In career and technical education (CTE), a program’s success relies heavily on the industry partners who step up to support it. For those of us operating commercial driving programs under the Next Generation in Trucking Association (NGT) framework, having dedicated allies is essential to equipping students for the workforce.
One such indispensable partner is Enrique Allen Mar.
Enrique’s work with high school trucking programs began 11 years ago during his time with Advanced Training Systems (ATS). He arrived at Patterson High School to install two advanced driving simulators for what would become a national blueprint for secondary school CDL training. Over the past decade, Enrique has served as a reliable technical resource and advocate for secondary driving programs, continuing his deep involvement when NGT officially formed in 2020.
Legacy of instructional and promotional support
As a founding member of NGT, ATS has consistently provided the tools necessary to advance our collective training mission.
Whenever NGT represents our community at educational and transportation conferences nationwide, ATS and Enrique have ensured our presence includes active simulator technology. This hands-on resource allows educators and administrators to see exact training methods in action and experience firsthand how to engage the next generation of drivers using advanced educational technology.
Eliminating procurement and administrative bottlenecks
Recently, Enrique founded Sim Experts, a full-service simulator and education company. In launching this venture, his primary focus was addressing a major operational challenge faced by school districts and CTE directors — procurement complexity.
Historically, aligning a program with the NGT Modeled Curriculum required administrators to manage multiple vendors and process several individual purchase orders (POs) for software, hardware and teaching materials.
To eliminate this administrative burden, Sim Experts developed a unified, packaged approach.
School districts can now complete their entire implementation through a single purchase order. Sim Experts manages the backend coordination, delivering all recommended resources and curriculum materials through a streamlined process.
Case Study: Implementation in San Bernardino
This consolidated procurement model is already proving successful in the field. Sim Experts recently launched its services with its inaugural institutional client, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
Our team was on-site for this launch to deliver the NGT Accelerate Program—our personalized, one-on-one professional development and onboarding training designed to give new programs a compliance-ready foundation. Working alongside their instructional staff demonstrated how effectively a turnkey solution reduces the startup friction for a district.
The administrative and teaching staff noted the simplicity of the transaction and Sim Experts’ precision during deployment. Due to the seamless rollout, the district is already evaluating the acquisition of a second program for another campus in their region.
Advanced professional development for CDL instructors
Beyond equipment logistics, Enrique provides ongoing instructional leadership for the educators delivering the curriculum.
He consistently supports the annual NGT Train the Trainer event, held each year at Patterson High School. During this event, he conducts a professional seminar covering the history of simulation and the specific pedagogical methodologies required to integrate simulators into a comprehensive training syllabus. This ongoing training ensures that instructors can maximize student engagement and tech utilization in the classroom.
Driving program growth nationwide
Our objective as educators and administrators remains clear: To help institutions across the nation adopt the NGT Modeled Curriculum pioneered at Patterson High School, allowing us to educate more young people about the excellent career paths available in the trucking industry. Our commitment is to provide top-tier instruction that prepares students to graduate as highly skilled, safety-conscious professionals. Achieving this standard requires actionable, industry-backed support.
In his own words
Enrique shares a deep connection to the cause. Here, he shares this connection in his own words:
“When I graduated high school, I was told there were three paths ahead of me: college, the military or the workforce. None of those options were wrong, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, what I was passionate about or what opportunities existed beyond the small bit of life I had experienced.
“Looking back, I was fortunate. Through simulation, workforce training, motorsports, entrepreneurship and a lot of travel, I found myself exposed to a variety of industries, careers and experiences. More importantly, I had the opportunity to explore them. Looking back, those experiences ultimately shaped both my career and the person I would become.
“From this experience, I developed the belief that young people are not lacking potential or drive; they are lacking exposure.
“That is why the mission of Next Generation in Trucking resonates with me and why Sim Experts exists. The goal is not to simply create truck drivers, equipment operators or technicians. Those outcomes are valuable, but they are not the mission.
“The mission is to expose students to opportunities they may never have otherwise considered and help them connect curiosity with possibility.
“Whether through Drive to Thrive, simulation, instructor development, or industry partnerships, the objective remains the same: Create opportunities for exploration and help students discover what is possible. Some of those opportunities may lead to careers in transportation. Others may lead somewhere completely different. What matters is that students are given the chance to explore them.”
The team at NGT extends our deepest gratitude to Enrique Allen Mar and Sim Experts for translating their belief in our mission into tangible, impactful solutions.
Dave Dein is co-founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association and the former truck driving program coordinator and instructor at the Patterson High School Supply Chain and Logistics Training Center in Patterson, California.
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.
