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. Opportunity Doesn't Wait for the Perfect Time

    16H AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. College Enrollment Is Collapsing for a Reason

    MAY 1

    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. 🔗 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
  5. Why Most CDL Applicants Never Get Hired | Roehl Transport Recruiter

    APR 10

    Why Most CDL Applicants Never Get Hired | Roehl Transport Recruiter

    David spent ten years recruiting for the U.S. Army before he ever recruited a single truck driver. Now he travels the Midwest sitting down with CDL students and soldiers transitioning out — and he's blunt about what most of them get wrong before they ever sign an application. WHAT WE GET INTO The thing every new driver assumes about hiring that's costing them offersWhy Roehl swapped side mirrors for cameras on their 2026 trucks — and what it actually changes about the jobThe "reality check" that hits every new driver around day 19, and the small group who don't make it past itWhat David tells students who've got a speeding ticket or a DUI in their pastThe question David says separates the drivers who succeed from the ones who wash outWhy the worst thing a new driver can do is walk in thinking they already know ABOUT DAVID David spent five years with the 82nd Airborne — three deployments, two to Iraq, one to Afghanistan — before transitioning into Army recruiting for a decade. He retired from the military in 2017 and has been recruiting drivers ever since. Today he's the military field recruiter for Roehl Transport, covering CDL schools and military bases across the Midwest. Roehl has been family-owned since 1962 and runs roughly 1,900 trucks across all 48 states. 🔗 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

    41 min
  6. The Trade That Keeps Every Other Trade Running

    APR 3

    The Trade That Keeps Every Other Trade Running

    Every truck on the road, every piece of heavy equipment on a job site, every log truck bouncing through the woods at 160,000 pounds — someone has to keep all of it running. That someone is AJ. He started as a diesel tech and worked his way to managing a shop that serves everyone from over-the-road drivers passing through the UP to log truck operators 30 miles deep in the woods. He came in to talk about diesel tech. He ended up making a case that it might be the most underrated career in the trades. If you have an electrical background, you're as good as gold in the modern heavy duty industry. Master technicians are rare, and those with these specialized skills can command good paying jobs. This conversation highlights the critical role of these trade jobs as a lifeline when mechanical issues arise, emphasizing how vital skilled mechanics are. ABOUT AJ AJ started turning wrenches and worked his way up to managing operations at 10-4 Truck & Trailer Repair in the UP. His shop handles everything from routine maintenance to emergency road calls — tractor trailers, log trucks, heavy equipment, and anything else that runs diesel and needs help. He's one of those guys who keeps every other trade moving, and most people will never know his name. 🔗 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

    41 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.