Cover Story

Kevin Maher—Werner Enterprises, Inc.

“Safety and service is what this business is about,” says Kevin Maher. “Without that, you won’t get very far.” Kevin pursues his driving career with this philosophy in mind. He started at Werner Enterprises back in 1999 when he learned that Werner’s training program was one of the best in the industry.

“I knew that if I was going to be successful in this business, I needed to have the best of everything,” explains Kevin. “Other companies were hit and miss. Some had decent pay, but no training. Others had decent training, but horrible home time. Werner had the best program in every category.”

Kevin enjoyed his time as a solo driver, and he determined that his talent and enthusiasm could be used to teach drivers beginning their careers with Werner. After serving as a trainer, he was selected as a member of Werner’s six-member Professional Trainer Advisory Team, created in 2003. This board researches the most effective training techniques, which members pass on to other Werner trainers.

“The most rewarding part of training is passing on the information I’ve learned,” said Kevin. “I enjoy finding out how my old students are doing two to three years down the road and how their careers have developed with Werner.”

Kevin also praised the great pay he gets for training. After driving with the company for six months and passing the certified training program, trainers can average $65,000 to $100,000 per year. Werner’s annual average pay for a solo driver with less than one year experience is $37,300. More experience equals more pay. Werner drivers are some of the highest paid in North America because they are backed by production that is 10% higher than the competition.

A key part of the driver training program is the full-motion truck driving simulator, offered exclusively by Werner. Dri-vers learn to drive safely in inclement weather and develop important defensive driving skills. In conjunction with the truck driving simulator, Werner Enterprises has developed E-trainer computer-based training. E-trainer is an easy touch- screen system that provides instructional courses on safety and other important issues. Training is flexible and allows drivers to keep their skills current for any type of situation they may face on the road.

Educational Driving Instruction (EDI) is another training program offered to drivers as a training tool to help them master their professional driving skills. This program covers close- quarter maneuvering, backing, turning with obstacles, and it teaches trainers how to evaluate students.

Aside from the state-of-the-art technology, great pay, benefits and training, Kevin enjoys the support system at Werner. He says the Fleet Managers, office staff and mechanics back the
drivers 100%. Plus, Werner offers custom-fit opportunities.

“I think the best part of Werner is that there is an account for everyone,” says Kevin. “Whether you enjoy 48-state runs or feel more comfortable driving for a dedicated account, there is something that fits your needs. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with. I’ve got everything I could ever need rolled into one solid company.”

The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Kevin continued success with Werner Enterprises.