ASCEND DRIVER KRAIG HINRICHS CHOSEN AS TTF ROAD TEAM CAPTAIN

Post Date - Mar 11, 2022

At Ascend, it’s important to us that we provide our drivers with careers where they feel respected, heard and supported. We love to celebrate our team members in their successes, especially when they’re recognized for their hard work and commitment to safety. Kraig Hinrichs, who has been a driver with us for over 30 years and one of our most senior drivers, was recently selected to serve as a Tennessee Trucking Foundation (TTF) Road Team Captain. We’re so proud of Kraig and are excited to have him represent us and the trucking industry.

“This is actually my second time serving as a Road Team Captain,” says Kraig, who also held this role in 2013. “It’s a huge honor and really means a lot to me. I can give back to society and help make the highways a safer place to drive.”

The Tennessee Road Team is an elite group of professional drivers and one of the most respected highway safety organizations in the nation. Members of the Road Team are nominated and selected from hundreds of drivers across the state of Tennessee. Each member of the Road Team serves a 2-year term and many of them have accumulated a million miles or more of safe driving.

“I love being a captain. It gives me an opportunity to give back and share my knowledge and wisdom from 37 years of driving,” explains Kraig, who lives in McKenzie, Tenn. “I want to help make the next generation of drivers the most safety conscious, respectful and courteous drivers on the road.”

Members of the Road Team attend several days of training and get all the resources they need to do safety presentations throughout the state. They spend their time on the Road Team speaking to a variety of different groups including schools, senior citizen centers, civic groups, and the media. Road Team Captain finalists go to the TTF in Nashville for interviews before the final 10-12 are selected.

“We want to teach motorists about highway safety around big trucks. We hope to be able to leave a lasting impression on those young teens who are about to get their driver’s license,” Kraig adds. “We talk about all safety aspect of driving: distracted driving, impaired driving, tailgating, hanging out in the ‘no-zones’ or blindspots of big rigs…there’s a lot of information these drivers don’t know.”

Throughout his career, Kraig has accumulated an incredible 4 million safe miles. He also serves as a mentor for drivers who are new at Ascend. Last November, Kraig was selected to speak at the Recruitment and Retention Conference in downtown Nashville.

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience in the industry,” he says. “I want to help bring back the professionalism and respect to trucking.”

Kraig is the proud father of two daughters and “papa” to five grandchildren. During his home time, he tries to spend as much time with his family as possible. He loves tinkering around the house and to share his passion for hunting and fishing with his grandchildren.

If you’re interested in joining us and Kraig at Ascend Transportation, give us a call today!