Jerry Curl, chief operating officer for G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation, was imploring personnel at the plastic transporter’s Channahon, Illinois, headquarters to take cover when the unthinkable unfolded. “The tornado blew up as I was on the phone with them,” he recalled, the July 15 storm still fresh in his mind. “From the time it started to when it was over was less than 10 seconds.”
That’s all it took. The derecho-spawned twister, ruled an EF2 with gusts up to 135 mph by the National Weather Service, struck the facility with unforgiving fury, toppling a tank truck, stacking loaded tankers like sticks, ripping roofing off the shop and tank wash, and demolishing the office building. Then it was gone, leaving only eerie silence—and everything adjacent to “ground zero,” including INEOS Styrolution to the north and Americas Styrenics to the south, oddly unscathed.
Curl’s next calls that evening delivered the awful news to the Hoffman family.
But Jordan Hoffman, executive vice president, still couldn’t comprehend the scope of the catastrophe until utility crews cleared the power lines off Interstate 55, and he witnessed the devastation firsthand. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be as bad as it was,” he said. J. Golden, VP of warehousing and packaging, called the situation heartbreaking. Kolby Golden (Hoffman), director of human resources, was shocked. “I was expecting a little bit of damage but not what I saw,” she said.
The daunting recovery was ongoing weeks later. The HQ must be rebuilt—bigger and better G&D/Hoffman leaders vow—which will take at least a year, Curl lamented. But the carrier was operational less than 12 hours later thanks to an information technology (IT) “failsafe” that allowed staff to rapidly pivot business-critical functions to the nearby Coal City terminal. “The tornado hit at 9:20 at night,” Curl said. “By 8:30 the next morning, when employees showed up to work, they sat down at new computer stations, started taking orders and dispatching loads, and carried on. It was remarkable.”
More miraculously, only one of 15 people on location that night was hurt—the driver inside the tipped tractor-trailer, who suffered a broken arm. “This is going to be very costly, but I feel blessed because we didn’t have 10 or 15 people injured or killed,” said Kevin Hoffman, president, CEO, and owner. The faith-fueled family credits divine intervention and fast action for keeping employees safe. But Thomas Edison said good fortune happens when opportunity meets planning—and G&D/Hoffman doesn’t leave safety to chance.
The 43-year-old, for-hire carrier anticipates every risk, including health emergencies, active shooters, and natural disasters, creates detailed response plans, and ensures all 350 employees react “like Navy Seals” in high-stakes situations by relying on deeply ingrained safety training.
That’s why G&D/Hoffman is a reigning and three-time National Tank Truck Carriers safety champion—and the only carrier with two NTTC Drivers of the Year.
“The way we do one thing is the way we do everything,” Curl said.
“You make plans you hope you never use, but when you have good plans in place that come together, this is the result.”
Safety-oriented values
G&D/Hoffman’s meticulous safety culture starts with Kevin, who founded the carrier in 1981 with the same values he learned growing up in a small farming town. The company now provides dry bulk and liquid transport, transloading, and warehousing and packaging from six locations utilizing 170 trucks, 400 tank trailers, and 155 company drivers—and Kevin still knows them all by name. “We’re a tight-knit group, and being able to work for my dad is great,” Kolby said. “He’s an incredible man. I’m proud to be his daughter, and to call him boss. He treats every one of his employees like family.
“Not many companies can say that.”
See also: G&D/Hoffman celebrates employees, safety success
Even fewer can match G&D/Hoffman’s driver retention record, especially among trucking companies. “Turnover is a giant loser for us,” said Jordan, Kevin’s son. “We’re proud of our turnover statistics because our numbers are unheard of in transportation. In 43 years in business, we’re under 3%, and the last two years we’re at 0.6%.” With near-zero attrition, G&D/Hoffman drivers boast an equally impressive résumé, averaging 35 years of experience—and 3.5 million safe miles. “Nobody else can say that,” Curl asserted.
“They’re the elite of the elite—the top .001% of the entire driver pool.”
G&D/Hoffman rewards its employees with exceptional benefits, including matching 401K contributions and 100% company-paid health insurance; uniform messaging via Paylocity’s payroll system, a driver wellness app, and electronic logging devices (ELDs); and an employee appreciation event that annually attracts up to 1,300 people. This year’s Sept. 21 celebration in Coal City features country artist Chris Cagle, motivational speaker Ben Newman, and activities for kids. “A job is a job,” Kevin said. “We work for our families, and families need to see what their spouses do every day.”
The Hoffmans are “simple country folk at heart,” Jordan says, and he and Kevin stay true to their roots by growing corn and soybeans for Hoffman Farms—a 3,000-acre operation that began with an 80-acre parcel the family acquired through the 1862 Homestead Act—in their free time. So hard work, loyalty, and equipment care are second nature for the company’s leaders; and Curl—a former NTTC Safety & Security Council national chair—is the ideal spokesperson for their message.
“We couldn’t ask for a better guy,” Kolby said. “He makes this place run.”
Championship mentality
G&D/Hoffman collected its third Heil trophy in seven years with an accident frequency of 0.174 while covering 12 million miles in 2023. The carrier also won North American safety championships in 2017 and 2019, and Ron Baird and Kenneth Tolliver earned Driver of the Year honors in 2020 and 2023, respectively. But intentional focus on safety excellence has been part of the company’s culture for 43 years.
“Average people can be great once in a while,” Curl explained. “It’s the continuous safety efforts that lead to these recognitions—and makes you extraordinary. I don’t want to be average. Average is my enemy. I want to be extraordinary when it comes to safety and continue raising the bar.” That philosophy extends to a warehousing business with more than 80 employees across three locations. G&D/Hoffman’s 420,000-sq.-ft. Coal City facility, which packages up to 1 million pounds of plastic pellets every day, boasts zero OSHA-recordable incidents since opening its doors six years ago.
“That’s really unheard of in a warehouse,” Golden said.
See also: G&D/Hoffman honors Usher trophy winners
He credits the company’s efforts to “mirror” everything it utilizes as a bulk transporter in its warehousing operation, including regular, “zeroed-in” safety meetings and cameras for coaching and limiting liability. G&D/Hoffman equips every truck with Bendix Wingman Fusion forward-facing cameras, and side- and rear-facing cameras that always are recording—and installs cameras on every forklift. “I don’t care about winning awards,” Kevin said. “They’re the result of how we conduct business every day.”
Still, Heil and Usher trophies are worthy rewards for G&D/Hoffman drivers—who Kevin insists establish “a model for the industry as to what can be accomplished”—that come with boundless benefits for growth-minded bulk haulers. “Winning these awards put us on the map as a place where people want to work,” Kolby said. Exhibit A: Long-time Carbon Express driver Bill McNamme, a highly decorated two-time NTTC Driver of the Year finalist with 3.2 million safe miles, joined G&D/Hoffman in July.
“Great people attract great people,” Curl said. “And shippers want to do business with great companies and leaders who are experts in their segment and prioritize safety. That pushes us to maintain that same level of excellence, and keep raising that bar. I want to set the standard for the industry.”
That’s why they’re already targeting the next championship.
“That evening at dinner, Jerry, my dad, and I were talking about the next steps, and how we continue building on this,” Jordan said.
Moving safety forward
Unceasing improvement includes the carrier’s recent decision to upgrade ELDs with Isaac Instruments devices after testing them in five trucks. “Isaac can take what we want to do with our strategic vision, especially in our dry and liquid bulk niche, and tailor it with new ideas that currently aren’t out there in our space today, which I truly believe will be innovative, and we’ll be one of the first to do it,” Jordan predicted.
G&D/Hoffman also is investing in technology that supports continuity and data reporting capabilities that maximize efficiency—with help from an expert IT staff that includes Andrew Braga and Joshua Tirado—while pursuing steady organic growth, which Kevin prefers to acquisitional expansion. The carrier’s only add-on was the 2019 acquisition of plastics packager Major-Prime Plastics in Villa Park. “We have no interest whatsoever in being the biggest,” Kevin said. “We grow because we’re good at what we do. All I care about is doing our best for our customers and employees.”
The company currently is looking to establish an operation in Columbus, Ohio, to support a customer, while preparing for a long rebuild in Channahon. “You have to embrace the challenge,” Curl said. “These are the times that expand your abilities.” Kevin is ready. He’s still in it for the long haul despite turning 66 in November. He loves trucking (and farming) too much to take off. And the Hoffmans are determined to overcome any obstacles—from rising equipment and liability expenses forcing many companies to seek private-equity funding to costly tornado-induced disasters—to preserve the business for future generations, including Kevin’s five grandchildren: Brayden, Amelia, Larkin, Wyatt, and Knox.
“That’s the hope,” Kolby said. “People think my dad is crazy for not cashing out and enjoying retirement somewhere nice and warm and sunny. But that shows how much he cares, because he knows if he ever did, whoever came in wouldn’t put the same time, effort, and care into our employees.”
And they keep repaying G&D/Hoffman with award-winning safety performance.
“We’re constantly trying to better ourselves—better our people, and our processes—and improve in the name of safety excellence, so we can continue to put an elite service on the road,” Jordan concluded.
