Tarella Hanbury finds success within TMC

on Monday, January 17, 2022 in Company News

After multiple other trucking companies told Tarella Hanbury that driving a flatbed truck was not for her, Hanbury was welcomed to TMC. Now, a year in has found great success as a flatbed driver. Hanbury was first introduced to a TMC field recruiter during her time at CDL school.  Previously working in retail, Hanbury decided that with the challenges COVID brought she was ready for a change.

Despite finding herself in an industry dominated by men, Hanbury keeps a positive outlook and embraces the job each day. “The biggest struggle I have to overcome is my height. I have a step stool with me to help secure large loads” Hanbury explained. Now, having been with TMC for over a year, Hanbury is also a driver trainer. “I enjoy training. You have to adapt with different personalities as different drivers are in your truck.” While Hanbury often times has male trainees in the truck she finds that people confuse her for a passenger, “People think I am a wife of a driver when we are at truck stops or customer sites. I enjoy explaining I am not only a driver but I also am training future drivers.”

In just Hanbury’s second week driving for TMC, she was in a minor backing accident. After Hanbury had thoughts of quitting, she instead reached out to her trainer for advice and decided to stick with it. “I have a motto I tell myself, ‘Today I’m not going to make any mistakes.' I really beat myself up after the accident but I was determined to find success here,” she said. Hanbury showed great strength for not letting an accident early in her journey define her and instead learned from it.

When not delivering loads, she enjoys watching Korean television shows along with sewing and crocheting. Hanbury had this advice to share with other women who are interested in driving flatbed; “Don’t let anyone tell you that you are unable to do something. Don’t be afraid of hard work and in the end, it is all worth it.” TMC takes pride in hiring drivers that consistently display the high standard of quality required. We are lucky to have a fleet of impressive drivers such as Tarella Hanbury!