50 Years and a Few Million Miles Driving Heavy Haul

The Real Reason Trucking Companies Use Cameras

Josh Rouse came up through trucking, stepped away for a stretch, and got pulled back in by a buddy with an opening in operations. Two years on the board later, he moved into human resources and safety — and now handles the hiring, the safety tech, and the IT that ties it all together. A.M. Express is a locally owned, Escanaba-based carrier running vans, tankers, flatbeds, lowboys, and reefers across the lower 48, and it's one of the companies that comes into the school to recruit. Takeaways: * The use of technology in trucking, such as inward and outward facing cameras, enhances safety and accountability for drivers. * Having a clear long-term goal in the trucking industry can help prevent burnout and ensure career satisfaction. * Training programs can effectively turn new drivers into top performers, emphasizing the importance of learning on the job. * Cameras in trucks may seem intrusive, but they can protect drivers from unfair blame and improve their skills over time. * Opportunities for growth in the trucking industry are abundant, with various specializations available for drivers to explore, such as flatbed and tanker. * The trucking industry is a viable alternative to traditional college routes, offering potential earnings with minimal student debt. 🔗 LINKS Check out AM Express: https://amexpressinc.com/ [https://amexpressinc.com/] Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen [https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen] Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ [https://ncheschool.com/] Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST [https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST ] 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest [https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ [https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool [https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool]

Opportunity Doesn't Wait for the Perfect Time

This episode is for the kid being told he has one option. It's for the apprentice trying to figure out if going local is worth the pay cut. It's for the lineman wondering if the side hustle is real. Mike's career didn't follow a plan. It followed a series of decisions — and the ones that paid off weren't the ones anyone told him to make. WHAT WE GET INTO * The guidance counselor conversation that introduced him to the trades * Why he didn't finish line school — and why his teacher told him not to * What he made as an apprentice on the road vs. as a municipal lineman at home * The tree job at his parents' house that accidentally started a business * Why he walked away from the "gravy job" most lineman never leave * The advice rule he uses: "Be careful who you take advice from" ABOUT MIKE DOMBROWSKI Mike Dombrowski grew up around Jim's Music — his dad's store. He knew young he didn't want an office. He went from high school to CDL to line school to apprentice contracting work in Minnesota, came home as a municipal lineman, started a tree service on the side, and went full-time around 2021. He's also one of the founding members of the MTDS Lineman School. You may have seen some of his videos go viral on TikTok and Facebook. * https://www.tiktok.com/@dombrowskitreeservice * https://www.facebook.com/dombrowskitreeservice/ 🔗 LINKS Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen [https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen] Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ [https://ncheschool.com/] Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST [https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST ] 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest [https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ [https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool [https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool]

The Invisible Barrier Every Trade Student Faces | BTS episode

> Quick heads up before you press play: we recorded this one inside a moving training truck during an active class day, so the audio gets scratchy in spots. We cleaned up what we could — some of it just is what it is when you record on the road. Bear with us. The conversation makes it worth it. THE PREVIEW > This one's a behind-the-scenes episode. No table, no studio, no script — just a mic in the cab and two students riding along on a real training day. > Both of them are in the middle of the course, and they came at it from completely different places in life. But somewhere around the middle of training, almost every student we've ever had hits the same wall — and almost nobody talks about it before they enroll. > Different ages. Different reasons. Different jobs on the other side of it. Same program. Same wall in the middle. Same way through. WHAT WE GET INTO * The wall almost every student hits around the middle of the course — and why Josh says it's a good sign, not a bad one * The night Nate had to "get the stress out" — and the gear that put him there * The job Jason interviewed well for and still didn't get — for one reason he couldn't argue with * Whether eight hours a day in a truck feels like a grind or a normal day once you're a few weeks in * A live look at something most schools never show you: reading a truck stop before you commit to pulling in TIMESTAMPS > 00:00 — Why this one sounds different 01:20 — The wall every student hits — and why Josh says it's a good sign 02:20 — Meet Nate 03:46 — The moment trucking got its hooks in him 06:06 — Why right now might be the best window Josh has seen to get in 06:48 — The night Nate had to "get the stress out" — and the gear that put him there 08:37 — A live look at the kind of detail nobody shows you on a brochure 10:35 — Driver switch — meet Jason 13:12 — Where 16 years in this industry can take you 15:10 — Does eight hours a day feel like a lot? Jason answers honestly 18:31 — The job Jason didn't get — and the advice that came out of it 22:16 — Where this drive was actually headed 23:21 — Signing off from the side of the highway 🔗 LINKS Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen [https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen] Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ [https://ncheschool.com/] Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST [https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST ] 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest [https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ [https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool [https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool]

Trade School Is The Door, Not The Destination

A high school CTE director drives a busload of students two hours each way to spend a day at a CDL school. Why? Because somewhere along the way, he figured out something most people building career pathways for young people miss — and it changes how you should think about every trade school you've ever seen. Josh had a chat with Linus Parr, who runs the Career and Technical Education programs at Newberry High School. They recorded outside — first time we've ever done that — while Newberry's students were on the MTDS yards trying out heavy equipment, climbing poles, and getting hands-on with trades some of them had never even heard of. They also discuss: → Why ninth graders should get to try things — even if they hate it → The "reverse field trip" model Newberry is pioneering → Why the classroom doesn't need to be in the school building → A 10-year millage that just changed CTE in the eastern UP If you're a parent, an educator, a school counselor — or a young person trying to figure out what comes next — this one's worth your time. 🔗 LINKS Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen [https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen] Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ [https://ncheschool.com/] Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST [https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST ] 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest [https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ [https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool [https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool]

College Enrollment Is Collapsing for a Reason

Nine years ago, the average truck driving school student was 50. Today, they're 18-20. Why are high schoolers and career changers walking away from college and choosing skilled trades careers — truck driving, lineman work, heavy equipment operation — instead? In Episode 11 of Built in the Midwest, we sit down with Kyle Barron, Director of Admissions at Midwest Truck Driving School and North Country Heavy Equipment and Electrical Line School. After nearly a decade across the desk from prospective students, Kyle has watched the demographic shift firsthand — the rise of trade school enrollment among young adults, the parents calling about gap year plans, and the 4.0 high school graduate who can't find a job. This is the skills gap conversation from someone who lives it every day. We get into: - Why a four-year college degree no longer guarantees employment - The truth about underemployment among recent college graduates - What kinesthetic learners need (and why traditional classrooms fail them) - Why the trades are a viable career path for career changers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s - The case against the couch-and-beach gap year — and what to do instead - How to evaluate trade school programs in the Midwest - The real ROI of starting a blue-collar career vs. taking on student loan debt If you're a high school student weighing college vs. trade school, a parent helping a teenager think through career options, a career changer considering a fresh start, or an employer trying to understand where the next generation of skilled workers is coming from — this conversation is for you. 🔗 LINKS Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen [https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen] Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ [https://ncheschool.com/] Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST [https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST ] 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com [marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com ] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest [https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ [https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool [https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool]