He doesn’t have a medical degree, but Rick Hinojosa is still in the business of saving lives. Owner and founder of Hinojosa Driving School in Portland, the former medical student from the University of Texas at Austin teaches driving skills that save lives on the road.
“I’m saving them from winding up on a hospital slab before they actually make a mistake behind the wheel,” Hinojosa told Corpus Christi Business News.
Since 1995, Hinojosa has been helping students in the Coastal Bend hone the art of safely and skillfully maneuvering a vehicle. For 25 years, he taught driver’s education in the evenings while working full time as a special education teacher in the public school system. In 2003, he and his wife, Dalia, started Hinojosa Driving School in Portland.
Hinojosa Driving School has been providing quality, Texas-certified instruction with affordable prices and payment plans ever since. In fact, the school also serves as a Texas Department of Public Safety third-party testing site where teens and adults can take their driving test. It is the only driving school in Portland, serving the entire north side of Harbor Bridge from Ingleside to Victoria.
Teen classes are offered every month with each class session lasting about three weeks. In addition, adult classes are available as well as a new Adult Driver Education class for young adults ages 18-25. The school offers defensive driving classes as well.
“We’ve come a long away, technically speaking,” Hinojosa said. “We now have an interactive website at hinojosadrivingschool.com. Our parents can use our online scheduling system to check on a student’s lessons and get email reminders of their appointments coming up.”
Hinojosa believes the secrets to his school’s success are quality instruction, courteous staff and professional treatment of clients.
“I always have timid drivers who don’t want to drive, but once they get behind the wheel with me, they start to gain confidence.” he said. “I never yell at them, and I treat them like young adults instead of teenagers. They start understanding that the car is a dangerous thing. If they don’t know how to use the car, it could be like a weapon — a loaded gun, so to speak.”
Instructor Rick Powell also works very well with the students, Hinojosa said.
“We never receive complaints that any of my instructors have been rude to them like other places,” Hinojosa continued. “Basically, if they come out of the seven-hour driving lesson and parents have also done the 30-hour parent block, these kids should be good drivers.”
The proof is in the report cards, which show how many accidents have occurred within six months after students get their licenses.
“Most schools get a 0.5 (percent) rate — mine is 0.05,” Hinojosa said.
As for future plans, Hinojosa aims to be the top choice for driving schools across the Coastal Bend.  
“What I find most rewarding is when I get a parent who brings all of their children to me year after year until they tell me, ‘Hey, finally this is the last one,’” he said. “They always come back to me. The reviews and comments that they leave on our website are always four and five stars.”

Hinojosa Driving School is located at 114C Lang Road in Portland. For more information, call (361) 643-2681 or email hinojosadriving@gmail.com.