Truck Driving Instructor Named California ACTE Teacher of the Year
The Californer/10277214

PATTERSON, Calif. - Californer -- Patterson High School, Dave Dein, has been awarded the 2025 Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Teacher of the Year, for his outstanding work in teaching and promoting the truck driving profession to Patterson students.  Dein will be one of five teachers competing for the National title which will be awarded at the ACTE Vision Conference in December.

Dein started one of the nation's first high school truck driving programs seven years ago, emphasizing not just teaching the skill sets in operating a commercial motor vehicle but instilling in his students the right mindset to be our nation's next professional drivers. "Dave Dein has worked tirelessly to train the next generation of America's commercial drivers," said Mark Allen, President and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association. "His passion for America's youth will help ensure a supply of well-trained, qualified drivers can enter the profession that moves 70 percent of the nation's freight." This is a well-deserved recognition for Dave and his vision for America's commercial drivers."

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Dave and Lindsey Trent are co-founders of a nonprofit organization, the Next Generation in Trucking Association (www.nextgentrucking.org). The mission of this organization is to educate youth on the opportunities in trucking and help high schools across the country replicate the Patterson program. They have recently developed a curriculum guide with the assistance of the Education Development Center (EDC), which is available for free to member schools. This course material is aligned with the digital generation. It utilizes the latest technologies in driver simulation and provides a firm foundation in health and nutrition to ensure graduates have long, healthy careers. In addition to his work in developing the curriculum guide, Dein also hosts a Train the Trainer event each year where he can work with new teachers to help them start their programs. Dein is a frequent presenter at educational and trucking conferences nationwide.