Smith System Driver Improvement Institute, a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, has acquired Driving Dynamics. Levine Leichtman acquired Smith System through its fifth fund in June 2014.
Driving Dynamics provides driver safety training services for commercial fleets across the United States. The company offers virtual and in-person classroom training, behind-the-wheel exercises, eLearning content, and driver risk management programs. Driving Dynamics is headquartered 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Newark, Delaware.
Smith System was founded by Harold Smith and is considered the pioneer and market leader in accident avoidance training for fleet vehicle drivers. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II as the operator of a troop landing craft, Mr. Smith opened Detroit’s first driving school – “The Safeway Driving School” – in 1948. Four years later, Mr. Smith founded Smith System Driver Improvement Institute to increase the safety of commercial drivers by learning five rules to provide space, visibility, and time to reduce the chance of a major accident.
Today, Arlington, Texas-headquartered Smith System, led by CEO Tony Douglas, has trained millions of drivers in more than 100 countries – more than half of Fortune 500 fleets use Smith System for driver safety training – and integrates driver training with telematics, driver scoring metrics, and predictive risk analysis.
“Driving Dynamics brings a wealth of talent and an exciting complement of driver safety training capabilities and curricula to Smith System,” said Mr. Douglas. “Driving Dynamics builds on Smith System’s prior acquisitions of OQSG and Driver’s Alert, and further solidifies our market-leading position as one of the fastest-growing and most comprehensive providers of workplace safety training services.” Louisiana-based OQSG (Operator Qualification Solutions Group) was acquired in November 2018 and Florida-based Driver’s Alert was acquired in February 2020.
Levine Leichtman invests in US and Europe-based middle-market companies across industries including franchising, business services, education, engineered products, healthcare and light manufacturing. The firm closed its most recent fund, LLCP Lower Middle Market Fund III LP (Fund III), at an oversubscribed $1.38 billion in September 2021.
Since its founding in 1984 by Arthur Levine and Lauren Leichtman, LLCP has managed approximately $13.2 billion of institutional capital across 15 investment funds and has invested in over 90 portfolio companies. LLCP currently has $8.9 billion of assets under management with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, London, Stockholm, The Hague and Frankfurt.
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