More Than Just Trucks

Please join host Ray Clark as he visits Jay Goninen, of WrenchWay, as they discuss their takeaways from the 2025 technician survey report published by WrenchWay.

In this episode, Ray welcomes back technician training program students Diesel and Chris as they compare and contrast the advantages of attending a traditional college compared with a tech school. 

Two Truck Country technician training program students come from opposite ends of the age spectrum. Diesel, 19, entered the training program fresh after graduating high school. Meanwhile, Chris, 53, took a detour on his way to the program, initially pursuing a career as an airplane pilot and other opportunities before making his way to the Truck Country team. In this episode, host Ray Clark visits with the men about the similarities — and differences —they learn coming from different age perspectives. 

Ray, along with his colleague Jolene, celebrated National Apprenticeship Week by welcoming a members of Truck Country's apprenticeship program. Trey H., from our Dubuque dealership, and Cesar H., from our Hampshire location, talk about their experiences as part of the program. 

Truck Country's Technical Training Program's newest class members have come from far and wide to join the company. Class members range in age from 18 to 52 and come from all walks of life with diverse backgrounds. The students have done everything from completing maintenance work on U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters to fixing scuba diving equipment in Guam and flying airplanes. One class member didn't even apply to work for the company but still has found his way to the apprenticeship program. Get to know our new training group and learn about their early impressions of the program in the latest episode of "More Than Just Trucks." 

Ray's not pulling any punches! As diesel repair shops struggle to fill technician positions, it is not a good time to take a passive approach when recruiting future staff members, podcast host Ray Clark says. Ray, joined by guest Jay Goninen, co-founder and president of WrenchWay, puts out a call to shops everywhere to be more proactive in engaging with students enrolled in tech programs but also local high schools and middle schools. 

The recruiting season is always open in the trucking and transportation industry! Recently, Truck Country and Stoops training programs welcomed newcomers to their diesel tech training classes with cool events at their facilities. The programs welcomed new "recruits" by hosting Apprentice Signing Day events, where newcomers to the three-year program were invited to ink their contracts in a similar style to how often college athletes sign their letters of intent. The latest episode of "More Than Just Trucks" provides an overview of the training programs and talks about the hoopla surrounding the contract signings. Josh Jorgenson fills in as guest host, but you'll find our usual host, Ray Clark, on the other side of the microphone. As Truck Country and Stoops' training director, Ray, and Todd Trentz, an instructor and developer for Truck Country's program, give an overview of the three-year program. Matt Schanze, a new Truck Country program student, also shares his thoughts.  For more info about the training programs, email RayClark@truckcountry.com. 

"More Than Just Trucks" kicks off 2023 by looking back at 2022. This month, Ray is joined by Jim Connely, Truck Country/Stoops' marketing director, as they recap the trucking and transportation industries, as well as other world news and pop culture. 

Following up on last month's discussion about making diesel careers appealing for ladies, Ray visits with a panel of women who have found careers in the shop.  Our panel discusses what attracted them to become technicians, their personal experiences in the shop, and how they are perceived by their coworkers. Panelists for this episode are: • Melissa Petersmann, aka The Diesel Queen, is a social media influencer who previously was a heavy equipment technician for John Deere. • Courtney Sturman joined the Truck Country - North Chicago team in March 2021. A proud new parent, Sturman is currently enrolled in Truck Country's technician training program. • Sevy Carter has been a member of the Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer's Anderson team since November 2021. Sevy is a new biker, taking up the hobby this year. She is also a member of the Stoops'  tech training program. (Marked as Explicit for language.) 

As competition continues to recruit more diesel technicians to the trucking industry, many companies are looking to appeal to an untapped pool of talent in women. Surveys indicate that women make up just 1-3% of technicians currently in the industry. In this episode, host Ray Clark, visits with Jay Goninen, of WrenchWay, and Jenny DeArmond, a corporate recruiter for Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer, about what can be done to make technician positions more appealing to women.  

In this episode of More Than Just Trucks, Josh Jorgenson and Drew Hepler discuss a pair of exciting customer events that are planned to showcase Freightliner's new electric-powered trucks, the eCascadia and eM2, at Stoops' Lima, Ohio, and Truck Country's Hampshire, Ill. dealerships. Josh and Drew go over plans for the events and outline what attendees can expect to learn. For more info or to register to attend, please visit truckcountry.com.

In the latest episode of "More Than Just Trucks," Ray flips roles with McCoy Group Marketing Director Jim Connely, as they mark the podcast's 1,000th download. Jim asks Ray about how the podcast got started, and the guys preview some exciting upcoming events at Truck Country, Stoops and McCoy Group. 

This month, host Ray Clark is joined by Drew Hepler, Truck Country's on-highway sustainability solutions manager, to provide all you need to know about the emergence of Freightliner's new electric-powered trucks. Learn about the current state of the electric vehicles market, as well as the direction they could lead the transportation industry in the future. 

Host Ray Clark and Daimler Truck North America's Terry Kerbe get together to discuss changes they have experienced over the years in service departments in this episode titled, "Old School vs. New School." The pair take a trip down memory lane, reflecting on their experiences in years gone by, as well as comparing them with the modern service department. Clark and Kerbe explore opportunities of how to merge the best practices of the past with the technological and logistical advantages offered today. "More Than Just Trucks" is presented by Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer, a leading Freightliner/Western Star dealerships in the U.S. today. Learn more by visiting: truckcountry.com or stoops.com  

During this month's episode of "More Than Just Trucks," host Ray Clark visits with veteran truck sales representative Mike Woolf about the figurative roller-coaster ride  the health pandemic and corresponding inventory shortages have played on the trucking industry. The pair also make their predictions for what to expect in the future. 

In the newest episode of "More Than Just Trucks," Ray Clark visits with high school students who are enrolled in a dual-credit high school/college class being taught by the Truck Country Technical Institute team. The course is part of a new initiative between the Dubuque Community School District, Northeast Iowa Community College and Truck Country. Listen on as Ray visits with Charlie Sharkey, Aalijah Remington, Mason Huseman and Andrew Kiernan about the new program. 

In response to the growing need for diesel technicians, Daimler Trucks North America has taken a leading role in creating recruiting, training, and retention practices. This month, Mike Mallett, Daimler's training programs manager,  shares some of the approaches his organization takes in order to end the technician shortage, including through the Finish First and Get Ahead programs. 

This month, “More Than Just Trucks” explores differing training styles that have emerged since the onset of the health pandemic in 2020.Our host, Ray Clark, is joined by Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer trainers, Andy Hedrick and John Surber, as well as Eric Gustavus, a fixed operations manager/CIC at Truck Country's Marinette, Wis. location. The trio discusses with Ray how training has evolved by using online functions, as well as the positives and negatives that have come with the new normal.

In the June episode of "More Than Just Trucks," Jay Goninen, the founder and president of Find A Wrench and co-founder and president of WrenchWay, joins Ray to discuss ways his organizations help businesses connect with and hire diesel technicians.Learn how organizations like Find a Wrench, WrenchWay, and Truck Country/Stoops collaborate to fill the transportation industry's technician shortage.     

As the trucking and transportation industry faces a significant shortage of diesel technicians, a pair of technicians with Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer, Aaron Wickline and Jake Pulley, visit with Ray Clark about their unique journeys to join our team. Aaron and Jake not only discuss the paths they took, but their experience with enrolling in Truck Country and Stoops' in-house training programs. 

"More Than Just Trucks" welcomes Chryssa Hunlock as the guest for April's episode. Host Ray Clark visits with Chryssa, Cheema Freightlines' director of driver engagement and technology, about her unconventional journey to become a transportation industry leader. (Hint: Chryssa's college studies had nothing to do with trucking.) Chryssa also discusses how she has built her career in an industry that is traditionally dominated by men. To learn more about Chryssa and her journey in the trucking industry, visit: http://bit.ly/ChryssaHunlockIntro

This month, More Than Just Trucks explores the role local technical training centers play in providing a boost for vocational careers. Our host, Ray Clark, welcomes Dr. Kris Hall, the director of the Elizabeth, Ill.-based Jo Daviess Carroll Career Technical Education Academy, to discuss how training centers and businesses can work together to spark interest in vocational careers. The pair discuss challenges the industry faces, as well as ways they have partnered up to promote career opportunities. 

In our first episode of "More Than Just Trucks," Katie Porter visits with podcast host Ray Clark, the director of training and development for Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer. The pair discuss the origins of "More Than Just Trucks," as well as the goals and plans for the new podcast. Run time: 21 minutes