How Mack Trucks Helps QLF Transportation Put Drivers – and Customers – First

With customer service at the heart of its operation, this Wisconsin fleet relies on Mack trucks to keep agricultural products moving -- and its drivers comfortable -- wherever the job takes them.

Cattle do not care if the road leading to a farm is paved, covered in gravel or little more than a path across a pasture. When it is time to feed them, the product has to arrive.

That reality shapes nearly every decision at QLF Transportation, Inc., the private fleet operated by Quality Liquid Feeds running out of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. And it is a major reason President and CEO Cory Berg and Vice President of Transportation Seth Meuer increasingly rely on Mack trucks to handle the company’s demanding tanker operations.

“Regardless of the conditions or location, cattle need to be fed, and our customers rely on our products to be delivered on time,” Berg says. “We travel on interstate roads, gravel roads, farm driveways, feedlot yards and even into pastures.”

Quality Liquid Feeds manufactures liquid-feed and agronomy products for agricultural customers. Its QLF Transportation division moves those finished products from 15 of the company’s 16 U.S. manufacturing plants to farms, feed mills and agricultural cooperatives.

But the fleet’s drivers deliver more than feed. They are also the company representatives customers see and work with most often.

“Our drivers interact with our customers more than anyone else in the company,” Berg says. “That makes them the true face of QLF. This unique aspect sets us apart from our competitors, who do not operate their own trucks and do not have the same level of customer interaction we do.”

From outside carriers to a private fleet

Quality Liquid Feeds was founded by Berg’s father, Kenny Berg, on Sept. 1, 1977. For its first 22 years, the company depended entirely on outside carriers.

That changed on Nov. 1, 1999, when Cory Berg created QLF Transportation. The new fleet initially served four QLF plants with two office employees, 12 drivers, 12 trucks and 22 trailers. Its first-year revenue was $1.2 million.

Today, QLF Transportation employs 10 office staff and 105 drivers. It operates 116 trucks and 179 trailers while generating $28 million in annual revenue.

Together, Quality Liquid Feeds and QLF Transportation employ 371 people and operate 116 trucks, 179 trailers, 480 railcars and 25 barges. Combined annual revenue has grown to $408 million.

Mack has played an increasingly important role in that growth. QLF Transportation’s current fleet includes 74 Mack trucks: eight 2025 Mack Pinnacle sleepers and 66 Mack Anthem sleepers. That is in addition to seven 2024 models, 16 2025 models, 21 2026 models and 22 2027 models.

“As our fleet of Macks has grown, both driver downtime and maintenance costs have decreased,” Meuer says. “Since our drivers are paid by the mile, it is essential for both them and us that our trucks are not only durable, but also reliable.”

Built for demanding deliveries

Liquid tanker work presents a distinct set of operating challenges. QLF trucks must cover long stretches of highway efficiently, then leave the pavement behind to reach customers in rural locations.

Meuer says the Macks provide the flexibility needed to handle both assignments.

“Our Mack trucks excel in this regard,” he says. “In addition to their durability and dependability, Mack continually improves its features and driver comfort every year, which our drivers greatly appreciate.”

The trucks are also delivering measurable fuel savings. QLF’s Macks average between 6.5 and 7.5 mpg, with the new 2027 Anthems running at the higher end of that range. Berg says that is 1 to 1.5 mpg better than any previous make or model used by the fleet.

QLF complements the trucks with Mack’s connected services and support programs. The fleet uses GuardDog Connect, Command Steer and Mack Assist and participates in the Mack FleetPREFERRED program for parts and service.

“To put it simply, if Mack offers a service, we use it,” Meuer says. “And it benefits our company.”

Support wherever the trucks go

QLF purchases its Mack trucks from Kriete Truck Centers, which provides parts, service, specification guidance and assistance onboarding drivers into new trucks.

“Kriete consistently exceeds our expectations,” Meuer says. “I would recommend them to anyone or any company considering purchasing new trucks.”

Because QLF operates nationwide, however, dependable support cannot stop at the fleet’s home terminal. Meuer says the broader Mack dealer network helps keep the trucks maintained and moving throughout the country.

That support is particularly important as QLF faces one of trucking’s most persistent challenges: recruiting and retaining professional drivers. Many of its longtime drivers are approaching retirement, making it increasingly important to provide equipment that will attract the next generation while rewarding the experienced drivers already on the payroll.

QLF driver Kendall Schulz has been with the company for 25 years and has received nine new trucks during his tenure. His latest is a 2027 Anthem.

“The 2027 Mack Anthem is, without a doubt, the best make and model I have ever driven in my career,” Schulz says. “Its features and driver comforts exceed all of my expectations.”

As Quality Liquid Feeds continues to grow -- particularly its agronomy business -- Berg expects the transportation fleet to grow with it.

And when additional capacity is needed, he already knows which trucks will get the call.

“It is clear that we will be purchasing more Mack trucks when the time comes,” Berg says.