Producing Road-Ready Drivers with Ed Kimes and Darrell Spitzer | Ep 50

In this milestone 50th episode of Miles and Mentors, we sit down with Ed Kimes, CDL Program Director, and Darrell Spitzer, Dean of Workforce and Career Technical Education at Eastern Wyoming College, to uncover what makes their CDL program a standout in today’s trucking industry. With decades of combined experience in both trucking and technical education, Ed and Darrell discuss how they’ve built a program rooted in real-world knowledge, mentorship, and a refusal to push students through before they’re truly road-ready. Unlike many fly-by-night CDL schools, their approach emphasizes small class sizes, hands-on training with seasoned professionals, and a strong foundation in both mechanical and operational truck knowledge.

The conversation dives into the value of learning to drive in Wyoming’s extreme weather conditions and rugged terrain, which helps produce confident and capable entry-level drivers. Ed and Darrell explain how their instructors, each with deep industry backgrounds, prepare students with more than just textbook knowledge, focusing instead on critical thinking, safe practices, and the realities of life behind the wheel. They also explore the use of driving simulators as tools for both training and public awareness, including their “Trucks Are for Girls” event, which introduces women and kids to trucking in an engaging, hands-on way.

Beyond the training itself, this episode unpacks key insights for students aiming to become owner-operators. Ed shares hard-earned lessons on financial management, building the right partnerships with brokers and factoring companies, and how professionalism, from appearance to communication, can make or break a career. With 100 percent job placement for students who want to work, a growing high school training pipeline, and continued access to mentorship after graduation, Eastern Wyoming College is proving that career and technical education can deliver lasting impact in the trucking world.

From classroom to cab, this episode offers a grounded, experience-driven look at how the right foundation, leadership, and support can transform aspiring drivers into trusted professionals who are ready to thrive in an industry that moves the world.