Education Station
Education Station
Podcast Description
Education Station
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on topics relevant to the trucking industry, particularly the education and training of new drivers. Key episodes cover challenges like test anxiety, effective teaching strategies, mentorship importance, and the dynamics of establishing a positive driver culture. Specific examples include discussions about the transition from teacher roles to CDL educators and the curriculum at various training institutions.
Education Station is about “who’s next.” It’s a conversation with trainers, saftey experts, executives, and educational leaders about creating the future employees of the trucking industry. Methodologies of teaching, onboarding new classroom technologies, and, perhaps most importantly, imparting institutional wisdom to a new generation of trucking are all on the lesson plan.
On this episode of Education Station on Road Gang Radio, host Jimmy Mac is joined by Chico McCollum, CDL instructor at Bishop State Community College, for a wide-ranging conversation about how truck drivers are really trained—and why mindset, rhythm, and community matter as much as skill.
Chico gives a behind-the-scenes look at Bishop State’s career technical education programs, including CDL training, diesel technology, and skilled trades, and explains how community colleges respond directly to local workforce needs. From first-time students in their 50s to younger drivers with industry exposure, Chico breaks down how instructors adapt teaching styles to meet students where they are.
Topics include:
Why trucking education is about rhythm, patience, and syncopation
Teaching drivers to back better than they drive forward
Building classroom community and teamwork among students
Adapting instruction for beginners and experienced students
Why repetition and real-world backing matter
Preparing drivers psychologically for life on the road
Using all five senses to understand a truck’s health
The importance of humility, curiosity, and passion in instructors
How CDL training connects students to long-term careers—not just licenses
This episode highlights trucking as both a profession and a lifestyle, and why great instructors focus on confidence, calm, and continuous learning—not shortcuts.
Learn more about Bishop State Community College and CDL training:
https://www.bishop.edu
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