Winona Daily News Campus Connection: Three generations of truck driving at Southeast, and the demand for drivers hasn't slowed down

By Katryn Conlin for the Winona Daily News
October 15, 2024

In the Hale family, truck driving careers at Minnesota State College Southeast span three generations and the demand for truck driving skills hasn't slowed down.

Current student Mason Hale graduated from G-E-T in Galesville, WI, last spring and enrolled at Southeast this fall to earn his truck driving certificate. 

His father, Justin Hale, got his Class "A" commercial driver's license (CDL) in a night program at Southeast in 1999. 

And Mason's grandfather, John Hale, was an instructor who led the college's truck driving program from 1987 to 2012 - 25 years.

Current student: Mason Hale

Truck driving is definitely a family tradition. Growing up out in the country, 18-year-old Mason Hale has been backing up trailers since he was 10 years old. 

His instructor, Tom Gierok, said, "He's a natural! I thought he had already driven a tractor-trailer truck before he even came here."

Mason said it was special to come back to the college for truck driving, since it was where his grandfather worked. He remembers hanging out at his grandpa's office when he was about six years old. 

"He always had a bowl of M&Ms on his desk, and he'd drive us around in the tractor-trailers on the truck driving range. It was fun!" 

Alumnus: Justin Hale

Justin Hale, Mason's dad, also came to the Winona campus with his father when he was young. One of his favorite memories was watching drivers train on the skid pad, a large slippery surface out in the truck driving area.

Law enforcement, fire departments, and trucking companies would send their drivers to practice driving in icy conditions all year round.

"It was fun watching! They'd throw the trucks into a slide and then try to drive out of it," Justin said.

Today, Justin works in John Deere sales at Tractor Central in Arcadia, WI. Though he never worked full-time in trucking, his CDL comes in handy when he uses a truck and trailer to deliver large equipment to his clients.

Grandfather and Truck Driving Instructor: John Hale

Justin's father (and Mason's grandfather), John Hale, moved the family from Iowa to Winona in 1987 to become an instructor at Minnesota State College Southeast. 

He left behind a legacy of 25 years of service to the college, the community, and the trucking industry when he passed away five years ago. 

An ad produced by the college in 2004 said, "John Hale is leading the charge to make our roads safer... [His] battle cry is 'the most important mile you'll ever drive is the one directly in front of you.' ... He demands the same commitment to safety from his students."

John Hale had a major long-term impact on the college, having helped develop the Transportation Building on the Winona campus that brings together three programs: truck driving, auto body collision technology, and automotive technology.

He was a mentor to Tom Gierok, who said, "As a truck driving teacher he was second to none. You could tell he loved this - he was very passionate about it." 

His grandson Mason will complete his training at Southeast shortly. Starting next June, Mason is headed to Dakota County Technical College for the electrical lineworker program. Having a CDL is a requirement of the program.

Mason Hale highly recommends the truck driving program at Southeast. "We have recruiters coming here from companies from all over. They all say they like to hire people from this school, that graduates from Southeast make good employees in the industry." 

Photo Captions

Above: Three generations - Current truck driving student Mason Hale and his father Justin Hale, a graduate of the program, pose with a photo of the late John Hale, who taught truck driving at Minnesota State College Southeast for 25 years.
Below: John Hale was photographed for an ad campaign promoting truck driving instruction at Southeast in 2004.