Truckload Carriers Association Presents Its Highest Honor to Don H. Freymiller, Founder and Chairman of Freymiller Trucking

Past Chairmen’s Award honors a TCA member who has served as a role model for the trucking industry

Las Vegas, Nevada:

Each year, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) presents its Past Chairmen’s Award to an industry leader who has made a significant contribution to the business community, the industry and the organization. The 2013 recipient is Don H. Freymiller, founder and chairman of the board for Freymiller Trucking, a family-owned and operated company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Freymiller Trucking specializes in transporting temperature-controlled and time-sensitive products throughout the contiguous United States.

The award was presented March 5th during the association’s Annual Convention, held at the Wynn Las Vegas. The Past Chairmen’s award is the highest honor given by the organization. Contrary to the title of the award, the awardee does NOT have to be a past chairman of the association.

In 1964, Freymiller began his career hauling cattle in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, to supplement his income as a dairy farmer. He bought a single cattle truck in 1968 and the following year sold all of his farm equipment to become a full-time truck driver. He eventually focused on hauling refrigerated products between California and Chicago.

By 1980, Freymiller Trucking had grown to 56 trucks, and the company headquarters were relocated to Bakersfield, California. By 1994, the number of trucks had increased to 826, it employed more than 1,200 people, and operations were relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where the company is headquartered today.

Under the awardee’s leadership (and with the contributions of his family and employees), Freymiller Trucking has developed a long tradition of customer satisfaction, a commitment to safety, and a willingness to incorporate new technology into its business operations. The company has always emphasized safety; its recognitions include being named a TCA National Fleet Safety Award division winner 11 times in the last 30 years. Freymiller has also placed in the Oklahoma Trucking Association’s fleet safety awards several times.

Freymiller is a past chairman of the Interstate Truckload Carriers Conference (1990-91) and a past chairman of the Interstate Carriers Conference Refrigerated Division (1986-87). He has also participated in TCA’s Highway Policy Committee, Carrier/Shipper Relations Committee, and the “Improving Efficiency on the Docks” Management Panel. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and a past board member for the ATA Foundation. He also belongs to Rotary International.

“I have to say that Don Freymiller is a charismatic leader and strong driver advocate who built an excellent company from the ground up. Over the years, he’s readily stepped forward to share the lessons he has learned throughout his career with people or organizations that might benefit from his knowledge. He’s a true ‘trucker’,” said Robert Low, TCA’s 2011-12 chairman and the founder and president of Prime, Inc., Springfield, Missouri. “In fact, he’s the role model that every trucker aspires to be.”