Congratulations to TMC's Driver Trainer of the Month, Ken Bates!

on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 in Awards & Recognition

When Ken joined TMC in May 2014, he was new to the trucking industry. While he was in school, he did research on different companies. He found that TMC stood out from the rest. “From what I could tell, TMC had the best equipment and the best standard of training. Plus, I liked my recruiter,” Ken says.

Becoming a driver trainer was always in the back of Ken’s mind, but he took advice from his own trainer and waited until he had two years of experience under his belt. After he felt like he was ready, Ken started training in 2016.

For Ken, training has made his job more rewarding than he anticipated. “I really enjoy getting other drivers prepared for the field,” he says. “When they first start out, it can be overwhelming... I’m very hands on without being super strict.”

Ken also stresses the importance of using all available resources whenever possible. “I credit TMC’s ‘Train the Trainer’ class for giving me a lot of the information I needed to start off and be successful,” Ken says. “In that same way, I encourage my trainees to use their resources and expand their own knowledge whenever they can.”

Ken emphasizes having patience during training. “You have to be patient as a trainer, as well as making sure you’re training for the right reasons. Otherwise it’s a disservice to the trainees, as well as the company.” To Ken, training is a two-way street. “The more guys I train, the better I get, and I always keep an open mind to learn what I can from them, too.”

Being named the Trainer of the Month wasn’t something that Ken was expecting. “I really appreciate the recognition. It’s nice to know that I’m making a difference for the company.”

Driver trainers are vital to the TMC Training department, and each month a trainer is chosen who demonstrates the outstanding qualities TMC looks for in a trainer. The Trainer of the Month recipient is chosen based on their safety record and the safety performance of their trainees, the number of drivers trained and the retention percentage of those drivers. Congratulations to our December 2019 Trainer of the Month, Ken Bates!