Helping a Major Transportation Organization Build a Sustainable Internal Training Model

A leading transportation and logistics organization partnered with TrainSMART to expand its internal training capability and create a scalable onboarding delivery model across multiple districts and operational locations.

As the company continued to grow, leadership recognized the need to reduce reliance on corporate trainers while empowering district-level Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and local trainers to deliver onboarding content consistently and effectively.

The organization sought a customized Train-the-Trainer solution that would not only prepare internal facilitators but also align fully with the company’s operational standards, branding, and learning culture.

The Challenge

The organization faced several key operational and training challenges:

  • Corporate trainers were traveling extensively to support onboarding delivery
  • Internal SMEs needed facilitation and instructional skills
  • Training consistency across districts was difficult to maintain
  • The organization needed to expand its internal “bench” of trainers
  • Existing onboarding content needed to be delivered more effectively at the local level
  • The solution had to remain fully company-branded and operationally aligned

Leadership wanted a training experience specifically designed around the company’s culture, operational practices, and trainer expectations — not a generic Train-the-Trainer program.

Additionally, the organization maintained strict standards regarding what internal trainers were permitted to facilitate, which required a highly customized and collaborative development process.

TrainSMART’s Approach

TrainSMART partnered closely with organizational learning leadership to design and facilitate a:

Custom Facilitation Certification Program

The engagement included:

  • A custom three-day instructor-led Train-the-Trainer experience
  • Facilitation certification preparation
  • Customized instructional design
  • Facilitation practice and feedback
  • Penske-specific learning activities
  • Practical application using the company’s own onboarding content

The program was intentionally built around the organization’s real-world onboarding environment and operational workflows.

A Branded Learning Experience

One of the defining strengths of the engagement was the level of customization.

TrainSMART designed the entire experience specifically for the organization, incorporating:

  • Company-branded language and practices
  • Operationally relevant examples
  • Internal onboarding workflows
  • Existing onboarding materials
  • Organization-specific activities and facilitation guidance

Rather than using generic training examples, participants practiced facilitation using the company’s own onboarding content, including:

“Owning Your Career”

This approach allowed facilitators to apply new trainer skills directly to the materials they would ultimately deliver internally.

Comprehensive Program Development

TrainSMART developed a complete facilitation and learning system that included:

  • Detailed training outlines
  • High-level design documentation
  • Facilitator guides
  • Participant guides
  • Slides and job aids
  • Checklists and activities
  • Practical facilitation assessments
  • Facilitated feedback tools

The program also incorporated practical application exercises in which participants demonstrated facilitation skills through live delivery and structured feedback sessions.

Collaborative Design and Delivery

TrainSMART instructional designer and facilitator led the design, development, and facilitation of the engagement.

The project required extensive collaboration between TrainSMART and organizational leadership to:

  • Align training expectations
  • Ensure compliance with internal guidelines
  • Customize learning activities
  • Incorporate operational terminology
  • Structure the facilitation certification experience appropriately

The engagement also involved a lengthy enterprise-level contracting and legal process, demonstrating TrainSMART’s ability to navigate complex organizational procurement and compliance requirements while maintaining project momentum.

The Result

The organization successfully implemented a scalable internal facilitator development solution designed to support onboarding delivery across multiple districts and operational teams.

The engagement helped the company:

  • Expand internal training capacity
  • Reduce reliance on corporate trainer travel
  • Prepare SMEs and district personnel to facilitate onboarding
  • Improve training consistency across locations
  • Build a sustainable facilitation model
  • Strengthen internal trainer confidence and readiness

Most importantly, the organization gained a framework for localizing onboarding delivery while maintaining alignment with company standards and learning expectations.

Long-Term Impact

The Facilitation Certification Program established a long-term internal training infrastructure capable of supporting organizational growth and workforce development at scale.

The engagement demonstrated how TrainSMART helps enterprise organizations:

  • Build sustainable internal training models
  • Develop confident facilitators and SMEs
  • Scale onboarding delivery across locations
  • Transfer training ownership internally
  • Customize Train-the-Trainer programs to operational realities
  • Create organization-specific facilitation systems

For organizations operating across large geographic footprints, developing strong internal trainers is essential for maintaining consistency, reducing training costs, accelerating onboarding, and supporting scalable workforce development initiatives.

Ready to Build a Scalable Internal Training Program?

As organizations grow, relying on a small group of corporate trainers to support onboarding and employee development becomes increasingly difficult and expensive.

Developing confident internal facilitators allows organizations to scale training, improve consistency across locations, reduce travel costs, and create a sustainable workforce development strategy.

TrainSMART helps organizations transform Subject Matter Experts into effective trainers through customized Train-the-Trainer programs, facilitation certification initiatives, onboarding delivery systems, and internal trainer development solutions.

Our customized programs help organizations:

  • Develop confident internal trainers
  • Improve onboarding consistency across locations
  • Reduce dependence on external or corporate trainers
  • Strengthen facilitation and presentation skills
  • Build scalable workforce development systems
  • Transfer training ownership internally
  • Create sustainable learning cultures

Complete the form below to schedule a consultation and learn how TrainSMART can help your organization build internal training capability, strengthen onboarding delivery, and create a scalable learning infrastructure for long-term growth.