Editor’s note: Dave Dein, a former truck driver, is the truck driving program coordinator and instructor at the Patterson High School Supply Chain and Logistics Training Center in California. He is also one of the co-founders of the Next Generation in Trucking Association.
Let’s talk about my early days as a teacher. Were there misconceptions on my part about what it meant to be an educator in my first year? Undeniably and unequivocally: Yes!
Unknowingly, I based everything I knew about teaching on the way I was taught (of course).
When I was growing up, my teachers constantly seemed prepared, organized, caring and — for the most part — happy. And why not? They only worked nine months out of the year, they took a holiday whenever someone sneezed, and their workdays ended by 3 p.m.
How perfect would this be? I envisioned myself playing a round of golf every day, with still plenty of time to make it home for dinner. “I got this! I want this! I need this!” I thought to myself.
My first year as an educator came at the elementary level, but the lessons I learned apply to any grade level (including adult education and CDL training for prospective truck drivers).
I started my career in education with absolutely no formal teacher-preparation education. I was a business major in college, and I was hired as a teacher on an emergency credential.
Immediately, I was thrown into the fire. It was a crash course in learning about lesson planning, differentiating instruction based on student needs, creating engaging and meaningful lessons, the meetings, the endless paperwork, the phone calls to parents … and did I mention the meetings? I had so many informal conflict-resolution meetings with students that I started to feel like Dr. Phil.
It was chaos! I found myself becoming more overwhelmed as each day passed. I now clearly understand why first-year teachers have a 17% dropout rate and why almost 50% quit within the first five years.
I found myself working 12 hours a day and going in on Saturdays to play “catch-up.” Every Saturday of that first year, I was grading papers, making copies and trying to plan engaging lessons — but I really was not sure how.
Well, at least I had Sundays to recover, right? Not so fast! Because I took a 50% pay cut when I left trucking to become a teacher, I had to go back and drive a truck for 15 hours on Sundays to stay financially afloat that first year. And what about that daily golf I envisioned? I haven’t seen my golf clubs since the start of the school year.
Yes, it was rough. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t think about quitting. The thought of climbing back into a truck sounded so peaceful and easy — but I always felt I was called to teach for a reason, and my objective was to see this thing through.
So, what happened that first year that pushed me to the brink of quitting?
Probably the same things that push many first-year teachers out — inadequate training, unrealistic expectations, lack of resources, tools and, most of all, not feeling supported.
If we expect a first-year teacher to take on the responsibility of successfully launching a new high school trucking program, we’d better make sure that person is well-trained, empowered and confident.
The responsibility is too great to implement a program that’s just “OK.” There are young lives at stake, and it’s a responsibility that none of us should take lightly. To put it simply: There is no room for error or complacency in the training we provide.
If you currently have the misconception that it will be an easy job, please either reevaluate that mindset or politely decline this teaching position.
Time to flip the script: Next Generation Trucking and Project 61
As the Patterson High School (PHS) Truck Driving Program instructor and co-founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, I’m immensely proud, not only of the program we created, but, more importantly, of our mission to help high schools replicate the PHS program. We have assembled an outstanding, talented team led by Next Generation in Trucking President Lindsey Trent.
Our first mission was to create a standardized curriculum that was engaging and meaningful. This was a work in progress for almost eight years. We needed content that was relatable but also aligned with industry expectations and needs. Each year, we would fine-tune the curriculum.
We are still in that mindset. As they say, complacency is the death of innovation. So, let’s never get too comfortable in the jobs we do.
We were very thankful to have some excellent industry partners join Next Generation Trucking in our mission early on. We are constantly modifying the curriculum based on specific industry partner needs or the industry as a whole.
Here is an example of how we adapted to an industry need we perceived:
At PHS, I start each class session with what we call “Daily Updates,” where we look at the top stories in trucking. These could cover anything from new technologies and regulations to business deals and even accident scenes, where we analyze them from a preventable/not preventable perspective.
On this particular day, the story focused on the current health of the trucking industry, and the numbers were not encouraging:
- Truck drivers have a life expectancy 16 years shorter than the average American;
- 85% of truck drivers are overweight; and
- 43% of current truck drivers are operating with a restricted DOT medical certification.
This is horrible and not acceptable, especially for a program whose primary goal is to ensure its graduates have long, healthy careers!
I immediately set out to find a curriculum I could incorporate into the PHS program but came up with nothing. So I started looking for someone who could help me and would be willing to create a curriculum for our program.
I came across a gentleman, Dr. Mark Manera, who was starting to work in this space. He graciously agreed to create a 15-week video series on how to live a healthy life on the road. This is exactly where a little bit of information goes a long way! It’s one thing to tell someone how to live their life, but it’s truly life-changing when it becomes part of their decision-making process and they take ownership.
This program provides students with knowledge of human nutrition, how to turn their truck into a personal gym and, most importantly, it addresses mental health. The content of this module is meaningful, applicable and resonates strongly with our student population.
This one little program, created for PHS, is now part of a nonprofit called Project 61 and is being professionally filmed, thanks to a grant from the Trucking Cares Foundation. The new, professionally packaged program will be made available to truck driving schools and trucking companies across the country. Now that is impactful!
Want to make authentic change? It’s simple: Take initiative.
Tune in next time to find out how PHS and the Next Generation Trucking Association are helping schools across the U.S. train the truck drivers of tomorrow.
Dave Dein is the truck driving program coordinator and instructor at the Patterson High School Supply Chain and Logistics Training Center and the co-founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association.
With a career spanning over three decades in the trucking industry, Dave has worked as a driver and a manager. He is also the founder of Faith Logistics, a nonprofit truck driving school ministry dedicated to providing career opportunities through trucking.
For the past 27 years, he has been a dedicated educator within the Patterson, California, Joint Unified School District, holding both multiple and single-subject teaching credentials.
His commitment to shaping the next generation of trucking professionals has earned him significant recognition, including being named the 2025 California and Region V Teacher of the Year.
