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Holland celebrates 80^th anniversary [08.29.2009]

80 Years Strong

John Cooper and his wife, Katherine, started Holland Motor Express in 1929, hauling grain and hay for West Michigan farmers. In the fall of 1930, the company bought its first International truck and trailer, and the company was on its way.  John drove the truck daily from Holland, Mich., to Chicago (a 10-hour trip in those days) while Katherine handled all the paperwork from the kitchen table.

John and Katherine Cooper built their business based on a set of core values that are as important today as ever: integrity in all our relationships, inside and outside the company; respect for each individual; excellence in all areas of customer service; hard work; and continuous improvement. 

By 1931, business was on a roll, and the company opened its Holland, Chicago and Grand Rapids, Mich., service centers.  In 1933, five more service centers were added to the network: Cincinnati; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Indianapolis; Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Louisville, Ky.  Growth continued, and in 1939, Holland had 58 employees and revenue of $300,000.

John passed the torch to his son, Charles Cooper, in 1958; the same year Holland drivers reached a cumulative one million miles without a collision.  Under Charles’ leadership, in 1971, the company exceeded $1 million in profit.  The core values John and Katherine established had taken root. Holland treated customers like family, moved shipments as if they were their own and established a reputation as a premier service provider.

Charles remained president until 1984 when TNT North America, a transportation holding company, acquired the company. TNT went public in the United States as TNT Freightways Corp. in 1992.

In 1996, TNT Freightways changed its name to US Freightways Corp. (and then later to USF Corp.) in a move designed to symbolize its independent identity as a leader in the transportation and logistics industry.  These actions gave birth to USF Holland, the brand name that the company has been known by in recent years.

In 2001, the Holland team achieved an important accomplishment: attaining systemwide ISO 9002 registration.  Later, the company was able to convert the registration to the ISO 9001:2000 standard. This gave the company a solid framework to share best practices and continuously improve its performance.

In 2004, Yellow Roadway Corp. (now known as YRC Worldwide) acquired USF Holland.  Today, Holland is part of YRC Regional Transportation (along with Reddaway in the West and New Penn in the East), a strategically important operating division of YRC Worldwide.

While Holland has experienced change over the years, its strength remains in its people. Holland has a history rich with examples of employees going the extra mile to satisfy customers, to ensure shipments arrive on time and claim free. It’s a company where people take responsibility for their actions and deliver confidence to customers.

Today, Holland is the company that defines regional expertise. It responded to changes in the ways customers were doing business by offering more next-day deliveries, more precision in delivery timing, and more flexibility to meet unique needs.  It launched new guaranteed services, new customized solutions, new Internet capabilities and reconfigured its network.

As Holland celebrates its 80^th anniversary, it is the leading provider in its region with more than 4,500 tractors, more than 8,000 trailers and more than 71 percent of its deliveries made next-day.

From its beginning during the Great Depression of the 30s, Holland has faced the challenges of 13 periods of economic recession during its history.  Core values that guided the company and steadfast focus on meeting customer needs made it an industry leader during those turbulent times.  Today and into the future, Holland extends its values and customer focus to maintain its reputation as the best transportation provider in its service area.

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