Our History

As NSTS celebrates its second birthday this year, we are excited to announce that we will soon be able to work with Veteran's Administration funded GI BillĀ® benefits, GI Grants, and other military benefits. Even though our school is only two years old, the founders of the school, Michael Svoboda and Valery (Val) Karcha, have extensive combined experience in the trucking industry of over 30 years.

Val Karcha started his career in logistics in 2001 as a commercial truck driver. His experience includes transportation of refrigerated cargo, dry cargo, and also comprehensive experience in flatbed transport. While working as a driver, Val opened his own trucking company, where he worked as a dispatcher for several years. During the first few years of his management, the amount drivers and owner-operators soon increased to fifty.

Working on the West Coast in Tacoma, Val noticed a shortage of cold storage services. Within two years of beginning his trucking company, Val expanded his logistics business to accommodate the need for cold storage facilities and took a leading position in Cold Storage and Refrigeration in the Pacific Northwest Region. He then expanded the business to include a truck repair shop and also became a Vanguard official dealer. The NST team now numbers more than 150 employees.

Since childhood, when Michael Svoboda traveled around Europe with his father at the age of ten, he has been part of the family-owned logistics business in Moldova. Michael purchased a truck repair shop in 2014 and managed the company for three years. In 2015, when one of his customers didn't have the resources to finance an engine overhaul, Michael found a driver and entered a Logistics Training Program.After extensive training and managing his truckload operations, his company expanded into a brokerage, including the transportation of refrigerated cargo, dry cargo, and car hauling. Meanwhile, the Tacoma Truck Repair Center team grew to 10 certified mechanics specializing in professional programming and computer diagnostics.

In 2017, Valery and Michael Svoboda, one of his frequent trailer customers, went to dinner to celebrate a recent purchase. Michael shared his plans of opening a truck driving school in response to the rising demand for qualified professional truck drivers. Truck drivers transfer 71% of the US economy's goods. By 2030, the trucking industry will have a need for 1,000,000 new drivers, according to the American Trucking Association.

In 2018, Val and Michael combined experience and resources to open New Sound Truck Driving School. NSTS is located in a facility with a cold storage warehouse, truck repair shop, Vanguard dealership, dispatch, and brokerage team, which provides comprehensive training for our future students. New Sound Truck Driving School is the top-rated trucking school in Washington, emphasizing education, hands-on training, and job placement. We take pride in our proficient teaching methods and thoroughly prepare our students for the road no matter what lies ahead.

With a strong team and the latest neuro hacking techniques to assist in the memorization of the pre-trip inspection, we have helped over 1000 students receive their CDL.

Enrolling in a high-quality truck driving school is the first step towards becoming a professional driver for our students. With NSTS, you will develop the skills and learn essential techniques to become safe, competent, and productively employed commercial truck drivers. Making a new career choice in this plentiful job market is a journey that will be life-changing for most who embark upon it.

Enroll With Us Today! Contact our Admission Department at 253-210-0505 for more information about obtaining your CDL.