Kottke Trucking is a privately held, family-owned truckload carrier specializing in reefer (temperature controlled) and dry freight services. Kottke Trucking has been in continuous operation since 1938 by three generations of the Kottke family. Service driven, with old-fashioned work ethics, we strive to build long-term customer relationships through outstanding customer service. Long-term client relations are cultivated by our dedicated operations team, experienced drivers and our commitment to superior customer service.

Why go through all the work of offering such good service? Who will notice if our service is just a little less than our full potential? Kottke is a family run business and our family prides themselves in the service they provide for their customers . Maybe the customer will not notice if we operate below potential, but we will--and that's something we just don't tolerate at Kottke.

Connie and Duane Kottke have dedicated their lives to the continued success of Kottke Trucking, Inc. Duane started out driving a mail route truck, then moved to hauling grain. He soon found himself in the position of a dispatcher, and at times, both a driver and dispatcher. Connie’s involvement in the company’s success included buying and selling grain, bookkeeping and occasional dispatching. She and Duane also devoted much of their time to raising their three sons; Kurt, Kory and Kyle. We thank them for creating the strong foundation of Kottke Trucking and with pride, will carry those traditions into the future.

The mission of Kottke is to provide society with superior and uninterrupted distribution of life necessities by developing innovated and creative distribution methods, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with an appropriate rate of return.

Our Values:

1. Our business is supplying society. All of our actions must be measured by our success in achieving this goal. We value, above all, our ability to serve everyone who can benefit from the appropriate use of our products and services, thereby providing lasting consumer satisfaction.
2. We are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We are responsible to our customers, to Kottke employees and their families, to the environments we inhabit, and to the societies we serve nationwide. In discharging our responsibilities, we do not take professional or ethical shortcuts. Our interactions with all segments of society must reflect the high standards we profess.
3. We are dedicated to the highest level of developmental excellence and commit our efforts to improving transportation processes. We strive to identify the most critical needs of consumers and customers, and we devote our resources to meeting those needs.
4. We expect profits, but only from work that satisfies customer needs and benefits humanity. Our ability to meet our responsibilities depends on maintaining a financial position that invites investment in leading-edge developments and that makes possible effective delivery of superior results.

We recognize that the ability to excel -- to most competitively meet society's and customers' needs -- depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of our employees, and we value these qualities most highly. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork -- an environment that rewards commitment and performance and is responsive to the needs of our employees and their families.

We are proud of how we got here. Go ahead and read. Many hours of hard work have gone into our little company. There are a few good stories. The current generation works hard to continue the promising stories of the past.

1938:	Elmer Kottke moved from the farm to Buffalo Lake, MN. He started trucking for the local creamery; hauling milk, feed, and fertilizer.
1961:	Donald and Duane Kottke took over their father's business (Kottke Bros.) They added freight and gravel to the business.
1963:	Kottke Bros. Added hauling U.S. Mail from Minneapolis to Bird Island, MN.
1970:	Donald and Duane decided to split the family business. Duane acquired the mail route and added grain hauling part-time from Buffalo Lake to Savage, MN. Duane started-with a 1969 Chevy tractor and a 1957 rusty trailer. He named the business "Kottke Trucking."
1971:	Kottke Trucking was under bid and lost the mail route. At this time Duane changed his business to hauling grain. Trucking grain from Buffalo Lake to the metro area was good. Kottke Trucking grew to 12 rigs.
1983:	Kottke Trucking lost its shipper, the Farmers Co-op Elevator. The Buffalo Lake Elevator is one of the largest elevators in Minnesota and they decided to ship by rail. This left Kottke Trucking with no shipper. Struggled through five tough years. Trading in hopper trailers for refrigerated trailers, and searching for new shippers, applying for ICC authority, going from a short haul intrastate trucking company to a long haul interstate trucking company. All this was accomplished in five years. This experience was hard to endure, but forced Kottke Trucking to diversify its company to new areas and commodities. This situation has helped us understand the value of our customers.
1995:	Kottke Trucking is a Minnesota based contract carrier with 48-state authority. Our office, terminal and maintenance garage is located in Buffalo Lake, MN. Kottke Trucking operates a fleet of late model equipment, which includes 35 tractors, and 40 company owned refrigerated trailers.
1996:	Kottke Trucking has entered its third generation with Kurt, Kory, and Kyle purchasing the company from Duane. The company's standards and operations continue the same.
1998:	A company of 45 tractors and 55 reefers continues to grow modestly. Main and only terminal remains in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota. "Service is our Specialty," a motto from our Grandfather, still stands strong.
2008:	We continue our slow and directed pace of growth. We currently operate 65 tractors and 95 trailers for our customers delight. Current ownership remains unchanged. Buffalo Lake, MN remains our only terminal.
2011:	Kottke Trucking is currently operating 94 trucks and 200+, 53’ reefer & dry van trailers. With the addition of 21 new temp control/reefer trailers to our fleet, we continue to grow and expand to meet the growing needs of our customers. In October, we hired Mike Udermann as our Sr. Vice President, our first full-time sales executive to help with our needs in expanding our business operations. Our tractor fleet is comprised of both company owned equipment and leased owner/operators permanently leased to Kottke. Continuous on-time pickup & delivery of over 99.5% has gained us a national reputation.
2012:	Celebrating our 74th year in business, Kottke Trucking continues to build upon the values instilled in us by Duane & Connie Kottke. Launch of our new web site in January.