Built in the Midwest

Midwest Truck Driving School

There are careers that pay six figures, have massive demand, and take months to get into — not years. The reason most people never consider them has nothing to do with the work. It has to do with what they were never told. Built in the Midwest is where we have real conversations about careers in the skilled trades. From truck driving and electrical line work to heavy equipment and beyond. We bring in the people doing the work, the employers hiring for it, and the instructors training the next generation — because most people make career decisions with almost no real information. They pick a path based on what everyone else is doing, what sounds good on paper, or what their parents did. And then they spend the rest of their life wondering if they got it wrong. This show exists so you don't have to guess. You'll hear what the work actually looks like, what it pays, what employers want, and what nobody tells you before you get started. Hosted from Escanaba, Michigan by Midwest Truck Driving School, where we train CDL drivers, linemen, and heavy equipment operators. But the conversations here go well beyond our own programs — because the trades are bigger than any one school, and the decision you're making deserves the full picture. Whether you're an employer who wants to share your perspective, a tradesperson with a story, or someone trying to figure out their next move — pull up a chair and tune in. Got a question about a specific trade or career? Send us a message. We'll get into it on a future episode. New episodes every Friday.

  1. Your Truck Driving School May Be Setting You Up to Fail

    5d ago

    Your Truck Driving School May Be Setting You Up to Fail

    A guy with twenty years on the road climbs into the cab for a road test, asks if he can float the gears, and proceeds to grind metal on metal the whole way down the block. That moment is the whole point of this episode. Experience isn't the same as doing it right, and a lot of what gets argued about online falls apart the second someone who teaches this for a living walks you through it. RJ pulled the questions people actually ask — from the comments and from threads across Reddit — and put them to Josh, straight. WHAT WE GET INTO Why double clutching gets taught, what floating actually is, and the line between the two that most people online get wrongThe reason a thirty-year veteran might struggle with today's CDL testWhat happened to a big chunk of the country's CDL schools — and how to make sure you don't end up at the wrong oneThe weight mistakes that quietly cost new drivers thousandsThree pre-trips that caught a problem before it caught fireThe honest answer to "is CDL school even worth it"Why the trucks with all the nice tools can make you a worse driver ABOUT THE EPISODE This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation, focused on the truck and the training itself. Part 2 picks up the career and decision side. Everything here comes with a regional-context disclaimer — these are Midwest answers, and your experience somewhere else may look different. Questions were kept anonymous on purpose. 🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    52 min
  2. Four Questions That Beat 'What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up?'

    Jun 19

    Four Questions That Beat 'What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up?'

    Trent Bellinger grew up being told the same thing a lot of kids hear — that college was the only road that led anywhere good. He went and got the degree. But somewhere along the way he figured out that the thing setting him apart wasn't the diploma, it was the 4,000 hours he'd already put in at his dad's shop. Now he runs career and technical education for two counties, and he's spending his days making sure kids see every door, not just the one everybody points at. WHAT WE GET INTO Why a 2.0 student and a 4.0 student can land in exactly the same spot — and what actually decides itThe four-question test Trent walks students through when "what do you want to be?" isn't getting them anywhere"Kids can't be what they can't see," and what schools are doing to fix it before ninth gradeThe high schoolers who poured footings and hung drywall on a real house, with real contractors standing next to themWhy the skills you pick up at a summer job nobody can ever take back from youThe pallet story that turned into a rule Trent keeps on his office wall ABOUT TRENT Trent Bellinger is the CTE director for the Delta-Schoolcraft ISD. He started as a welding instructor, taught for eight years, and moved into administration because he liked building things — programs, pathways, a way through for kids who didn't fit the one-size mold. He and his wife are raising two kids in the U.P. and aren't going anywhere. Discover your Ikigai here: https://ikigaitest.com/ 🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    48 min
  3. Why This Former Marine Leader Started Over as an Apprentice

    Jun 12

    Why This Former Marine Leader Started Over as an Apprentice

    You want a stable career that pays well with room to grow — but with all the noise out there, it's hard to even know where to start. Johnny Rogers didn't have a map either. He left the Marine Corps at 28 and started over in the trades at the bottom. In this one we talk about the decision he made in a parking lot that set the next decade in motion, why he chose eight years in the Marines instead of four or twenty, and what it really feels like to go from being in charge to being the new guy who knows nothing. We get into the CDL he treated as a backup plan, the apprenticeship boot camp he showed up to with no training, and the advice he'd give his 18-year-old self about chasing goals too fast.Johnny Rogers is a Marine veteran, journeyman lineman, head wrestling coach in Escanaba, and a member of the National Guard. He started his trade career through Midwest Truck Driving School and a direct-entry line apprenticeship. 🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    54 min
  4. The Real Reason Trucking Companies Use Cameras

    May 29

    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. 🔗 LINKSCheck out AM Express: https://amexpressinc.com/ Listen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    36 min
  5. Opportunity Doesn't Wait for the Perfect Time

    May 22

    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 INTOThe guidance counselor conversation that introduced him to the tradesWhy he didn't finish line school — and why his teacher told him not toWhat he made as an apprentice on the road vs. as a municipal lineman at homeThe tree job at his parents' house that accidentally started a businessWhy he walked away from the "gravy job" most lineman never leaveThe advice rule he uses: "Be careful who you take advice from" ABOUT MIKE DOMBROWSKIMike 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/@dombrowskitreeservicehttps://www.facebook.com/dombrowskitreeservice/ 🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    39 min
  6. The Invisible Barrier Every Trade Student Faces | BTS episode

    May 15

    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 oneThe night Nate had to "get the stress out" — and the gear that put him thereThe job Jason interviewed well for and still didn't get — for one reason he couldn't argue withWhether eight hours a day in a truck feels like a grind or a normal day once you're a few weeks inA 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🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    24 min
  7. Trade School Is The Door, Not The Destination

    May 8

    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. 🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen Midwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/ Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool

    17 min

About

There are careers that pay six figures, have massive demand, and take months to get into — not years. The reason most people never consider them has nothing to do with the work. It has to do with what they were never told. Built in the Midwest is where we have real conversations about careers in the skilled trades. From truck driving and electrical line work to heavy equipment and beyond. We bring in the people doing the work, the employers hiring for it, and the instructors training the next generation — because most people make career decisions with almost no real information. They pick a path based on what everyone else is doing, what sounds good on paper, or what their parents did. And then they spend the rest of their life wondering if they got it wrong. This show exists so you don't have to guess. You'll hear what the work actually looks like, what it pays, what employers want, and what nobody tells you before you get started. Hosted from Escanaba, Michigan by Midwest Truck Driving School, where we train CDL drivers, linemen, and heavy equipment operators. But the conversations here go well beyond our own programs — because the trades are bigger than any one school, and the decision you're making deserves the full picture. Whether you're an employer who wants to share your perspective, a tradesperson with a story, or someone trying to figure out their next move — pull up a chair and tune in. Got a question about a specific trade or career? Send us a message. We'll get into it on a future episode. New episodes every Friday.

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