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The Future of Heavy Equipment Operation Is Insane
Donnie walked into the largest heavy equipment show in North America and watched someone operate a real excavator in Germany — from a console in Las Vegas. That moment changed how he thinks about what's coming for the industry. And what he's bringing back to his students.
WHAT WE GET INTO
- The ConExpo experience — 2,200 vendors, five buildings, four parking lots, and technology Donnie didn't know existed
- Proximity software that locks machine controls when a person gets within eight feet — even in the operator's blind spot
- Why the "five years of experience" hire is a unicorn now — and what employers are asking for instead
- The NCCER credentials that are putting graduates a year ahead in apprenticeship programs before they even start
- Why having a CDL as an operator makes you a one-person crew — and why employers are starting to require it
- Donnie's take on women in heavy equipment: "Some of the best operators I've ever seen are women"
- The student age range that proves it's never too late — from 16 to 66
ABOUT DONNIE
Donnie is the lead heavy equipment instructor at Midwest Truck Driving School. He just came back from ConExpo 2026 — the largest heavy equipment show in North America — and what he saw is changing how he trains the next generation of operators.
We get into the technology that's coming, the credentials that are giving graduates a head start, why women are some of the best operators he's ever trained, and why the "five years of experience" hire is officially a mythical creature.
🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: Listen to Built in the Midwest
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
💬 CONNECTEmail: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool
View all episodes
By Midwest Truck Driving SchoolDonnie walked into the largest heavy equipment show in North America and watched someone operate a real excavator in Germany — from a console in Las Vegas. That moment changed how he thinks about what's coming for the industry. And what he's bringing back to his students.
WHAT WE GET INTO
- The ConExpo experience — 2,200 vendors, five buildings, four parking lots, and technology Donnie didn't know existed
- Proximity software that locks machine controls when a person gets within eight feet — even in the operator's blind spot
- Why the "five years of experience" hire is a unicorn now — and what employers are asking for instead
- The NCCER credentials that are putting graduates a year ahead in apprenticeship programs before they even start
- Why having a CDL as an operator makes you a one-person crew — and why employers are starting to require it
- Donnie's take on women in heavy equipment: "Some of the best operators I've ever seen are women"
- The student age range that proves it's never too late — from 16 to 66
ABOUT DONNIE
Donnie is the lead heavy equipment instructor at Midwest Truck Driving School. He just came back from ConExpo 2026 — the largest heavy equipment show in North America — and what he saw is changing how he trains the next generation of operators.
We get into the technology that's coming, the credentials that are giving graduates a head start, why women are some of the best operators he's ever trained, and why the "five years of experience" hire is officially a mythical creature.
🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: Listen to Built in the Midwest
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
💬 CONNECTEmail: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool