Our Staff

---

James Bailey is a native to South Carolina. James served in the US Army for 4 years as a communication specialist and light infantry solider. He has driven large vehicles in 3 different foreign countries during his time in service.  He has driven for numerous companies over the road, hauling various products. In 2003, James left the road and begun instructing where he moved into the head of the department for South Carolina’s oldest and largest Truck Driver Training Program in 2008 to 2011. After his time instructing, he worked as a quality manager where he investigated all non-conformance activities, conducted product spill and contamination investigations, provided a root cause analysis, and remediation. He also assisted in developing and implementing a driver training program. In 2017, he came to Superior Bulk Logistics to manage the training and development center. Finally, in 2019; James was appointed the director of SBL Driving Academy, Inc. 

James holds several certifications and licenses. He is FMCSA Supervisor Certified and holds an advanced air brake system certification. James has his EDU-213 teaching certificate and is an operation lifesaver presenter. He is a certified Smith System Instructor and is certified in documentation and investigative report writing. He has also chaired some industry associations. James served on the South Carolina Trucking Association Safety and Technology Council from 2014 to 2016. He served as 2nd chair, 1st chair, and chairman. . 

James is a real go-getter and will not stop until he reaches his goals. James may be the director of the school, but you will often find him in the classroom, out on the range, and with potential students. He has a great knack at identifying peoples strengthens and building from those. James is fun to be around and brings a very positive energy to the academy. One of his favorite sayings is “if you are going to bring a problem, be sure to bring a solution as well”. Wise words, from a wise man! 

Jimmy is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and has resided in the upstate for 30 years. Jimmy served 31 years in state government where he has managed a SCDMV’s statewide Commercial Driver's License Program; where he was responsible for CDL training, testing and implementation, provided oversight of truck driver training schools. During his tenure as a Fleet Safety Manager at SCDOT, he over saw 4500 employees and 2300 CMV’s statewide. Jimmy, a Class A CDL holder and a Certified National CDL Examiner's Trainer, has served 5 years on the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrator’s (AAMVA) 5 member national CDL Test Maintenance Committee.  This organization sets the standards for CDL testing in the United States, which are codified by the USDOT. 

Jimmy spent many years assisting the state agencies that he has worked for and his staff members within those agencies with compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. He has traveled the country using his knowledge and experience in support of AAMVA' s CDL Examiner's training initiatives, including playing a pivotal role in the development of nationally-adopted CDL audio-visual based training material.  He worked for 15 years with AAMVA in CDL train the trainer, where he trained the state’s lead examiners, and FMCSA’s representatives. Jimmy is very passionate and involved in the White House's initiative (Troops to Trucks) to train desiring military personnel for commercial driver opportunities once they leave the service. 

Jimmy holds over 18 certifications which include FMSCA Skills Performance Evaluations Certificate, AAA Defensive Driving Instructor, and AAMVA CDL Train the Trainer Certificate. Jimmy is very professional, proficient, and thorough. He is also very personable and has a very infectious laugh. You can often find him offering advice to others whom seek his help or helping students brainstorm on how they can make school work for them

Jay is originally from Laurens, SC. After high school he worked at various places, which included Caterpillar and that is when he re-thought his career. After talking to his wife, he decided to go to truck driving school. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Reese were both at the school Mr. Bagwell went through to obtain his CDL. 

Jay has worked at Tidewater, R & J Trucking, XBO, and Sparks Industrial Service. He has had his CDL for over 10 years. Jay said he wanted something different in trucking, so he decided to take the instructor position at SBL Driving Academy. Jay said since he has been at the Academy, he has a better schedule (he enjoys the days & hours he works). Another highlight was the free food during driver appreciation week. The company treats me really good too. “I have a lot of respect for Mr. Bailey. He is the best boss I have ever had. I can talk freely to him and I’ve never been able to do that before”. 

Mr. Bagwell said he gets a good feeling to know that he impacts the students’ lives. That they each have their own story and it makes him proud when they start achieving their goals and reaching their benchmarks during class. I know how excited I was when I was learning and training to get my CDL. 

For fun Jay likes to enjoy delicious cuisines, is an outdoorsman, likes to wash his car, and spend time with his wife and their dog named Mia. 

Wendell was born and raised in Spartanburg SC. He went to Spartanburg High School. Upon graduation, he went into the United States Navy and was a Machinist mate for 8 years. He was stationed at Norfolk VA and served on the following ships: USS Mount Whitney, USS Portland, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN – 71. After he got out of the Navy, he came back to Spartanburg, then 3 years later he got married. 

He has worked in multiple places then decided to get his CDL after a 10-year stent with Cintas. He began CDL Class A school in 2017 and obtained his licenses in Jan 2018. He started to work for PTL in Paduka KY, followed by Superior Carriers. He started at Superior Carriers in March of 2018 and left in June 2020 to drive a dump truck until he got a call in August to come back as an instructor at SBL Driving Academy. 

For fun Mr. Ballew likes to work out, go bowling, watch movies, going out to eat, and enjoys watching football. He likes Clemson and Dallas Cowboys; and every Friday he still tunes in to listen to the Spartanburg Vikings. He loves visiting his grandchildren, and spending time with his wife and his family.  He has 4 daughters and 6 grandchildren with another grandchild on the way. His best buddy is a dog named Coco that follows him everywhere. 

Dillon is from Simpsonville, SC. He has various truck driving jobs including Red bull, Diamond Springs Water and FedEx. After getting out of the driving industry he decided to take a job at BMW North America. He worked his way up at BMW over 4 years and decided he wanted to get back into trucking. He enjoyed teaching new associates at BMW so he decided to follow his passion for teaching at SBL Truck Driving Academy. Dillon enjoys watching  students learn and gets great joy out of watching them excel. In his spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time at the beach. 

Ms. Clark has a strong background in Medical Administration. She has performed scheduling, insurance authorizations, as well as worked along side Physicians. She has performed clinical research and Laboratory testing. 

Amy brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Academy Family and a wonderful personality. Amy is a local resident to the Upstate area of South Carolina and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities. 

Our core mission is training entry level Class A drivers. We also offer a 40 hour refresher class for persons who hold a valid and current CDL that just need to have recent verifiable experience. We offer third party testing services for persons who only wish to take the CDL test.

Sammy is a former Haz Mat tanker driver. Mr. Farmer brought many years of experience to the Academy of Managing people in various roles throughout his life. Sammy is a great addition to the teaching staff here at the Academy. Sammy has worked in his previous career as senior level management in the manufacturing sector.

Sammy is a pleasure to work with and around. He has brought a lot of knowledge to the students.