The Future of Heavy Equipment Operation Is Insane

Episode 6 • 27th March 2026 • Built in the Midwest • Midwest Truck Driving School

00:00:00 00:57:10

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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.