Less Talk, More Action Drives deBoer Transportation

Dale DeBoer isn’t a talker. He prefers action. Which is how he and his sister Kay grew the business started by their father into one of the largest contract carriers in Wisconsin. And why the next generation of owners has switched to the latest generation of MACK® Pinnacle™ models.

To improve fuel economy and driver satisfaction, deBoer Transportation purchased its first Mack trucks—10 Pinnacle models with 60-inch midrise sleepers. Five are equipped with 395 HP MP7 engines and mDRIVE™ transmissions and five with 445 HP MP8 engines and 10-speed manual transmissions. 

“We’re getting excellent fuel mileage,” said Dale DeBoer (who spells his family name with a capital D and the company name with a lowercase d). “The drivers like them. They’re good, solid trucks.” Smart purchasing, hiring and scheduling, and a history of on-time performance have helped deBoer Transportation thrive in spite of the economic downturn. Good service from Sales Manager Phil Olson at Scaffidi Commercial Trucks has also helped. 

“Since deBoer Transportation was founded in 1967, it’s been our goal to provide superior service to our customers,” said Dale’s sister and co-president Kay DeBoer. “Purchases of equipment are made with that goal in mind.”

Based in Blenker, Wisconsin, deBoer Transportation, Inc. is a 48-state truckload carrier that mainly hauls dry van freight. The company operates 350 tractors and leases equipment from 30 owner-operators. It has trailer operations in Mexico as well as divisions for logistics, dedicated service, intermodal and refrigerated freight. In addition to its headquarters in Wisconsin, it has facilities in Texas and drop-lot locations throughout the United States. The company also runs a driver training program to augment the available driver pool. 

“Providing a comfortable and functional work environment is crucial to retaining drivers,” Kay said. “When making the decision to trade out some older units in 2012, deBoer decided to purchase from Mack. Because some drivers prefer one over the other, the order was split between Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmissions and 10-speed manual transmissions.” 

Why did a company invested in competing brands switch to Mack? “Better fuel economy than existing trucks,” Dale said. “To date, the new units average over 7 mpg, which significantly reduces operating costs when compared to older models.” Reliable performance, driver comfort and excellent service and parts support from Scaffidi helped seal the deal.

Today the company is run by a second generation of the DeBoer family who strive to foster the pioneering spirit started by its founder Ron DeBoer nearly 45 years ago. “We continue to concentrate on providing superior service and are proud to have received numerous awards from customers for quality operations,” Kay said. “Those accomplishments would not be possible without Mack’s good product and service.”