The day I started working for Royal Coachman on October 29, 2013, I told the Chauffeur Manager that I wanted to accomplish two goals.
- The first goal was to be the best chauffeur in the company.
- The second goal was to be a trainer for new chauffeurs.
The Chauffeur Manager told me he could not help me achieve the first goal; that was all up to me. This would be achieved by six things:
- Drive safely; no at-fault collisions
- Never be late (be 15 minutes early)
- Don’t get lost; figure it out
- No Passenger Complaints
- Get lots of Passenger Compliments
- Make Dispatch your ally, not enemy
The Chauffeur Manager then told me he would try to help me accomplish the second goal if I achieved the first goal.
Five months later, I was able to achieve all five of these goals and by March 2014, the Chauffeur Manager called me and asked me, “Do you want to train your first victim?” My response was a resounding “SIR, YES SIR!”
So, 12 years and hundreds of successfully trained chauffeurs later, I have the privilege of being the Training Manager at The Leros Transportation Group. It hasn’t been easy, but I like to think that I give training wheels to chauffeurs to help them get started and to keep them moving forward.
When I train chauffeurs, I assign either a green light (approved for hiring with no issues), a yellow light (approved for hiring, with caution, due to observations in training) or a red light (not approved for hiring, due to serious concerns while training).
Most of the men and women I have trained were green light evaluations. Women are generally.
I’ve had a variety of adventures while training, including being rear ended twice – once while I was driving and once while the trainee was driving. Thankfully, there was no death, destruction or dismemberment.
I train three types of chauffeurs:
- House Sedan / SUV Chauffeurs
- Owner Operator Chauffeurs
- CDL Bus Driver Chauffeurs
Besides training new chauffeurs, I also retrain chauffeurs who have been with us for many years – I call it “refresher training.” Sometimes we all need a refresher. In addition to training chauffeurs, I am also a mentor to our team of 300 chauffeurs at our three locations in New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania. I answer questions ranging where to park at JFK to how to do a vehicle inspection. I really enjoy this aspect of the job!
When I started training in 2013, there was a six-page evaluation form. When I was given permission to take on training in 2023, I developed a training manual that was 20 pages. It has grown to more than 130 pages. The feedback I have received from trainees has been very positive.
The moral of this Street Story is: If you set your sights on one or multiple goals, you can achieve the goal (s), as long you stay focused and don’t give up. It also helps to have someone in your corner. I had a great Chauffeur Manager who helped me turn this dream into a reality.
Robert Stovall is Training Manager, Mentor and Senior Executive Chauffeur for The Leros Trans-portation Group, with offices located in Valhalla, NY, Parsippany, NJ and Trevose, PA. Robert can be reached at rstovall@lerostg.com.
