Del Mar College Transportation Training Services was honored to haul “The Wall That Heals“ (the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall) from Corpus Christi, Texas to Laredo, Texas.
When Director Lynette Cervantes received the phone call that this opportunity arose, she immediately said yes and started working on all of the logistics. As many of you are aware, as a community college, the insurance and liability aspect were the toughest hurdle to get over. After many meetings and much deliberation, the College requested that an agreement be signed to indemnify both the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and Del Mar College of any risks.
Ms. Cervantes chose our very own State Examiner/Instructor, Mark Vela, a Marine Veteran, to drive the ‘Wall’ from Corpus Christi, Texas to Laredo, Texas.
The ‘Wall’ team asked that Del Mar College pick up the ‘Wall’ on Sunday from the Veterans Memorial High School in Corpus Christi, Texas and requested we hold the ‘Wall’ on our Campus until Tuesday morning. On Tuesday morning, Del Mar College Staff, Police Cadets, Fire Cadets, Veterans, Students, as well as the Transportation Training Services staff, assembled to send off “The Wall That Heals“ to Laredo Texas. Once in Laredo, Mark Vela was welcomed with a grand parade, escorted by dozens of law enforcement vehicles and Veteran motorcyclists. The parade route traveled past many schools where students were standing at the school fence line waving small handheld flags and cheering. “The Wall That Heals“ traveled by many Fire Departments where firefighters were at attention and saluting in respect to our fallen heroes. The City of Laredo also live streamed the parade on their Facebook page so everyone could be part of this great event.
Mark Vela stated, “It was a great honor to be asked to haul “The Wall That Heals.“ Being a Marine Corps Veteran, I jumped at the opportunity when asked to escort the names of all of the fallen military members from the Vietnam War that didn’t make it home. The honor of escorting fallen service members names and supporting their families, as well as the Veterans that visit the ‘Wall’, to help heal them from the loss that they endured, was an extremely humbling and solemn experience that I will never forget.” visits roughly 30 cities across the country. Typically, trucking companies that are members of Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) haul the . However, Tim Tetz, the Director of Outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, stated that there have been truck driving schools that have participated in the past. He also informed Ms. Cervantes that there were still some available legs in need of transportation. The legs still needing transportation are mostly long hauls; however, there are some in California. If you are interested in volunteering, email Tim Tetz at TTetz@vvmf.org for more information. eNewsletter Vol 13, No. 1 Apr 2025
President’s Message
First of all I would like to say that I am honored to serve as your next NAPFTDS President for the next two years.
Donnie Tulk President, NAPFTDS
I would also like to congratulate Dan Zdrojewski who will serve with me as your Vice President. Also congratulations to the returning Board member David Inman, along with the newly elected Douglass ClarksPritchard and Mary Fontes. I look forward to serving with you all!
I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Crissie Moffet, Tina Frindt, and Martin Garsee for the outstanding annual conference that was held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Conference attendance was up substantially this year. A great group of speakers were on the agenda, sharing insight and knowledge with attendees. I heard a lot of good feedback about the hotel and venue. All I can say is, if you did not get to attend, you missed out! We not only had lift off into a new era, but we actually got to view lift off of a Space X rocket!
I also want to thank our Marketing committee chair Bill Buechel and committee member, Deborah Quackenbush for their hard work developing our new logo.
As I move into my role as President, I will do my best to carry on where our past President Lorie Latigo left off, focusing on enriching the Association through initiatives, and focusing on increasing membership in all categories. I promise to be available to all NAPFTDS members and look forward to representing all of you.
Thank you.
In This Issue ...
• The Wall that Heals, Lynette Cervantes, Del Mar College
• President’s Message
• Executive Director Report
• Coming Events
• Committee Happenings
• Conference exhibitors
• Conference Committee meetings
• Conference speakers
• Candidates for Board
• Partners and Board nominees
• Special Banquet Presentations, Newly Elected Board Members, Banquet attendees
• 36th Annual NAPFTDS Conference, Ivins, Utah
• New Members
• Board of Directors
• Contact NAPFTDS
NAPFTDS has just completed our 35th Annual Conference in Daytona Beach, Florida. There was great attendance with quite a few first-time attendees and new members. Also, there was a wide variety of speakers from our own John Thorpe and Joe Lackey starting the conference with progress of the Education Committee working on train-the-trainer information to collect and make available to our members. Commissioner Ken Strickland from Daytona Beach, welcomed our attendees.
By Martin Garsee
NAPFTDS was very honored to have Mr. Jim Ward with Truckload Carriers Association speak at our conference, along with Nathan Mehrens Vice President of the American Trucking Association. The Association has a great relationship with these two large Trucking Associations that always share valuable information. In addition, we welcomed Ryan Streblow President and CEO of National Tank Truck Carriers Association we look forward to partnering with them as well. Naresh Rao with AAMVA gave our members an update on what is new with AAMVA. Also, Tod Browning with Florida CDL Testing gave the group updates on what is happening in testing and what to look forward to in our programs. NAPFTDS had a presentation on “The Power of Cognitive Testing” by Marilyn Surber on how testing can let you know if a person is ready to perform their assigned task. Lauren Daharry with Crafty Counseling, gave a presentation on Mental Health in the Trucking Industry, very eye opening and something that we should all be aware of. Brad Bentley, President of FASTPORT, gave an update on Transition Trucking 2025. This is such a great program that will change the life of a veteran forever, let us get behind this program and help our students win. A very special thank you to Courtney George for attending and presenting on ‘Wreaths Across America’ and discussed how each of us can get involved in this great cause. Thanks to all of our presenters for your time, information and participation at this conference.
In addition to great speakers’ other highlights of our conference was a presentation from Deborah Quackenbush titled ‘Legacy to Liftoff’. Presenting our new logo and materials for our branding campaign to attract new members. Thanks, Deborah, for leading this endeavor and also the marketing committee for their hard work and the time put into this.
I want to give a special thanks to Lorie Latigo for her valuable leadership that she brought with her to the President’s position for the last two years. You did make a difference and it is appreciated. Thanks for your hard work for the last few years on the Board and in leadership. Remember, the Immediate Past President is still an active position LOL. You are a great leader, friend and a wonderful advocate of NAPFTDS. Also, congratulations to Dan Zdrojewski better known as Dan Z, who has become our new Vice President and Donnie Tulk who is now our President. I look forward to working closely with both of you to make this a better year and a greater benefit to our members.
Special thanks to Space X for two rocket launches while we were there. It is truly an amazing sight to see a rocket go up into space.
These events could not have happened if not for our partners and our meal sponsors for this conference – thank you for your continued support.
Coming Events ...
• 2025 Regional Hosts:
Region 3 & 5: September 7-9, 2025 Metropolitan Community College/ Werner Enterprises, Omaha, NE
Region 6: October 19-21, 2025, Marion Technical College, Ocala, FL
Region 4: November 16-18, 2025, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS
Region 1 & 2 , January 29-30, 2026, Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ
Region 7, Date to be Determined, Cecil Collete, Elkton, MD
• 2026 36th NAPFTDS Annual Conference, April 12-15, 2026, Black Desert Resort, Ivins, UT
Committee Happenings …
Want to be a part of a working committee, please contact Crissie Moffet, cmoffet@napftds.org.
Carrier-Celeste Turner, Chair. Members: David O’Leary, Cheryl Freauff, Jim Ward, Tony Diaz, Jamey Moon, Jeff Foster, Cindy Foster, Tim Norlin and Betsy Waldrop. Celester Turner is the new Chair of the Carrier Committee. A draft report for trucking companies is being drafted to identify their information needs regarding hiring students. A release is also being worked on for sharing student grades and attendance, keeping FERPA in mind, as well as a release of progress sheets for potential hiring. As we go into 2025, the carrier outreach committee remains optimistic, with the expected increase in freight demand we expect to see an increase in carrier membership.
Conference/Nomination-Martin Garsee, Chair. The Committee has signed a contract for the 2026 36th Annual Conference to be held in Ivins, Utah Black Desert Resort, April 12-15, 2026. So SAVE THE DATE! Any ideas for speakers or presentations for 2026, please email Crissie Moffet, cmoffet@napftds.org
Education-John Thorpe, Chair. The Education Committee had a great session on ‘Best Practices’ and ‘Driver to Educator’ on Monday Morning at the beginning of the conference. There was lots of great discussion and John Thorpe is hoping that attendees will follow-up on his request. Soon, access to responding to the questions will be available to the members. The plan is to continue working on the shared training documents for new instructors in Driver Training, ensuring a standardized approach to instruction across the industry. If you have any interest in being on the Education Committee, please contact John Thorpe, john.thorpe@centraltech.edu or Crissie Moffet cmoffet@napftds.org
Finance Rob Behnke, Chair. Bill Buechel, Deborah Quackenbush, Martin Garsee, Donnie Tulk, and Rob Behnke are continuing to review the Association’s current financial status and future financial growth. Whether it is approaching the social connections for partnership growth or the expenditures side of the house, the financial committee is focused on the future of the Association. Recently one of the outcomes of this committee is the new logo of the Association. This new face of the Association is just the beginning. You can be assured, there is only forward movement with this committee.
Marketing/Social Media-Bill Buechel, Chair. The marketing committee has spent the last several months working to help improve our ability to show NAPFTDS’s value to potential new members as well as existing ones. We started by creating a new logo with a fresh new look. We then put that logo to good use by updating our marketing brochure. Lastly, we enlisted some outside help to bolster our social media presence in the months leading up to the conference. Much of these posts focused on the theme of “Legacy to Lift off”. All of this work was highlighted during a presentation created by Deborah Quackenbush from Virage Simulation. During conference, we added two new members to the marketing committee. Welcome Marilyn Surber from Drivers Legal Plan & Richard Blinkovitch from Doron Precision Systems!
Please remember to like our … Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NAPFTDS and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalassociation-of-publicly-funded-truck-driving-schools/
Membership-Dan Zdrojewski, Chair. The committee at conference had a GREAT meeting! This is what we came up with: Current Initiatives
Expanding Membership:
We are compiling a comprehensive list of potential new members, particularly those involved in the FMCSA TPR (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry).
A structured outreach plan is being developed to raise awareness of NAPFTDS, highlight its benefits, and encourage engagement.
Support for Previous Members:
The committee is reviewing the status of previous members to determine if they require any assistance or resources.
This effort aims to strengthen relationships and reestablish connections with past members. Committee Members: John and Amanda Rojas, Jim Miller, Jonathan Scheidegger, Brent Lauber, Lesley Vincent, Deborah Quackenbush, Lynette Cervantes, Carl Law, Josh Young, Tony Diaz, Dustin Hyde.
Upcoming Actions
1. Outreach Campaign:
Finalize the list of new members to target.
Begin initial communications to foster awareness and engagement.
2. Assistance Program:
Reach out to previous members to determine their needs.
Regionals-Missy Blair, Chair. The Regional hosts for 2025 are: Region 1 & 2 January 29-30, 2026, Pima College, Tucson, AZ; Region 3 & 5 September 7-9, 2025, Metropolitan Community College/Werner Enterprises, Omaha, NE; Region 4 November 16-18, 2025, Johnson September 17-19, 2025, Cecil College, Elkton, MD. Any questions, please contact Missy Blair mlblair@pima.edu or Crissie Moffet at cmoffet@napftds.org, 316-425-3297.
This is a great way to showcase your program and campus! Have a hard time getting your team to an annual conference? Hosting a regional is a great way to include them in the professional development opportunity.
Regulatory-Jill Schultz, Chair. We had a great turnout for the Regulatory Committee meeting that was held as part of the Annual Conference. Thank you to everyone who participated.
We discussed issues related to ELDT and the TPR, including improvements to the minimum standards. Several issues related to CDL testing, including the 14-day wait to test after obtaining a CLP were also addressed. We also discussed working with the Education Committee on their Best Practices – Driver to Educator project.
Regulatory Committee members include Carl Borleis, Will Cleveland, Donna Elicke, Mary Fontes, Jack Githens, Brent Hampy, Dustin Hyde, and Billy Leggett. If you would like to be a part of this committee, please reach out to me at: jschultz@jjkeller.com.
Speakers for 2025 Conference
of Highway Safety
John Thorpe/Joe Lackey Best Practices/Drivers to Educators
Ryan Streblow
Lauren Daharry Crafty Counseling
Marilyn Surber Drivers Legal Plan
Doug Smith Ramsey Media Works
Nathan Mehrens American Trucking
Courtney George Wreaths Across America
Naresh Rao AAMVA
Tod Browning Florida Dept.
Carrier Panel: Bill Buechel (Schneider); Jamey Moon (Covenant); Jafi Roskey (Werner); Cheryl Freauff (TMC); and Lesley Vincent (Melton)
Brad Bentley Transition to Trucking
Advanced Training Systems
Doron Precision Systems
Trucker Media
CDL Powersuite
Bumper to Bumper-Easy CDL
Simulator Systems Int’l
Driver Training Solutions
Virage Simulation
Driver iQ
Kelly Anderson Group
Great attendance! Lots of 1st Timers! Networking!
Lots to Discuss Room Was Packed!
Tim Norlin (Roehl Transport); Bill Buechel (Schneider); Lesley Vincent (Melton); David O’Leary and Cheryl Freauff (TMC); Jamey Moon (Covenant); and Jafi Roskey (Werner)
Committees
There was GREAT interaction and involvement in the committee meetings this year.
Candidates for Board
Results announced at the Banquet.
GOLD PARTNERS
Doron Precision Systems, Inc.
Kelly Anderson Group
TMC Transportation
Virage Simulation
SILVER PARTNERS
Advanced Training Systems
Bumper-to-Bumper-Easy
CDL
CDL Powersuite
Covenant Logistics
Driver iQ
Drivers Legal Plan
FASTPORT
J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Driver Training Solutions
Melton Truck Lines
Roehl Transport
Ruan Truck & Trailer Sales
Schneider
Seaboard Foods LLC
Simulator Systems Int’l
Stevens Transport
The Trucker Media
Transforce Group
Werner Enterprises
Legacy to Liftoff!
The Banquet
Lorie Latigo, President
New and/or re-elected Board Members: Mary Fontes, Douglass Clarks-Pritchard & David Inman
NEW Vice President, Dan Zdrojewski
John Rojas, Immediate Past President
Networking
Old Friends
New Friends
Fun
As the sun sets on the last night of the conference and we have dotted all our ‘I’s and crossed our ‘t’s we prepare to head home and say goodbye till next year!
2025 NAPFTDS Board
36th NAPFTDS Annual Conference
April 12-15, 2026
Black Desert Resort
Ivins, Utah
WELCOME TO BLACK DESERT RESORT
Remarkable Within Reach
Immerse yourself in a one-of-a-kind destination nestled amongst the ancient lava fields and vibrant vermillion cliffs of Greater Zion. Where the breathtaking intersection of the Colorado Plateau, Mojave Desert, and Great Basin combines with unparalleled hospitality and amenities. Spanning 600 acres of scenic desert landscape, our newly built luxury resort offers nearly 800 guestrooms and luxury suites. Indulge in diverse dining options, year-round outdoor recreation, and world-class spa facilities. All anchored by a 19-hole Tom Weiskopf signature championship golf course, Black Desert Resort provides the ultimate escape from everyday life.
Members,
As we move forward with our website, please check on your school information.
If you find an error, please contact Crissie Moffet by email, cmoffet@napftds.org, so that it can be corrected.
Thank you for your assistance.
Crissie Moffet
Facts for your information:
Membership is a calendar year.
Invoices come out between November January.
An ID and password is necessary for the website’s Resources section.
Regional meetings are between August-December.
Annual Conference is between end of March and First of May.
Congratulations to new and re-elected Board Members
The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) newly elected and reelected Board members are: Douglass Clarks-Pritchard, Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, WI; Mary Fontes, Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA and re-elected David Inman, Northeast Tech, Kansas, OK. Also congrats to our new Vice-President Dan Zdrojewski, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Oak Creek, WI.
2025 New Members ...
Full Members
• Gateway Technical Center, Kenosha, WI
• Eastern Wyoming College, Torrington, WY
• Elgin Community College Truck Driving Program, Elgin, IL
• Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, AR
• West Technical Education Center, Belle Glade, FL
Associate Member
• National Tank Truck Carrier, Arlington, VA
NAPFTDS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023
Celeste
Douglass Clarks-Pritchard
Would you like to advertise in our eNewsletter, the Learning Curve?
You do!
Then please give Crissie Moffet a call/email 316-425-3297 / cmoffet@napftds.org.
The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) is an organization for the promotion of public education for the transportation industry. Through membership, educators can network with other truck driving schools across the country to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective, and up-todate training available.
Contact us:
Martin Garsee, Executive Director, NAPFTDS Martin.garsee@hccs.edu
713-718-8203 (O) 713-304-8324 (M)
Rob Behnke, Treasurer, NAPFTDS rob.behnke7787@fvtc.edu
920-996-2889 (O)
Tina Frindt, Finance/Technical Assistant tfrindt@napftds.org
570-688-5710 (M)
Crissie Moffet Administrative Assistant to the Board cmoffet@napftds.org
316-425-3297 (O)
NAPFTDS would like to acknowledge Marilyn Surber, Drivers Legal Plan, and Laura Stacks for the creation of the NEW Learning Curve Heading.
Also a special thank you to Joy Wehmas for her assistance in this issue of the Learning Curve in the absence of Tina Frindt. * * * * * * * * *
Legacy to Liftoff
Mission Statement
The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, Inc. is an organization established for the promotion of safety, professionalism and quality education within the transportation industry.
