TMC's January Trainer of the Month: William Kurth

on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 in Awards & Recognition

William Kurth, who has been in the trucking industry since 2015, has been named TMC’s Trainer of the Month for January 2021. “Home is where I lay my duffle bag,” quips William, the San Diego transplant. William has been married since 1995 and has three children. He and his family currently reside in Georgia.  

Before coming to TMC, he served in the Army as a trainer for 2 ½ decades. William was drawn to truck driving, mainly because it is a solo job where he isn’t responsible for anyone else.  However, after about six months of driving alone, he realized he actually missed having close contact with people. Being a trainer would give him the opportunity to interact more with other drivers. 

William enjoys watching his trainees’ growth from their first week in his truck throughout the whole time he is riding with them. Beyond that, he gains satisfaction seeing his drivers succeed once they get into their own trucks. A word of advice he offers for other drivers who are interested in being a driver trainer is that you must have patience. William adds that everything about this job starts with safety. Teaching your trainees the correct fundamentals is crucial.

To trainees preparing to head out with a trainer, he encourages them not to take everything too seriously. A favorite memory he recalls from his time training here at TMC is ironically from his worst trainee, because he learned so much from him! Both drivers generally end up learning a lot from each other and even tenured drivers enjoy learning new things in the training process. 

He appreciates his trainees who call him often to check in. Many of his previous students thank William for all he did for them, and he loves hearing about how they are doing now. Recognizing the need to continue his own learning, he has relied on a mentor, Dave Perfect, who is also a TMC driver.

Congratulations, William, on being named TMC’s Trainer of the Month for January 2021! 

***

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 one who prepares new drivers for their career in trucking. 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.