Empowering Logistics: Minimizing downtime is the #1 priority

Coffman Trucks — a single location dealership carrying over 120 product lines and servicing the greater Chicagoland area through parts delivery on a daily basis — is currently in its 72nd year.

The company represents leading brands in the industry, including Kalmar Ottawa. General Manager Diane Zimmerman says reliability and being sensitive to customer needs is pivotal to the dealership’s success.

“When our customer’s truck is in our shop that segment of their business is shut down, but they are still paying their driver and they are paying us,” she says.

“It’s a three-fold problem for our customers if their truck is in our shop. It’s our job to ensure they get back on the road as quickly as possible,” she points out.

A vantage point to market changes

Zimmerman has been working in the logistics industry for well over two decades. She joined Coffman Trucks 13 years ago.

“I worked as CFO for eleven years, and became General Manager two years ago,” she says.

Zimmerman’s favorite aspect of the logistics industry is the vantage point it provides to business at large.

“What I like most about our industry is the feeling of being on the cutting edge of everything that is happening in the world,” Zimmerman explains.

“We are the first to see the upswings, and the first to see the downswings. Logistics is a meter that indicates what is going on in the world at large. It’s exciting to be on that frontline,” she emphasizes.

Every employee will go the extra mile

For Zimmerman, the best part of her job is empowering colleagues.

“My passion is helping my team excel and grow to their full potential. We place a lot of emphasis on training in our dealership, to keep on top of the game and meet our customers’ expectations in our constantly changing industry and marketplace. If we don’t, we will become irrelevant,” she underlines.

“I try to be a resource for our team, allowing them the flexibility to go and do what they do best. I have great people here. Most of them have been doing this job as long as I have, if not longer,” she adds. 

Zimmerman affirms that she is proud of Coffman Truck’s reputation in the marketplace as a partner you can rely on.

“I’ve had mobile service technicians go out at ten o’clock at night to fix a truck so our customer could get back on the road and their load hauled — and parts people doing incredible work to locate hard-to-find parts during the pandemic. I have no doubt that I can count on every single person at our dealership to step up and go the extra mile to fulfil our customers’ needs,” she describes.

“We are a successful single location dealership in a world of megadealers. It’s an accomplishment we all take great pride in,” she concludes.