Axel Munoz Named TMC's Trainer of the Month for July 2019

on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 in Awards & Recognition

Axel joined the Black and Chrome in June 2016. After working in construction for 20 years, he was ready for a change of pace and a new challenge. “I decided to go to driving school. When I graduated, I happened to stumble upon TMC,” he says. “It just felt like it was meant to be.”

Having had some training experience in his past career, Axel always had driver training as a goal. “There is a lot to learn in this industry, and I wanted to make sure I was ready for the job.” After two years on his own, he felt like he was ready to start training.

Coming from a construction background, it’s no surprise that Axel is all about safety. When it comes to his training, he provides constructive criticism and does his best to help his trainees learn to do things the TMC way. “I try to keep things positive,” he says. “It’s all about mutual respect and making sure they can do the job safely and correctly.”

Along with learning the job, Axel encourages his trainees to make sure their family members understand the aspects of the job and what they are going through. “Always communicate with your family and Fleet Manager. This will help you the most in the beginning.”

For drivers who are interested in becoming trainers themselves, Axel recommends not rushing into the role. “Bottom line, you have to know how to do the job before you can teach someone else to do it.”

Axel suggests that if you are looking for camaraderie out on the road, then training is the way to go. “It’s nice to have someone around to talk to and share experiences with,” Axel says. “I’m friends with all of my trainees and it’s awesome.”

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 a trainer. 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. Congratulations to our July 2019 Trainer of the Month, Axel Munoz!