TMC's Driver of the 4th Quarter

In life, perfection isn’t easy to come by, but for TMC’s 2018 Driver of the Fourth Quarter, perfect is his last name... literally! David Perfect has been a professional driver for TMC for eight years, and during his time on the Black and Chrome fleet, he has certainly been living up to his namesake. A Chicago native, David came into the trucking industry a bit later in life, and quickly found it to be a perfect fit. David spent over two decades working for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County before he decided it was time for a change in scenery. He packed up and headed south to Manila, AR, where he had a brief stint in a steel mill before he figured it was time to retire. For David, however, retirement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Feeling restless, he remembered the one thing that could provide with him a new adventure; his CDL. “My dad once told me that as long as you have your CDL, you’ll have a job, so I had always renewed and maintained mine that I acquired many years ago,” David says. “He drove an 18-wheeler locally in Chicago for 38 years, so I figured I would give truck driving a shot, and I never looked back. I love this country, and I am so thankful that I get paid to be able to see it.” David is just about as proud as they come to be driving down the road with those three unmistakable orange and gold letters on the side of his shiny black Peterbilt, but it is the four words just underneath the logo that is what really drives him to put in 100% each day. Those words are: “An Employee-Owned Company”. “TMC’s ESOP is incredible. Our owner is giving his company to us not only to ensure that TMC’s values and standards are upheld, but also to reward his hard working employees,” explains David. “I don’t have to drive any extra miles, secure any extra loads, but my ESOP account continues to grow year over year. I also do my best to keep an eye on the bottom line in my day-to-day, and encourage other to do so as well because there are things that we as drivers can control that affect those ESOP dollars; watching idle time and fuel usage, practicing efficient time management and preventing accidents no matter how small, because those things add up, and when all is said and done, we can all share in those savings.” ESOP aside, David’s favorite aspect that comes with working for TMC is the people. “I work with a bunch of incredible people and earning the designation of Driver of the Quarter is a great honor that I want to share with everyone,” he says. “We are a team here, all the behind the scenes people make my job fun and rewarding, which I think is imperative to being successful. Of course there are ups and downs, but I like to look at the big picture. I’m not in it for the load today or tomorrow, I’m in it for what’s to come in the next month or next year.” Having just accomplished one million consecutive safe driving miles, success is something that David knows well. He has also recently decided to share his wealth of knowledge with future generations of TMC drivers by becoming a driver trainer. While he is showing his trainees the ropes to being a flatbedder, he is sure to teach them not just how to do the job, and do it right, but also what the benefits of the job down the road can be. “Dave is a class act,” says his Fleet Manager, Zach Mulder. “He represents himself and TMC to the highest standards. He understands his role and how his actions make him successful, and is eager to share his knowledge with others. Dave is so passionate about his work and I can always count on him to get the job done right and make a great impression. He is polite, reliable, always on time and an overall perfect representative of our company” David looks forward to continue achieving his goals here at TMC, with the next ones being his 10-year safe driving award, hitting two million safe miles, and one day he hopes to be named a TMC Wheel Master, the most prestigious title the company holds. “David’s work ethic, attitude and teamwork are unmatched,” says Steven Fagg, TMC Customer Service Manager and David’s former Fleet Manager “He’s maintained a meticulous safety record, and is always there to help even in undesirable situations. He cares genuinely about TMC’s future, and represents Destination: Excellence in every way possible. I can’t thank David enough for his continued efforts of going above and beyond every single day.” When he’s not behind the wheel, David enjoys spending time with his six grandchildren and taking them on yearly trips to the Wisconsin Dells and Disneyland. It is this job, however, that affords him these opportunities. “My family is spread out a bit, so I feel lucky that I can travel to see them while doing my job,” he says. “TMC’s family oriented structure makes it easy to always feel at home.” Congratulations, David, on this well-deserved distinction! <