TT: Hi Denise. Congratulations on being TOTAL’s Trainer of The Year! That’s amazing.
Denise: Well, thank you so much!
TT: You’re in a safe, warm place where we can talk for a bit, right?
Denise: Oh yeah, I’ve been shut down in that snowstorm in Georgia. I’m safe and warm.
TT: Good. Where are you from?
Denise: I’m from Knoxville, Tennessee. I’m also in Oxford MS, not native, but I’ve lived here for a darn long time, so I feel that way. I love it.
TT: How long have you been driving trucks?
Denise: Since the day I started at TOTAL, back in June of 2016. So, closing in on 9 years.
TT: Outstanding! What did you do before coming to TOTAL?
Denise: I was a cab driver for 18 years. I was the first female cab driver in Knoxville. After that, I drove medical transport for five years.
TT: What was it that made you think you’d like to try trucking as an option?
Denise: I’ve always wanted to be a trucker because I love to drive. I’m a true driver. That’s all I’ve ever done, and I love it. My dad drove for a living. My grandfather drove for a living. My great-uncle was a retired trucker.
TT: It sounds like it’s in your blood.
Denise: It is.
TT: How long have you been a trainer at TOTAL? What made you think that you wanted to make the move from a Driver to a Trainer?
Denise: March, will be seven years. I wanted to pay back the angels that gave me my career, the people that helped me along the way, and pay it forward.
TT: When you were looking at different companies, what appealed to you about TOTAL?
Denise: I really liked that we’re affiliated with Women in Trucking and we have really good benefits with good insurance.
TT: From your interactions with other drivers, what do you think makes TOTAL different from other companies?
Denise: From conversations, I think the most important part that y’all do is that you listen. At most places that’s 80% of the problem, they just don’t listen to their employees. In my experience, y’all do listen and you care. That’s worth its weight in gold to me.
TT: We do what we can to keep everybody happy, safe, and making money. What do you like most about driving for TOTAL?
Denise: One of the main things I love the most about TOTAL is that I’m treated with respect. I don’t have any complaints. When I’ve had situations that needed looked at, they listened to me and solved the problem to the best of the ability of the company. I love working for a great company. I just love the challenge of going different places, testing my skills, keeping myself sharp, and advancing my skills as a driver. I love everybody that I work with here at TOTAL. I really feel I’m a part of the family. That’s the best part.
TT: Speaking of driver skills, what are the most important skills for a driver to have?
Denise: The most important skill is always being aware of what’s around you. When you drive onto somebody’s property you need to be able to see where the exit is, or where you can turn around. You need to be able to look at the obstacles around you, know where you need to be, where you can go, and what you can do to accomplish your task. Knowing how to move your truck and trailer to safely get it where you need it. As time goes on, you must develop those skills. The more you do it, the broader your understanding is, and the better you become. That’s what I love about being OTR, I get to sharpen those skills, test them, and get better at my job.
TT: What do you think are important traits to have as a Trainer?
Denise: A lot of patience, nerves of steel, and a sense of humor. (laughs) Well, you’ve got to have a sense of humor in life anyway. I mainly do it for the love of helping others to get and have the career that I wanted when I came out. Because that’s what I did. I looked for people to help me and get me to where I wanted to be in my career.
TT: What’s the most challenging thing to teach as a Trainer?
Denise: Lord, that’s a good question. You’ve got a bunch of them, don’t you? (laughs) For me, the hardest thing to teach new students is how to let go of what they THINK trucking is. New CDL holders come into the industry and think all they’ll have to do is drive. It’s a perception that’s difficult to change, but that preconception stops them from learning. They thought it was going to be easy and no big deal, but then they find out they have to learn all this other stuff. There’s just so much to learn. They feel overwhelmed and many don’t believe they can learn it all. Then many get disappointed in their progress and just put up a wall. The trainer has to get them to see that they can learn it. Many just have to accept that it’s not what they thought it was going to be.
TT: What do you think is the most difficult skill for a student to learn?
Denise: The mechanics of moving the trailer. It’s all about angles, and that’s usually a challenge. For example, making a right-hand turn. What they don’t understand is you have to take the trailer past where you want to turn, and then turn into it and straighten up. They don’t understand that the trailer has to come out of the hole before you can turn it. That’s what I mean by the mechanical part. It’s hard adjusting to something that’s over 40 feet long after everything they’ve learned driving cars. There’s just so much information and so many things that a trainer needs them to know right off the bat. Nobody has prepared them for those things. My students need to quickly learn how to turn the vehicle, exit the interstate, and use the turn signals. There’s just so many things I need them to know, and they’ve not gotten enough drive time to know them yet.
TT: How many students do you think you’ve had? Do you have one with you now?
Denise: I couldn’t even guess how many I’ve helped train, and I just got a fresh one two days ago.
TT: What do you tell your new trainees when you first meet them?
Denise: The biggest thing that I stress to new students is that the first week is going to be very, very overwhelming. Then, after your first couple of days, each day will get better and easier.
TT: I’m sure you’ve had a wide variety of students; do you teach both men and women?
Denise: I teach anybody who wants to learn.
TT: How soon do you put students behind the wheel once they hop on your truck?
Denise: I usually drive the first day to show them the main points they need to understand and be safe before getting behind the wheel. The second day, I let them try it out. I also try to get to know them better. I want to know if they have any anxieties or concerns about different areas, like mountains, tunnels, or bridges. I’ll be sure to drive those areas first so they can see how to handle it. It’s all about communication.
TT: What’s your best piece of advice you have for new drivers coming to TOTAL?
Denise: Grab onto your determination and hold on tight. Try to keep a positive mental outlook. If you lose that, everything is going to be more difficult.
TT: Do you have any advice for other Drivers thinking about becoming a Trainer?
Denise: Yes, communication is what makes the training program a success for both students and trainers. Don’t treat all students the same. Try to adapt to each student and their learning abilities, how fast they learn, how much they learn, that kind of thing.
TT: What are you driving and how do you feel about our equipment?
Denise: I’ve got a 2023 Freightliner, I had a 2019 before that. I love them. They allow me to have my large refrigerator so I can cook and live better on the road. I respect that TOTAL keeps the equipment up. Anything I’ve reported has been fixed immediately. If I have a breakdown, I take the mindset that it just means God didn’t want me on the road right then. So, being broken down doesn’t bother me. Mechanical stuff breaks, we’re going to deal with it. It’s just a part of the life and a part of the industry. You’ve just gotta say, “Well, maybe it’s preventing me from something terrible happening down the road”.
TT: How do you balance work and home life?
Denise: It works best for my family if I come in once a month. It’s always the first weekend, that way everybody knows when I’ll be home. I take a four-day weekend and spend it with my children and grandchildren. I always cook a Sunday dinner and my five children and 13 grandchildren, all come over to spend time together.
TT: Do you feel supported by your Fleet Managers?
Denise: They’ve always tried to do the best job they could. Sometimes they get overwhelmed, but at the end of the day, they’re really attentive and honestly try to get the job done. Everybody really seems to care and do their best. Quite a few people have gone above and beyond.
TT: How do you communicate with your Fleet Manager?
Denise: I prefer email, for the most part. If the FM prefers, I’ll text them. A lot of interaction happens while I’m going down the road. Of course, our app won’t let us do that, so I just send hands-free emails for the most part.
TT: Do you have any tips for drivers to build a stronger relationship with their FM’s?
Denise: You need to be patient. If you get upset about something, take a minute to step back and ask, “Is it the industry or is it the company?” before you fly off the handle. A lot of times you’ll find that what you’re upset about is the industry more than the company. Say you get to your pick-up on time but then you wait for 6 hours, well, that’s not the company. The company didn’t do that, the shipper and industry did that. It’s just a part of the job. You can either accept it and have a good day, or choose not to accept it and be all grumpy. What good does getting mad do you? Now you’re waiting AND mad. That’s worse than just waiting. Make sure you have something to keep you occupied when you have downtime.
TT: What suggestions do you have for new drivers just starting out in trucking?
Denise: The first six months are going to be difficult. They need to understand that. You’ve got to be humble and get your experience in before your career can move forward. Take the time to try and understand what’s going on around you and why. Step back and look at how the industry is instead of what you think it should be. If they do that, they’ll have more patience with the things that are just a part of the job. The better you understand the industry as a whole, the better you’ll do. There’s no point in fighting against the company when that’s just how the industry is.
TT: Do you have a parting message for drivers across the industry?
Denise: I’d like to see more drivers go back to the old-school ways of being courteous and watching out for each other. More and more, I’m seeing people losing their courtesy out here. It’s all about them. Trucking used to be a community, but it seems like nobody wants to be a part of the community anymore. So, I would encourage everybody to go back to having patience with each other, watching out for each other, and just being kind and courteous to one another. Go back to flashing your lights. Turn on your turn signal. More and more out here every day I see people being rude on the road, it’s unnecessary.
TT: You’re quite a road warrior staying out for most of the month. What’s your food plan?
Denise: I enjoy cooking and I cook on my truck. When I go to a terminal and do a 34, I’ll make a big crock pot full of food and feed everybody that’s there. That’s one thing I love about these Cascadias. I can have my refrigerator stocked with food I can cook on the road and eat healthier.
TT: As far as appliances, what kind of kitchen setup do you have?
Denise: I have an air fryer, a microwave, a crock pot, and a seven-inch mini electric skillet.
TT: That’s a good setup. What’s one of your favorite recipes?
Denise: Garlic Parmesan Chicken.
TT: That sounds fantastic. Is there a particular place you like to shop when you’re on the road?
Denise: I used to use Walmart, but we can’t park and shop there anymore without being towed. It’s easier when I go up north because I’ll shop at Meijers. They don’t hassle you about parking your truck to go shopping. They welcome truckers, and they’re set up just like Walmart. They’ve got everything, and they have parking lots that don’t have barriers in them, so I can maneuver my truck easier.
TT: Is there anything you’d like to pass along to management?
Denise: Not really. I just come to work every day and do my job. I get it done and then go home.
TT: Thank you, Denise. Again, congratulations. We really appreciate what you’re doing out there. Keep it safe, keep it rolling, and stay safe out there.
Denise: That’s my motto. Safety is an all-day, everyday thing. Thank you very much. Have a great day.