DESTINATION: EXCELLENCE
TMC’S 2023 WHEEL MASTER
TMC is proud to announce Randy Varese as 2023’s Wheel Master.
The Wheel Master is TMC’s most prestigious award, recognizing one truly outstanding driver each year. Nominees are drawn from past Drivers of the Quarter and reviewed carefully by TMC’s Steering Committee based on nominations from employees, safe driving record, years of service, and excellence in customer service.
Randy certainly meets all of these criteria. A professional truck driver since the early 1980s, Randy has spent nearly 23 years of his career driving for TMC’s Black and Chrome fleet and has achieved 2.48 million safe miles. He was named Driver of the Quarter in 2012 and has made a name for himself at TMC as a driver dedicated to excellence in all areas of his job.
During his years on the road, Randy has developed a thoughtful approach to driving that allows him to both enjoy his work and
succeed at the highest levels. “The most important load you have is the load you’re hauling. You have nothing else to think about,” he says. “Getting the load there is all you have to do. If you think too far ahead, you’ll be disappointed. All you have to do is properly take care of the load you’re dispatched on.”
When it comes to safety, Randy’s approach is defined by his trademark thoughtfulness
and patience. “The whole job consists of one thing: don’t hurry,” he advises. “Any time you put yourself under pressure and rush, you have the potential to have a safety problem. It takes as much time as it takes. You cannot rush.”
Chad Reece, Randy’s fleet manager, says that Randy is an outstanding driver and a great part of the TMC team. “Randy is a true professional driver,” Chad says. “He is always 100% reliable and a great communicator. He gets the job done safely and in a timely manner, day in and day out. He embodies the principles of teamwork and Destination: Excellence.”
Operations manager Kevin Murphy, who previously worked on with Randy on the John Deere Dedicated account, agrees that his thoughtful approach sets him apart as a driver. “Whenever Randy and I talked, he would bring up issues but also a solution to the issue. He had already thought through the what, where, why, when, and how and had a solid idea of how to fix it.” Kevin says that Randy truly exemplifies the qualities that make TMC great: “Randy earns everything that comes his way; he never asks for anything. He is a great representative of TMC, and I am very happy that he has earned the title of Wheel Master.”
Congratulations to Randy Varese on becoming the 2023 Wheel Master!
Pictured: Past winners of the Wheel Master award gathered at their annual luncheon in April.
DRIVER AWARDS
JANUARY 1- JULY 31
5 YEARS OF SAFE DRIVING
ALLEN, ALEXANDERUM DOMINI
CASTRILLON, JOHANN DANIEL
COX, MICHAEL A
DELGADO, OCTAVIO
ISAACSON JR, ROBERT LEE
MARTIN, BRANDON LAKE
MERCADO, AGUSTIN
MINOR, ALAN JACQUE
NELSON, PHILLIP GREGORY
ROUSH JR, MICHAEL FRANK
SLANKARD III, BILLY LEROY
VEDIZ, ADAM CHRISTOPHER
ADAMS, ARCHIE JAMES JOSEP
HAGEN, ROBERT JAMES
JUSTICE, KEVIN DWAIN
PUSKARICH, RICHARD JOHN
SIDERS, JESSE L
SPRADLING, KEVIN DARRYL
SUMNER, RONALD DEAN
ALEXANDER, ZACHARY STEELE
BRACKBILL, DUSTIN DOUGLAS
CARREON III, JOE
CORNETT, WESLEY
DUKES, JERMAINE MARCELL
FOSTER, JAMES JACOB
GALLOWAY, TERRELLE ALLAN
MESSER, MATTHEW RYAN
ROBINSON, DOUGLAS ALAN
STINSON, DEREK LEVON
TAYLOR, ANDRE DEVON
THORPE SR, TRAVIS ARRON
WASSON, CHRISTOPHER W
WILHELM, DANIEL KEITH
YOUNG JR, EDWARD EARL
ASBURY, MASON THOMAS
BINGHAM, CARLOS MAURICE
BRAINARD, JASON THOMAS
FARNSWORTH, AUSTIN MONTAN
FISHER, PATRICK ALLAN
GRANT, VICTOR EARL
GRAPHIA, JOSEPH A
MILLER JR, JACKY DALE
MONGOLD, JOHNATHAN N
SANDERS JR, ALLEN MAURICE
WHITFIELD, WILLIAM TAKEEM
WILBURN JR, RICHARD MARCE
WOODARD, KENDALL JOEL
BUTTS, JERRALD T
DUNN, ROBERT WILLIAM
GARVIN, TREGORY LAMAR
GUNNERSON, KOLT JOSEPH RO
HOLMES, TERRANCE DARNELL
HUNT, MARCUS ALEXANDER
VANSCOY, MICHAEL J
BLEVINS, DIRK AARON
DRAYTON, BLAIR SHAWNTE
ESCOBAR, OMAR ALEXANDER
FACKLER, JOSHUA JAMES
HASKELL, RUSSELL DAVIS
LUKER, ONAJE BERNARD
MCTEER, JOHN E
NORVELL JR, DONALD MITCHE
POTTER, EDWARD MICHAEL
QUINN, RONNIE MICHAEL
RANTZ, RONNIE LEE
RODRIGUEZ, ROBERTO
ROHDE, KYLE GORDON
SAUNDERS, JAMAR
SWAIN, JONA EARHART
ALLISS, ERIK NICLAS
BLANTON, NATHANIEL DOWIN
DELICIO, TYLER JAMES
KRAEHENBUEHL, NATHAN IVAR
LIBERCCI, MICHAEL JEROME
MARQUEZ MIXCOATL, CARLOS
MELLETTE, RODRICK JERMAIN
SEIP, TRISTIN JAMES
10 YEARS OF SAFE DRIVING
BAKER, DAVID LEE
BJARNSON, ERIC MARTIN
CALDWELL, JASON R
CLAY, DANNY RAY
WASHBURN, THOMAS A
MCALISTER, MICHAEL AARON
NEAL, MATTHEW DALE
PEARSON, JOHN EDWARD
FRAZER, DEVON ADOLPHUS
ISAAC, DAVID ALLEN
KATKE, JOHN DAVID
WINGATE, THOMAS PAUL
DELAVERGNE, JOSEPH P
KOFI, ANTHONY DOLOH
ANSLEY, STEPHEN JONATHAN
GROSSMAN JR, JERRY LEROY
JENNINGS, DAVID M
MAKELA, JARED WILLIAM
MCKEE, ROY DALE
SMITH JR, VINCENT EUGENE
WRIGHT, ALFRED
DARDEN, DONALD KEITH
REINKE, ANDREW CHARLES
STANGER, DOYLE LEE
TROXLER, ANTHONY C
15 YEARS OF SAFE
DRIVING
ASHLEY, KEITH A
BURGESS, SAMUEL J
DRAGER, DANIEL L
KENNEY, ALVIN BERNARD
GLOVER JR, ERNEST TYRONE
MEYTHALER, GLENN CHARLES
POPIELNICKI, THAD JOSEPH
COWARDIN, DALE EDWARD
KIRKLAND, JOSEPH R
BOUMA, MICHAEL D
RADFORD, DWAYNE ALVIN
EDWARDS JR, WILLIE LEWIS
HIMES, BRENDA A
ROSEL, RICARDO JAMIE
WOLFF, DELRUSS R
SHERFY, DAVID M
20 YEARS OF SAFE DRIVING
KAMPF, MATTHEW DONALD
LEWIS, KIRK LAWRENCE
NETZLEY, JOSEPH J
MANUWA, WADE K
THUMMA, GREG A
HARDING, LARRY D
HAYDEN, JOSEPH S
ROMANS, BARRY LYNN
SILVEY, CARL PATRICK
MANUWA, WADE K
THUMMA, GREG A
HARDING, LARRY D
HAYDEN, JOSEPH S
ROMANS, BARRY LYNN
SILVEY, CARL PATRICK
25 YEARS OF SAFE DRIVING
TYSON, ERIC DEWAN
HIMES, LARRY LEE
CALORE, GEORGE J
CAGLE, DANNY F
1 MILLION MILE AWARD
TROXLER, ANTHONY C
DUCRAN, MICHAEL A
CRANE, WILLIAM
BAILEY, JUSTIN R
BJARNSON, ERIC MARTIN
COYLE, ERIC SCOTT
KATKE, JOHN DAVID
POST, BRIAN K
MERKEL, KEN W
MOSS, SHELDON AVERY
HOLMES, JOSHUA STEVEN
INGRAM, JOSEPH ALLEN
SCHRIVER, JAMES RICHARD
ARGENTA, BRIAN K
BOWEN, CHARLES EDWARD
NADEAU, MATTHEW H
HALL, CODY JOE
2 MILLION MILE AWARD
CARBAUGH, ROBERT J
KIMMERLY, TONY LANCE
LEWIS, KIRK LAWRENCE
MILLS, ROBERT DAVID B
SEARFINO JR, JOSEPH P
SEARFINO JR, JOSEPH P
RICHARDS, KINSEY RALPH
VAUGHN, RICHARD BRIAN
LINVILLE JR, JAMES S
HARDING, LARRY D
3 MILLION MILE AWARD
SHAW, LINWOOD
HICKS, JASON RAY
ROBERTS, JUSTIN E
LES BOHLKEN RETIRES WITH FOUR MILLION SAFE MILES
After 37 years with TMC and as one of very few drivers to achieve more than four million safe miles, specialized driver Les Bohlken retired at the end of 2023. Les was named as TMC’s Wheel Master in 1987, and he wore his Wheel Master jacket proudly as he celebrated his retirement.
Les started with TMC in 1986, and he says he has seen many changes at the company during his tenure. “In the old days, the office wasn’t half the size it was now, and the motel was a cornfield,” he says of the Des Moines headquarters and what is now the Baymont Inn and Suites. Les also remembers Harrold Annett, TMC’s late founder, who led the company until his death in 2021. “He was a very smart businessman. If you listened to him, you’d learn a lot,” Les notes.
TMC celebrated Les’s retirement with a reception in the Des Moines headquarters, to give company leaders a chance to say thank you to one of TMC’s most experienced drivers. Les traveled to Des Moines on TMC’s private jet from his home in Nebraska with one of his three daughters, his son-in-law, and several of his grandchildren to celebrate his long and impressive career.
Fleet manager Chad Reece, who worked
with Les for over 20 years, says that Les has been an exceptional driver. “Les is from a generation that is the pinnacle of hard work, dependability, and doing the job with high ethical standards,” he says. “Les was always calm and professional no matter what good or bad challenges were thrown his way. He will be greatly missed, and I hope his knowledge, wisdom, and great attitude have worn off on many other drivers over the years.”
As he looks back on his career, Les is proud to have worked for a company known for its integrity, its top-of-the-line equipment, and its great employees. “It has been one hell of a ride,” he says.
Congratulations, Les, on your retirement! Thank you for your years of hard work and all your safe miles.
DRIVER OF THE QUARTER
Q3 2023: Oscar Cordon
Oscar Cordon has been a flatbed driver for TMC for 19 years, and he has achieved an impressive 2.2 million safe miles. He says he enjoys driving partly because he gets to meet so many different people on the road. “This country is so big, and people are different everywhere. I like getting to meet new people— customers and drivers—every day,” he says.
Oscar’s fleet manager, David McBee, says that Oscar is a great driver—and great to work with. “I really enjoy working with Oscar,” David says. “He is meticulous about his job and does it the right way. He is always positive and upbeat when we speak and is always willing to do what needs to be done. He is a very kind man, and I am blessed to have him on my team.”
TMC is proud to recognize Oscar Cordon as Driver of the Quarter. Congratulations, Oscar!
Q4 2023: Greg Stehouwer
A TMC driver since 2010, Greg Stehouwer has achieved 1.1 million safe miles. For the last ten years, he has also been a driver trainer. He has trained more than 65 drivers and was named Trainer of the Year for 2020.
Greg was drawn to TMC because of the strong company culture. As a retired Marine, Greg especially appreciated the way TMC honors veterans and their service. “The military focus was big for me. It meant a lot that TMC recognized veterans,” he notes.
Fleet manager Nicholas Seydel believes that Greg is a great example of the TMC spirit. “Greg is exactly what we want every TMC driver to strive to become,” he says. “He understands what it takes to do this job, and do this job well, across all departments. He has more than earned this honor, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Congratulations, Greg, on being named Driver of the Quarter!
TMC DRIVER COMPETES IN IOWA TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Iowa Truck Driving Championships— which took place June 13 and 14—are an annual opportunity for the best truck drivers in Iowa to compete in tests of their driving knowledge and skill. TMC was represented in the competition by one of our exceptional drivers, Richard Padilla.
Ops manager Josh Kintz says that Richard— who has been a TMC driver for almost five years and has achieved nearly 500,000 safe miles with no claims or accidents—was an easy choice to represent TMC in the competition. “Richard is an important and valuable part of the team,” Josh says. “He is a company guy, and he always goes above and beyond to meet the customer and company needs and does it with enthusiasm. He has a great attitude towards his work.”
As part of the Truck Driving Championships, Richard was tested on all aspects of truck driving. He took a written test of trucking knowledge, completed an interview, did a pre-trip inspection, and demonstrated his driving skills in a truck.
Richard says he was excited to represent TMC in the Championships and grateful for the opportunity. “I want to thank TMC and my ops manager, Josh Kintz, who put my name in for the competition,” Richard says.
TMC is proud to be represented in this prestigious competition by such an outstanding driver. Congratulations to Richard for a great performance in the Iowa Truck Driving Championships!
TMC RECEIVES CARRIER OF THE YEAR AND MILL’S CHOICE AWARDS FROM GERDAU STEEL
For the second year in a row, TMC Transportation was recognized as Gerdau Steel’s Carrier of the Year. TMC also received the Mill’s Choice Award for 2023.
Gerdau is one of the leading global producers of steel, with facilities throughout the eastern and southern US and Canada. The company awards Carrier of the Year based on metrics related to ontime pick-ups and deliveries, ease of doing business, and following through on load commitments.
The Mill’s Choice Award is based on similar factors, but it draws on feedback directly from Gerdau’s mills themselves. They give out this award to a company that best exemplifies effective communication, operational effectiveness, and overall ease of doing business.
TMC has had a longstanding relationship
with Gerdau, says TMC Vice President of National Accounts Jeff Floyd. The two companies have worked together for 20 years, but in recent years, says Jeff, “the relationship has really flourished.”
Jeff believes that the successful partnership—and Gerdau’s decision to award these recognitions to TMC—is thanks to the continual excellence and skilled execution of the entire TMC team. “The boots on the ground make it happen—the customer service representatives and drivers,” Jeff says. “Gerdau loves our drivers. Our drivers know how to do things right. That comes from training, from operations, from everyone at TMC.”
Thank you to Gerdau Steel for this recognition! And congratulations to everyone at TMC whose work has made the relationship with Gerdau such a success.
We are excited to announce that TMC Transportation was named Dedicated Flatbed Carrier of the Year for 2023 by Home Depot.
TMC NAMED HOME DEPOT’S DEDICATED FLATBED CARRIER OF 2023
Since 2004, TMC and Home Depot have built a strong business partnership, with TMC trucks now transporting products from 12 of Home Depot’s distribution centers to store locations around the country. The two companies have also worked together to provide disaster relief to communities in need. “TMC is honored to be recognized as Flatbed Carrier of the Year by Home Depot,” says Brett Wilburn, Senior Vice President of National Accounts. “This award is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of our drivers, fleet managers, customer service reps, and everyone on the TMC team who goes the extra mile every day for Home Depot. It is an honor to receive this award from such a longstanding customer, and I look forward to seeing our partnership continue to grow in the future.”
Thank you so much to Home Depot for this award! And thank you to everyone at TMC for your hard work to make this business partnership so successful.
TMC RECEIVES CULTURE CURATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Earlier this year, TMC Transportation received the Culture Curator of the Year Award from the Ames Chamber of Commerce.
The award recognizes a company that has created an outstanding culture by investing in the development and wellbeing of its employees. And TMC has certainly done that in its Student Training Center in Ames, where it offers internships in transportation, logistics, and IT to college students from several local universities to help them gain real-world experience. Many former interns have gone on to have great careers at TMC and help to further build our culture.
Kenny Kyle, Vice President of Campus Collaboration, accepted the award on TMC’s behalf. In his acceptance speech, Kenny noted that the Ames Chamber of Commerce has been a valuable partner in TMC’s process of establishing the Ames office and building the internship program.
“The first thing we did when we opened the office in Ames was join the Ames Chamber of Commerce because we recognized the value in that,” he said. He thanked the Chamber for the award and noted the role of TMC’s culture in our company’s success: “Culture is a very important part of TMC, and that was something that was instilled in us by our founder, and something that we’re very proud of today, 52 years later.”
Thank you to the Ames Chamber of Commerce for this award! TMC’s culture truly sets us apart from the rest, and we’re so honored to be recognized by our community partners.
Pictured: TMC representatives at the Ames Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony.
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES AT TMC’S
NEW TERMINAL
In 2023, TMC broke ground on a new terminal in Columbia, South Carolina.
Since then, our partners at Montgomery Construction have made great progress on the administrative building, training yard, and maintenance shop, and the terminal is on schedule to open in early 2025. When completed, this campus will allow TMC to centralize our operations in the region, better serve our customers, and provide state-of-the-art maintenance services for drivers.
Read more about the new terminal in this article from the Richmond County Economic Development Agency!
TMC Announces 2023 ESOP Share Price
Now in its eleventh year, TMC’s employee stock ownership program (ESOP) has become one of the cornerstones of our culture. And one of our favorite moments of every year is the reveal of the ESOP share price.
Since the start of the ESOP, TMC’s share price has increased by more than 500%, and employee-owners have seen this reflected in the growth of their individual ESOP accounts. The yearly announcement of our share price is a moment to reflect on the past year and celebrate our ongoing journey to Destination: Excellence.
And the reveal of the 2023 share price was certainly no different. This year, TMC’s ESOP share price increased 11.6% from 2022, showing continued steady growth, thanks to the hard work of employee-owners in every department at TMC.
This year’s reveal was announced with a video featuring Executive Vice President of Operations Travis Johnson, who said, “We all work hard here at TMC, and we all share in the company’s success through our ESOP.”
Check out the ESOP share price reveal on TMC’s YouTube page.
SAFETY: THAT’S MY CULTURE
At TMC, safety—of both our drivers and our office workers—is always one of our top concerns. That’s why we launched our new campaign, Safety: That’s My Culture, in June.
With this new initiative, we’re emphasizing our safety culture at all of our locations with videos, posters, and other reminders of important safety tips. Our drivers and office employees will also be able to share safety concerns and give shout-outs when they see someone working safely.
We always say that safety is a choice—it’s one of the most important choices that all of us make each and every day at TMC.
Bonus! Head over to our YouTube Channel to hear from senior leaders at TMC about the importance of working safely at TMC.
Do you have a safety shoutout or concern? Scan the QR code in the graphic to share.
EMPLOYEE-OWNER OF THE QUARTER
Q1: Brett Crable, Strategic Account Manager
Brett Crable has shown a deep commitment to helping TMC succeed and building strong customer relationships. “Brett bleeds TMC,” says Keith Chyla, Vice President of Sales and Account Management. “He has really deep TMC experience, and he’s worked his way up in the company.”
Mike Crist, Senior Vice President of Logistics, agrees that Brett has made a big impact in the Logistics Division. “Brett serves as a trusted advisor to his customers—and he has become a trusted leader in our organization,” he says. “In the first quarter specifically, he helped lead our largest customer growth story year over year.”
Q2: Marcus Johnson, Logistics Sales Representative II
During his time at TMC, Marcus—better known as MJ—has proven his willingness to work hard. “He’s usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave,” says Marcy Noble, General Manager. “He’s always willing to lend a hand with anything. He’s very detailoriented, and he always gives 200%.”
MJ’s hard work has definitely paid off in the second quarter of 2024. He doubled his volume and revenue from the first quarter and increased his margin percentage, while taking on a new major account. “And this is all from his work ethic, his ability to recognize and take some risks on lanes, his account management, and his desire to succeed,” Marcy notes.
SAMMY SMITH SPEEDS TO DESTINATION: FINISH LINE WITH SUPPORT FROM TMC
The NASCAR season is still in progress, but it’s safe to say that Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith is having a great year. In his first season as part of the JR Motorsports team, with support from TMC, Sammy won the United Rentals 250 at Talladega and placed in the top ten in several other races.
Sammy made time to visit TMC headquarters for a cookout in June ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Hy-Vee Perks 250 at the Iowa Speedway. Joined by JR Motorsports CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Sammy met TMC employees, signed autographs, and chatted with families. Attendees had the opportunity to check out Sammy’s car and even take a walk through his hauler.
TMC turned out again to support Sammy
at the Pennzoil 250 in Indianapolis. After a Saturday morning cookout at our nearby Brownsburg terminal, more than 100 TMC employee-owners attended the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thank you to everyone who made it to this great event and supported Sammy, and congratulations to Sammy on his success in the season so far.
TMC IN THE COMMUNITY
TMC PARTNERS WITH ROC SOLID FOUNDATION
In partnership with Roc Solid Foundation, more than 20 TMC volunteers built a backyard playset for Ezra, a three-yearold in the Des Moines area who is battling leukemia.
Kids like Ezra often have weakened immune systems due to their chemotherapy treatments, which makes it impossible for them to go to public playgrounds. Having a playset in his own backyard gives Ezra the opportunity to play whenever he wants, without any risk to his health. Over the course of about four hours, TMC volunteers from all departments worked together to assemble the playset, prepare a space for it in Ezra’s backyard, and set it up.
Ezra—who loves big trucks—also got to see the cab of a TMC truck with his parents and younger sister and was even able to sit in the driver’s seat. While he was enjoying his
time in the truck, volunteers were hard at work putting the finishing touches on Ezra’s playset.
Roc Solid Foundation has built hundreds of playsets for kids battling cancer, but Ezra’s was the first the foundation had ever tackled in Iowa. Eric Newman, Roc Solid’s founder and Chief Play Officer, says that these playsets are important because play defeats cancer. “The reason Roc Solid Foundation exists is to build hope for kids fighting pediatric cancer,” he told the group of TMC volunteers. “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, play is the first thing taken from them. We are giving that back to Ezra and his family.”
Thank you to everyone from TMC who volunteered to spend their Saturday morning making a difference in the life of a family in our community!
TMC MAKES TIE BLANKETS FOR CHARITY
TMC employee-owners are always looking for ways to give back to our communities, and a service project organized by Montana Rold, daughter of Lana Rold in Driver Recruiting, offered a great opportunity for that earlier this year!
As part of her community service project for 4-H, Montana partnered with Ellipsis, a Des Moines organization that works to help kids and families build healthy relationships through community-based mental health support, emergency shelter, respite, and full-time residential care. TMC employees took time out of their busy schedules to make tie blankets for our neighbors in need, which Montana delivered to Ellipsis. Thank you to everyone who helped out with this great project!
MODERN CUSTOM DREAMZ CAR SHOW
For the second year, TMC was proud to sponsor the Modern Custom Dreamz Car Show in Altoona, Iowa. TMC even awarded the TMC’s Choice trophy to (of course) a black and shiny truck. This event not only gave attendees a chance to see some incredible cars up close and personal, but it was also raised money to support Blank Children’s Hospital. Congratulations to everyone who participated!
FAMILY ASSISTANCE FUND SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Funded entirely through voluntary payroll contributions, TMC’s Family Assistance Fund (FAF) supports employee-owners and owner-operators who are experiencing, hardship, illness, or natural disasters.
The FAF also awards college scholarships to dependents of employee-owners and owneroperators. This year, the FAF committee reviewed more than 50 applications from outstanding high school and college students and awarded seven scholarships. Congratulations to the 2024 winners!
DES MOINES CORPORATE GAMES
For the first time ever, TMC employee-owners in the Des Moines area went head-to-head with employees from other companies as part of the Des Moines Corporate Games.
This company-based competition, which started in late May and ended July 31, enables and supports teamwork, company pride, and corporate wellness through healthy competition in sports, athletic events, and games.
TMC employee-owners competed in a number of events, including volleyball, trivia, basketball, long-jump, and even a triathlon. TMC may not have placed first in the rankings, but everyone who competed had a great time. Thank you to our employee-owners who took part in the games!
CELEBRATING NATIONAL INTERN DAY
Each year, TMC looks forward to celebrating National Intern Day! During summer 2024, we had 43 interns from 14 universities throughout different departments, including communications, logistics sales, IT, operations, and customer service.
Intern Day gives us an opportunity to recognize the ways our interns contribute to TMC and to celebrate their growth as young professionals. Each TMC location hosted a cookout for lunch, and interns took part in a game called “Are You Smarter Than a 1980s Shipping Manager?” The game required students to plan truck loads without using computers or smart phones to truly show off their trucking know-how.
We’re so proud of all our interns and the hard work they put in over the summer. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
SALUTES FROM THE COMMUNITY
“I live in the little crossroad village called Dempseytown, Pennsylvania. Your drivers have been hauling quite a bit of large diameter black plastic pipe south on State Route 417. I just want to say thank you to you and your drivers for being so polite to our little town. They obey the speed limit, and they don’t use their engine brakes. No loud music, and nice clean, quiet trucks. Please pass my note of appreciation to the drivers on this route and thank them for being polite and respectful.”
-Blaine Pettit (semi-retired CDL driver with tanker endorsement)
BLACK & CHROME SALUTES
“Leonard was my trainer for the last three weeks. His hardcore, no-BS-but-fair method was exactly what I needed. We had some crazy experiences from day one, like pulling a driver out of a truck that overturned in front of us. Leonard jumped out and we ran and helped the man out of his truck, giving aid until rescue arrived. Leonard taught me a lot in three weeks, and I will continue to learn and improve my skills. Big thank-you to Leonard! He’s not an easy trainer, but he’s all about safety and doing the job right. Thanks, driver. Hope to see you on the road.”
-Neile Hannick to Leonard Haynes
“Scott has helped me out tremendously. I got to Worthington Steel and was a little nervous, knowing this was my first time throwing chains and tent tarping. With Scott’s help, I now feel like I can do this again with no issues. Thanks, Scott, for your time and support.”
-Hunter Evans to Scott Thompson
“One of the best trainers in the fleet. Helped me and countless others on my five-week journey to become a TMC driver.”
-William Bean to Christopher Massey
“Pulled up to unload at the same place as him. Soon as I pulled in, he stopped what he was doing and immediately came and helped me pull bungees and tarps before he was even finished with all of his.”
-James Frost to Caleb Grider
“Not only did this fine gentleman take the time out of his day to teach me another way to steel tarp, he also helped close the gaps in my own knowledge with steel tarping and he gave me a hand with putting the bungies on. This was all before he even thought to work on his own load. He was also just a very pleasant, kind, and fun guy to be around. Thanks, Chris!”
-Michael Lavan to Chris Argay
“This driver helped me at a rest stop with fixing my tarp. It was much appreciated, and he even managed to unstrap a strap for me and retighten the strap. He took time out of his day to help a fellow Black and Chrome driver. Much appreciated.”
-Nicholas Imperatore to Ratwuan McMillan
“Went around helping and making sure drivers knew how to secure our loads this morning and giving an extra hand.”
-John DeGregory to Curtis Rasnake
“Matthew Slate was my trainer, and every time I run into him, he is full of energy and has some new wisdom to give me about how to be the best I can be out here on the road. Today in particular, he had his current trainee help me secure my tarp at my load. Matthew is a great representative for TMC.”
-Keyon Demps to Matthew Slate
“This man saved my day. I was in a fight with my tarp, and I was losing, and he came in for back-up. All jokes aside, he saved me a lot of blood, sweat, and tears and showed me more self-efficacy when dealing with the tarp. I now have a better technique and my confidence has been strengthened, all thanks to him.”
-Tighe Johnson to Ervin Scott
“Driven and determined individual. He’s neat and clean and has a great system for his trainees, which is very important when a new driver like myself comes into this industry. It can be hard out here in this field, and sometimes it’s nice to have a friendly reminder to stay hydrated or st a break. Sometimes we need a stern but friendly voice to be there to let us know we’re still human and it’s ok to slow it down a bit. That’s what Blake is to me.”
-Jonathan Howell to Blake Masker
“I’m a new driver who got a load of shotgun slinky coils, and this driver went above and beyond the typical cordial greeting between TMC drivers. He proceeded to give me advice learned from his 18 years of experience. Not only did he give me advice both on road safety and load securement, but he proceeded to get his hands dirty helping me secure my load without even being asked. 10/10! Deserves kudos.”
-Ryan Nemeth to Tim Rannow
“I travel between Pittsburgh and Youngstown daily to and from work. I’ve noticed more and more TMC trucks along the Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes, Interstate 76, and when I also travel Interstate 80. Each TMC driver I encounter is always operating in a safe and courteous manner. Too frequently, truck transportation is an environment of drivers that are not following the speed limit, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, and just holding the steering wheel until they get to their next stop. My experience is that TMC drivers are none of those and represent your ‘Destination Excellence’ vision very well. Thank you for assembling a group of associates that appears to be mindful of safety for themselves and the rest of us that share the road with them.”
-Jack Linton
“I submitted a repair request for my trailer because it kept popping fuses. I did not have my multimeter to diagnose. The next morning, while parked in the Flying J, I met Salvador in the parking lot. He said he had a voltmeter, and he helped me troubleshoot. Not only did we find the short, but he helped me fix it and zip tie all the cables back together. This saved TMC thousands of dollars in repairs and saved me from going to a repair shop. Now after my delivery I can head to my next destination without detours. This driver demonstrated that he’s a TRUE ‘Destination: Excellence’ TMC operator. He’s gone above and beyond to help out another driver on his day off.”
-Juan Hernandez to Salvador Cano
“Fred went above and beyond by assisting me with my trailer swap, despite enduring hours of delay from the shipper. Not only did he lend a hand, but he also shared valuable insights on streamlining load securing. Additionally, Fred’s expertise with the tarping machine reduced a 30-minute task to just 10 minutes. His exemplary leadership within our fleet and TMC sets a high standard for others to follow.”
-Keyon Demps to Fred Ricketts
“I was doing a trailer swap for a load of pipe. When I pulled into the spot and started unloading my old trailer, someone on the other side started cranking down my landing gear. The person, driver Rodney Myers, told me he was the TMC yard manager, which was great since I wanted to ask a resident expert about staging the straps! Over the next 30 minutes, Rodney helped me load dunnage, feed straps, and wind up straps that needed to be re-thrown. His help not only clarified a question I had but also expedited my departure from the facility. When I took a picture of his door to remember his name, I saw that he was the trainer of the month for June of 2023! Rodney is an asset to TMC and has a track record of high performance.”
-Cory Wadley to Rodney Myers
