demonstrating and exceeding expectations. Ms. Santiago is a priceless asset always willing to go the extra mile.
Mildred’s passion is Homecare and working with people with disabilities; in a broad sense of the word. She has been highly successful with our teens in the RTP and surrounding areas. Her passion spills over into this Drivers Education where patience and a big heart plays a big role.
Ryan Spells
Team Member/Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2018
Spells’ (as he likes to be called) Is a Brooklyn native. He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan in 1979. He became a license driver with the State of New York at age 16. He has over 41 years of driving under his belt.
He attended Pembroke State University in '83 for Art Education and Hardbarger Junior College of Business in '84 for Computer Programming. He finished the Driver Training and School Bus Safety Program and received his certification in October '18 when he joined his friends at iDrive Hand over Hand.
Spells also is a Graphic Designer since 1978 and is the owner of A&D Graphixs. He is the designer of iDrive Hand over Hand's logo and website. His passions are Kids, (he has a 29 year old daughter) Music, Art and Cars.
Jack Tyrone White
Team Member/Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2019
Jack "Tyrone" White was born in Chelsea, Mass. He graduated from Boston Technical High in 1968 and attended Hobart College majoring in Psychology.
Tyrone earned his license to drive in 1966 as a teenager and taught his younger siblings and family members to drive. He worked for 20 years with Proctor & Bamble in various positions; i,e., Business Safety Coordinator, Lab Analyst, Industrial Chemicals Operator until his move in 1994 to Cary, NC.
He has experience as a Realtor and 15 years as a Virtual Partner Account Manager for Cisco. He also volunteered to facilliate small groups at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Raleigh to help adults navigate through the traumas experienced from birth through age 18.
Teaching driving allows him to experience a similar impact that he had in his ministry and the opportunity to coach, teach and serve in a way that will be with students for the rest of their lives inspires him.
Savannah Gregory
Team Member/Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2022
Savannah comes to us with several years of experience with working with children as well as a corporate training background.
Most notably, she worked for Amazon first assisting the drivers and then training them to be on-the-road-ready. She has a passion for teaching and modeling inspiring behaviors for our students.
Her teaching philosophy is inspired by her father's background of twenty three years as a green beret with a methodology that is based on critical thinking and observation-based learning.
Rodney Collier
Team Member/Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2022
Rodney Collier is a recent addition to the IDrive Hand Over Hand family. He was born in Hammond, Indiana and has 50 years of driving experience. In 1973 he began working for United Parcel Service and spent over 20 years training delivery, over the road drivers and supervisors in defensive driving. He also served for 5 years as Safety Manager overseeing a program covering approximately 30 operating facilities and 2000 employees. He has a varied background in having worked in both the private sector and foreign service and also a licensed Single Engine Land Pilot and a licensed Merchant Marine Master.
In 1996 he left UPS and embarked a circumnavigation under sail and spent almost 8 years sailing worldwide before returning to live in the USA. When his wife took a job with Peace Corps in 2012 the family relocated to Micronesia and then later to Manila, Philippines. Having lived and worked overseas for the previous 8 years, in March of 2020 he relocated to the triangle area with his wife and son to be closer to family and allow his son to attend high school in the USA. He is a retiree from both United Parcel Service and the Department of State. Having trained two daughters, a son and countless professional drivers and supervisors on defensive driving he has joined our team of professionals training the next generation of drivers.
Fernando Castellanos
Team Member/Instructor
Certified Drivers Ed Instructor by the State of North Carolina in 2022
Hi my name Fernando Castellanos and I am Defensive Driving Teacher. I teach defensive driving classes and recently received my certification to teach Drivers Ed. I have a Bachelors Degree from Creighton University and played college soccer there for 4 years. My wife and I have been together for about 9 years and we have lots of animals and a baby girl coming in February 2023.