By Dave Dein – April 21, 2026
For a CDL instructor, connecting your students to the broader industry is the most effective way to transform a trainee into a career professional.
While technical mastery of the vehicle is the foundation of any CDL program, isolating students within the cab limits their understanding of the vibrant, supportive ecosystem they are about to join.
For the second consecutive year, I have had the privilege of escorting eight exceptional students from the Patterson High School trucking program to the 2026 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky in March. These eight students were selected not just for their technical aptitude, but also because of their unwavering dedication to the learning process and their ability to lead by example — both in the classroom and throughout our community.
