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Built in the Midwest

Built in the Midwest

Written by: Midwest Truck Driving School
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About this listen

 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.Copyright 2026 Midwest Truck Driving School Careers Economics Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 50 Years and a Few Million Miles Driving Heavy Haul

    50 Years and a Few Million Miles Driving Heavy Haul
    Apr 24 2026

    Dan started hauling 140,000-pound chip trucks through the UP woods at 17. Fifty years and a few million miles later, he sits down with Josh to talk about what trucking was, what it is now, and what every new driver needs to know.

    🔑 KEY TOPICS

    — 50 years of trucking experience across van lines, intermodal, heavy haul, and OTR

    — The financial realities of owner-operator trucking— Why autonomous trucks face more obstacles than most people realize

    — ELD regulations and how they've reshaped daily operations

    — Practical advice: pre-trip habits, parking strategy, and navigating big cities— What intermodal drayage actually involves day-to-day

    👉 SUBSCRIBE for weekly conversations about careers in the trades.

    🔗 LINKS

    Midwest Truck Driving School: https://midwesttruckdrivingschool.com

    North Country Electrical Line & Heavy Equipment School: https://ncheschool.com

    Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listen

    📧 marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com

    📱 Follow us: @midwesttruckdrivingschool
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • The Real Cost of Being Unprepared After High School

    The Real Cost of Being Unprepared After High School
    Apr 17 2026

    A math tutor who works with trade students says the bar for a high school diploma has never been lower — and he's watching the consequences walk into apprenticeship programs every week.

    Our guest this week, Kent King, has taught public school, run GED prep in a county jail, and now tutors math for our students. He sees what happens when students who "passed" high school meet the math the trades actually demand. This one's a direct conversation about personal responsibility, what schools stopped doing, and why the next generation of tradespeople is going to have to prepare themselves.

    🔗 LINKS

    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
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Why Most CDL Applicants Never Get Hired | Roehl Transport Recruiter

    Why Most CDL Applicants Never Get Hired | Roehl Transport Recruiter
    Apr 10 2026

    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 offers
    • Why Roehl swapped side mirrors for cameras on their 2026 trucks — and what it actually changes about the job
    • The "reality check" that hits every new driver around day 19, and the small group who don't make it past it
    • What David tells students who've got a speeding ticket or a DUI in their past
    • The question David says separates the drivers who succeed from the ones who wash out
    • Why 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.

    🔗 LINKS

    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
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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