Dale Handrich, Owner and Manager of Handrich Trucking, Inc., recalls how a combination of necessity and curiosity prompted him to drive thirty miles to see a demo Titan trailer that Jeff Root of Hudsonville Trailer and Titan’s Rick Lees were showcasing around Northern Michigan back in 1999.

“We were just getting into the walking floor business and we were looking for a trailer with a longer life expectancy. One of our customers told me about the Titan demo, so I decided to check it out,” says Handrich. “I really liked the design– but what I really liked was the idea that Titan was engineering a really durable trailer that would last longer than any other trailer on the market.”

Handrich was used to his trailers rattling out after five years on Michigan’s unforgiving roads. So he found the promise of a longer lasting trailer intriguing and too good an offer to pass up. “I ordered my first Titan trailer in the Spring of 2001 – an open-top 6-Axle Tipper style. It’s still in operation today and doesn’t even look like it’s been used,” says Handrich. “Today I have five Titan Walking Floor trailers in my fleet, including a custom built 18-slat KEITH® aluminum 

V-Floor unit that I acquired in late 2008.”

Founded in 1972 by Dale’s late father, Handrich Trucking, Inc. is a full-service trucking operation that serves a geographical radius of approximately 200 miles of the company’s Mio facility. In line with the company motto, “You Call, We Haul”, Handrich Trucking hauls just about anything, including coal, wood products, shredded rubber, fertilizer and agricultural produce like wheat, carrots and green beans. With the new aluminum V-Floor trailer giving Dale more flexibility, he plans on adding aggregate material to his list.

Handrich counts Michigan’s seven waste wood power generation plants and Great Lakes Tree Harvesting as two of his major customers. The company hauls waste wood to the plants and also hauls de-barked wood chips from the woods to a fiber board plant for Great Lakes Tree Harvesting.

Handrich says, “There isn’t a road in Michigan that we haven’t driven on, or a load we haven’t transported. The durability and reliability of our Titan trailers keeps us on the road and out of the shop. They truly are a long-term investment that pays off. My mechanics have told me repeatedly that they don’t want me to purchase anything but Titan trailers.”

The innovative design and technology of Titan trailers have made Dale Handrich a loyal repeat customer – that, and the great lengths that Titan’s Engineering Department goes to in order to meet his unique job applications. When combined with the open communication and on-going dialogue he has with Titan’s President Mike Kloepfer and Product Specialist Rick Lees, Handrich feels this is a perfect recipe for building a long-term relationship. 

“The Titan staff really makes you feel like you are their only customer”, says Handrich. “Rick Lees calls me on a regular basis just to check on how things are working. Rick and Mike Kloepfer have also visited a number of times to field-test trailers and discuss my proposed design requests. Both times I have visited Titan Trailers’ Delhi factory, it felt like they dropped everything to accommodate my visit.”