TMC was founded in 1972 when Harrold Annett purchased the dormant trucking company The Mickow Corporation, which he later renamed TMC Transportation.
Over the next 49 years until his death in 2021, Harrold’s visionary leadership helped TMC achieve unprecedented business success and become a nationally recognized leader in flatbed transportation.
Harrold believed that TMC’s employees were its greatest asset, and he wanted to find a way to plan for the company’s future that would maintain its culture of excellence and reward the people who had helped make it great. That’s why he established an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in 2013. TMC’s ESOP makes all eligible employees part owners of the company at no cost to them, ensuring that TMC maintains both its business success and its strong culture.
Harrold was the driving force behind TMC’s incredible growth, as well as the heart of our culture. His life reflected his values: hard work, integrity, excellence, and taking care of people—his customers, his employees, and his community.
Those same values define how we do business at TMC, and we’re proud to carry them into the future of our company.
Hear From Harrold
Below is a letter from Harrold to new TMC customers, which showcases his distinctive voice and the principles that defined his life and his work.
Welcome to TMC! I want to introduce you to our company - some of the finest drivers, the best home office staff, the latest equipment, most advanced technology, and the most modern facilities in the trucking industry.
I also want you to know about our total commitment to quality - a process we have formalized at TMC. The program emphasizes process management and improvement, waste reduction, customer satisfaction and statistical process control. Our goal is to meet specific quality assurance standards - something our customers appreciate and look for in a carrier.
Continuous quality improvement is a way of life at TMC. Our solid base of long-term shipping clientele give credence to our reputation as a hard-working, honest, quality-driven trucking company.
Our executive vice presidents, who are in the prime of their careers, have many years of experience in the trucking industry. This wealth of experience flows through the entire organization from drivers to fleet managers, office employees to shop employees. Our first employee remained with us until retirement; our first owner-operator stayed with the company until retirement 12 and a half years later, and we continue doing business with our first customer. I feel very fortunate to have such talented, good people as my co-workers. It is my hope that by getting to know TMC and each of our divisions, you will be encouraged to pursue further contact with us so we can evaluate your shipping needs and plan the best way to meet them. Again, "Welcome" - Welcome to TMC!
Harrold W. Annett
Chairman & CEO