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Every day, Midwest Carriers transports a diverse range of products, from cheese, pizza, and coffee to life-saving medicine. The timely delivery of temperature-sensitive goods is critical to their success. Much like the adaptable Fox River, Midwest Carriers has created a vibrant ecosystem where it continues to adapt and thrive. The company forges a path toward a prosperous future by leveraging new technology and forming strategic partnerships.
The journey that began as a modest family operation in Kaukauna has now grown into a leading, safety-oriented, driver-focused freight and refrigeration logistics business. Midwest Carriers, started by Dave Van Handel and his wife in 1986, was a classic grassroots operation – a single truck, a lone driver, with the family chipping in to help with paperwork and all fueled by a diligent, hands-on attitude.
Today, Dave’s legacy endures under the guidance of Eric Van Handel, president of Midwest Carriers. The company has expanded to include a dedicated workforce of over 225 employees, operating a fleet of 180 trucks and over 500 trailers. Under Van Handel’s leadership, the “roll-up-your-sleeves” attitude that typifies the company spirit remains vibrant. Midwest Carriers has evolved, embracing new technologies and forming strategic partnerships that allows the company to concentrate on its core strength – freight transportation.
A key element in Midwest Carriers’ success and growth is its strategic partnerships, particularly its collaboration with Kriete Truck Centers. This partnership has significantly propelled Midwest Carriers’ trajectory, providing reliable, state-of-the-art vehicles and exceptional servicing. Kriete’s commitment to quality aligns seamlessly with Midwest Carriers’ ethos of working smarter, and Kriete’s innovative solutions help ensure the safety and efficiency of the company’s operations. This synergistic relationship boosts the company’s logistical capabilities and enhances its commitment to its customers.
“We believe in working smarter. From our partners to our vendors, they help us move forward and be more efficient to continue to drive the company forward,” Van Handel said. This partnership-driven growth approach has become a cornerstone in Midwest Carriers’ ongoing success and expansion.
In a business as dynamic and challenging as trucking, moving the business forward means prioritizing not just technology but safety. For Midwest Carriers, safety demands a holistic approach, where every business aspect plays a part, from the drivers and the trucks to human resources and logistics. To help actualize this vision of safety and efficiency, Van Handel turns to a trusted brand: Volvo Trucks.
“We want to take care of our people, our drivers, and the motoring public.” For this reason, Midwest Carriers rely on Volvo Trucks to provide solutions to ensure their drivers can be efficient and maintain paramount safety standards for everyone on the road. For Van Handel, safety isn’t a mere checkbox to tick—it’s an uncompromising requirement, a foundational cornerstone.
“When we look to our vendors, it’s what can you do to make us safer? With Volvo, that’s been their calling card. In the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve made that a priority when purchasing trucks,” Van Handel affirmed. The adage holds true for him:
By harnessing Volvo Trucks’ cutting-edge technology, Midwest Carriers mitigates road hazards, allowing their drivers to concentrate on their primary goal – hauling freight. Volvo’s products meet the needs of Midwest Carriers’ drivers, offering a smooth ride, precise, nimble handling and optimized seat design and positioning. Adding enhancements to their fleet, such as Volvo Dynamic Steering, drivers are safer and feel safer too. But as with any new technology, adoption is critical. To help drivers adapt to these new features, Van Handel makes it a point to participate in every new driver orientation. Here, Van Handel explains the innovative technology incorporated in their trucks and its potential benefits. The recruits receive detailed information about the reasons for the inclusion and how being an early adopter can ensure their protection and contribute to the company’s growth. “The percentage of Volvo Trucks in our fleet has grown over the years. It’s what our drivers want. Ultimately, it’s very difficult to get drivers nowadays. And so, anything you can do, you’re doing it to bring in the best drivers. Volvo helped us to do that,” Van Handel explained.
In addition to the conveniences offered by the Volvo VNL, Midwest Carriers has also introduced a fuel bonus program for their drivers. This initiative allows drivers to earn a “fifth paycheck” every month and positions Midwest Carriers as a high-performing carrier. Van Handel highlighted this program: “It’s a testament to our drivers. You need the tools ultimately to do that. And I don’t think there’s anything that makes it easier than Volvo.”
“I never thought I would get into truck driving, but I got my CDL and started driving with Midwest carriers, and I just fell in love with it.” Robin Grapa, a veteran truck driver with nine years of experience at Midwest Carriers, wears multiple hats within the company. Aside from her primary role in marketing, she is also a driver, with a focus on driver recruitment for Midwest Carriers. Despite having experience with various truck models, Grapa consistently prefers Volvo, regularly choosing their vehicles. “I fell in love with it right away,” she said.
One of the first features Grapa noticed when she started as a truck driver was fatigue. Volvo’s driver area allows customizable positioning ensuring drivers have an endless array of choices for positioning the wheel exactly where they prefer for maximum comfort. She appreciates how the design of the trucks promotes driver comfort, which, in turn, combats fatigue. “It makes it adjustable to you and so you’re comfortable and you can drive for a long time safely,” she observed.
Along with enhanced driver comforts, innovative features such as Volvo Dynamic Steering adds a safer, effortless driving experience. This new feature adds torque to reduce steering strain at low speeds and provides stability when encountering crosswinds, highway crowning, soft shoulders, or emergencies like tire failure. “It’s just so comfortable to drive. Very easy, very relaxed. And the way the Volvo’s drive, it feels like you’re driving on a cloud,” praised Grapa.
Hurley supports this, saying, “It is working out quite well because we’re able to use not just our De Pere location that we normally use for our dealership. We’re able to use now Kriete’s service centers everywhere. Now we have that service with every Kriete dealership.”
The collaboration with Kriete is beneficial for the business and the drivers, who also appreciate this support. Grapa shares her experience: “Kriete Truck Center was always very friendly and supportive. Even if I was starting out on a trip and something didn’t look quite right, they would help me with it.”
Through this synergistic partnership with Kriete Truck Centers, Midwest Carriers can rely on upholding the values it holds dear Van Handel explains,
Transportation is a dynamic business and Midwest Carriers is evolving and meeting new opportunities with partners like Kriete Truck Centers by their side, ensuring their success as they expand in the future. Van Handel finds himself frequently contemplating these shifts as Midwest Carriers recently acquired Osborn and Son Trucking a little over two years ago. For Van Handel, one thing is for sure, the next 15-20 years in the trucking industry will change and by embracing technology to integrate and enhance their efficiency, they can focus on what drives them every day. The people in trucking, for Van Handel, bring
together the best of both worlds. “Every day is something different, and there is always something to get better at.”
This time next year, Midwest Carriers will be moving to a brand-new headquarters on the interstate less than a mile from their current office. This new central hub will feature a modern driver’s lounge, increased space for the growing workforce and ample room for them to keep their momentum going. Having their partners by their side, the future holds new adventures for the team at Midwest Carriers, but they stay true to their cornerstone. Van Handel sums it up, “Of course, there are things like fuel mileage and reliability and all those things are very important. But again, if you don’t, if you can’t do it safely, then then it’s not worth being in this business.”
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