Meet the Rookie of the Quarter in the Latest Episode of TMC's Podcast!

on Friday, August 7, 2026 in Awards & Recognition

With our Rookie of the Quarter award, we shine a spotlight on a new driver who is doing all the right things to start a great career as a flatbed driver.

For this quarter, we took that a bit more literally and made Tavarus “T” Horne the star of the latest episode of our podcast, The Black and Chrome Show.

Getting to Know the Rookie of the Quarter

T has been driving for TMC since October 2025. After working in law enforcement, T decided to get his CDL and try a new career path. “I always liked to drive,” he says, so truck driving seemed like a great fit for him. And since he was interested in flatbedding, he decided to try driving for TMC. “I heard it was a great company to learn flatbedding and securement,” he says.

T was eager to learn—both from our training program and his over-the-road trainer—and he has shown that he has what it takes to succeed at TMC. “T has been a pleasure to work with since day one,” says his fleet manager, Grady Flynn. “Even though he hasn't been with TMC for very long, it feels like I'm working with a seasoned, tenured driver every time we talk. From the start, T has demonstrated professionalism, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to doing things the right way. He consistently operates safely, delivers on time, and communicates well—qualities that every fleet manager hopes to see in a driver.”

We’re proud to recognize T as Rookie of the Quarter, we think you’ll agree that his conversation with Jeff Wisgerhof, EVP of Recruiting and Training, has some great info about what it’s really like to be a new driver for TMC.

Check out the video of the episode to find out:

• T’s advice for new drivers
• What he and Grady have done to build a great relationship
• How TMC’s Driver TQM training helped T level up his skills
• Where he turned when he had questions (as T says, “No man has ever learned everything on his own”)
• How he approaches each day on the road

You can also listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And don’t forget to check out older episodes to catch up on driver awards, TMC news, and Black and Chrome salutes.

Thanks so much to T for chatting with us!

About the Rookie of the Quarter Award

The Rookie of the Quarter recognizes a driver who has completed TMC’s TQM course within the previous quarter, taken the Train the Trainer course to prepare to be a driver trainer, and met several other criteria related to performance and safety. These drivers represent the future of our company and our commitment to Destination: Excellence.