From High School to the Driver’s Seat: Josh Kleyman Joins SiriusXM’s The Open Road with KC Phillips
- Zeta Driving School
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Zeta Commercial Driving School Executive Director Josh Kleyman recently joined host KC Phillips on SiriusXM’s The Open Road on Road Dog Trucking Radio, Channel 146, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of commercial driver training, workforce development, and an idea that initially had some of Zeta’s own instructors ready to revolt: training high school students to earn their CDL.
What began as an unconventional idea has since grown into a new pathway that could help young people move directly from high school into an in-demand skilled career.
And as Josh explained during the interview, getting there wasn’t necessarily easy.
The Idea That Almost Caused a “Mutiny”
One of the more entertaining moments of the conversation came when Josh described introducing Zeta’s high school CDL training concept to the school’s instructors.
The initial reaction wasn’t exactly enthusiastic.
Josh joked that when the idea was first presented, “we almost had a mutiny on our hands.”
There was an understandable concern: Could high school students really handle commercial driver training? Would teenagers have the maturity and discipline necessary to learn how to safely operate a commercial vehicle?
Then the students arrived. The results challenged those assumptions.
Josh explained that the high school students proved to be highly engaged learners and performed extremely well in the program. What initially seemed like one of Zeta’s more unconventional ideas quickly demonstrated its potential.
Graduating With a High School Diploma, and a CDL
The premise behind Zeta's high school CDL pathway is straightforward but powerful.
Instead of asking students who don't plan to pursue a traditional four-year college degree to graduate first and then figure out their next step, why not begin career training while they're still in high school?
Through partnerships with area schools, eligible students can complete CDL training as part of their education.
As Josh explained on The Open Road, the goal is for participating students to graduate in June with two valuable credentials: their high school diploma and a commercial driver's license.
That means they can leave high school with more than a diploma. They can leave with a direct pathway into the transportation and logistics industry.
The program began as a pilot but has grown significantly, with participation expanding across multiple Kansas City-area high schools and the potential to serve more than 100 students.
Rethinking What Comes After High School
The conversation with KC Phillips also touched on a much larger issue facing students, parents, employers, and school districts across the country.
For decades, the default message for many students has been that success after high school means attending a four-year college.
But that isn't the right path for everyone.
Transportation, logistics, diesel technology, construction and other skilled trades offer career opportunities that don't necessarily require a traditional four-year degree.
Programs that connect career training directly with secondary education can give students another option: graduate prepared to enter the workforce with a marketable skill.
For the trucking industry, developing these pathways may also help address a persistent challenge, bringing a younger generation of workers into transportation careers.
From a 400-Square-Foot Office to Training More Than 1,000 CDL Students
Josh also shared the story behind Zeta Commercial Driving School itself.
Zeta didn't begin as a plan to build a large truck driving school. The original need grew out of the transportation industry and the challenge of finding and training qualified commercial drivers.\
The operation started small, in roughly a 400-square-foot office, but demand for CDL training created an opportunity to build something much larger.
By 2024, Zeta had grown into what Josh described on the program as the largest single-location truck driving school in the country, graduating more than 1,000 CDL students per year.
That growth has also allowed Zeta to experiment with new approaches to workforce training, including partnerships with schools, employers and other organizations.
How Much Behind-the-Wheel Training Does a CDL Student Actually Need?
Josh and KC also discussed an aspect of CDL training that many prospective drivers, and even people already working within the industry, may not realize.
Federal Entry-Level Driver Training requirements establish specific training standards for new commercial drivers. But there isn't a universal federal rule requiring every CDL student to complete a particular number of behind-the-wheel hours before being eligible to move forward.
Instead, students must demonstrate proficiency in the required skills.
That distinction matters because students don't all learn at the same pace.
A strong CDL training program isn't simply about accumulating hours. It is about ensuring that a student can safely and competently perform the skills necessary to operate a commercial vehicle.
CDL Training Is Only Part of the Workforce Problem
The discussion didn't stop with drivers.
Josh and KC also talked about another critical workforce need within transportation: diesel technicians.
Keeping America's commercial vehicles operating requires trained people both behind the wheel and inside the shop.
That is one reason Zeta has expanded its workforce training efforts to include hands-on diesel technician education.
The conversation even touched on the value of drivers understanding basic mechanical concepts themselves. A driver who understands the equipment may be better equipped to recognize a problem, communicate with technicians and, in appropriate situations, handle basic roadside issues rather than being completely dependent on outside assistance.
It's another example of the broader skills gap facing transportation.
The industry doesn't simply need more CDL holders. It needs a pipeline of trained drivers, technicians, and skilled transportation professionals.
Building a Different Path Into the Skilled Trades
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Josh's conversation with KC Phillips was that workforce development doesn't have to begin after someone graduates from high school.
It can begin much earlier.
Giving students exposure to skilled careers while they're still in school, and providing a way to earn an industry credential before graduation, can dramatically shorten the distance between education and employment.
The high school students who once had Zeta's instructors wondering whether the idea would work ultimately demonstrated exactly why programs like this deserve attention.
Sometimes changing the way an industry develops its workforce starts with being willing to try something that initially sounds a little unconventional.
And sometimes, as Josh discovered, you have to survive a near “mutiny” first.
About Zeta Commercial Driving School
Zeta Commercial Driving School provides hands-on commercial driver training and workforce-development programs designed to prepare students for careers in transportation and the skilled trades. Through CDL training, high school partnerships, employer relationships and diesel technician education, Zeta is working to create more accessible pathways into high-demand careers.
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