Oscar Cordon Named 2024 Wheel Master

on Thursday, March 6, 2025 in Awards & Recognition

TMC is proud to announce that Oscar Cordon has been named 2024’s Wheel Master. Congratulations, Oscar!

Each year, the Wheel Master award recognizes one outstanding TMC driver based on nominations from employees, safe driving record, years of service, and excellence in customer service. Oscar—who was named Driver of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2023—certainly excels in all of those areas. As Operations Manager Craig Divine says, “Oscar is a pillar of TMC. He sets the standards for what every driver should strive to be like.”

Starting a Successful Career

Oscar started driving for TMC in 2005, in part because of our commitment to getting drivers home on a regular basis. He wanted to be sure that he could be home to spend time with his wife and family, including four children and now 12 grandchildren. “For me, family is very important, so I go home on the weekends to spend time with my wife,” he says. And throughout his 20 years with TMC, Oscar says that his fleet managers have done a great job of finding routes for him that allow him to get home every weekend.

As a linehaul driver, Oscar hauls cargo for several different TMC customers, and he enjoys the variety that this gives his days. Every morning, he says, is “a new chapter, a new adventure. When you pick up your load, you don’t know what you’re going to see, who you’re going to meet. I always like to talk, and you learn from other people. I like to listen to people, and I like to learn.”

Unlike some driving jobs, flatbed driving isn’t just about sitting behind the wheel of a truck. TMC drivers are active throughout their days, as they secure and tarp their loads. Oscar says that this is part of what he likes about the job. “I get bored if I am just sitting down and not doing anything,” he says. “With flatbed, you get the exercise.”

The Importance of Safety—on Every Load

One constant any time Oscar is behind the wheel of his truck is his commitment to safety—as shown by his 2.37 million safe miles. “Safety, for me, is the number-one rule. I don’t want to get hurt or someone else getting hurt,” he says.

Even with his years of experience and expertise, Oscar emphasizes that he never takes safety or load securement for granted, and he puts in the extra work to make sure every load is safe and secured. “Even if I have hauled the load 50 times, I take a step back and think, ‘Is this the best way to secure this load?’ Not just for my safety, but for the safety of others that are going to be next to me and behind me,” he says.

Oscar knows that taking his time to do each job the right way—the TMC way—is key to safety on the road. “I’m never in a hurry,” he says. “Once you get to that point of being in a hurry, anything can happen.” He says that he always takes his time, especially when it comes to securement, and he encourages his fellow drivers to take this same approach. “Do not rush or let someone else rush you,” he says. “If the load is not secure on to that deck of the trailer, I am not moving. It’s not worth it.”

Support from TMC

Oscar says that his fleet manager, David McBee, and operations manager, Craig Divine, have also been key to his success. “I get all the support I need, especially from Craig Divine,” Oscar says. “If I have a question, he always takes the time and says, ‘Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do.’ And if he doesn’t have the answer, he says, ‘Let me figure that out, and I will call you back’—and he always calls me. You know that if you have a problem, you have someone you can depend on.”

Oscar encourages his fellow drivers to take advantage of the support that TMC offers. “If you have a question about the load, call somebody,” he says. “Don’t assume. Always call somebody, even at night. The help is always a plus—don’t assume, ‘Oh, I think I’m doing it right, I’m gonna roll with it.’”

About the Wheel Master Award

As 2024’s Wheel Master, Oscar joins an elite group of TMC drivers. For more than 30 years, TMC has given this award to one outstanding driver each year. Combined, the Wheel Masters have more than 100 million safe miles and a thousand years of safe driving.

Oscar says that he was happy and shocked to learn that he had been named as this year’s Wheel Master. “There are no words to describe it,” he says. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Fleet manager David McBee emphasizes that Oscar has more than earned this honor. “I can truly say that Oscar is very much deserving of this special award,” he says. “I don’t believe that I have ever heard anything but positive from Oscar or about Oscar from others. He is exemplary in every way. He does everything that is expected of him and more. It is a privilege to work with Oscar and an honor to be his fleet manager.”

Operations manager Craig Divine agrees with David’s sentiment: “Oscar, you deserve this award for your hard work and dedication. I’m glad to be part of your Operations team.”

Congratulations to Oscar Cordon for being named 2024’s Wheel Master.