by Ann M. Scherer
(Editor’s note: This submitted memory piece was written in honor of Scherer and Sons Trucking, which has been in business for 65 years in St. Joseph.)
Scherer Trucking all began when Gene Scherer purchased St. Joseph Livestock Express on Jan. 31, 1951. He started his trucking company with two trucks, a 1948 K-5 International with a 14-foot rack and a 1943 one-ton GMC with an 8- x 10-foot box. He hired one employee, and the two of them hauled livestock to South St. Paul and brought back freight from the Twin Cities into the St. Cloud area.
At that time, 95 percent of the business was hauling livestock. For many years after Gene bought the business, he continued to haul livestock, grain and freight. He would add on a truck or two as needed. While the company grew, so did his family. Gene and his wife, Myra, had five children – three daughters and two sons. As young boys, his sons Mike and Chuck, would help their dad load the livestock and ride along in the truck.
Freight from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud was booming by 1968. That is when Mike, the oldest son, quit school and started driving for his dad full time. He was 15 years old. The following year, Gene bought his first brand-new semi-truck. By the early 1970s, freight was becoming more than half of Gene’s business. As the livestock tapered off, he bought more freight vans. The hauling of building materials also increased, so flatbeds were needed as well.
In 1974, Gene’s second son, Chuck, was still in high school when he started helping with delivering freight. The following year, the first big truck shed was built with an office in the back. Prior to that, Gene had been operating his business out of a Quonset hut.
Gene began to develop health problems as he got older. By the age of 50, his knees were bad, he had asthma and also heart issues. Mike was already dispatching and also became manager of the company by the late 1970s.
In 1979, the first cement tanker was purchased, branching out into a whole new area. The demand for cement increased, and soon there was a need for more tankers. The growth of the business continued, and before long Gene had 12 trucks.
As his health continued to decline, the need to sell was on his mind. In June of 1983, Mike and his wife, Ann, along with Chuck and his wife, also named Ann, bought the business from Gene. Mike became president and continued on with dispatching and managing the company. Chuck became vice president, in charge of maintaining and purchasing equipment, as well as driving truck. Starting out as new business owners, there were many hiccups along the way. At times both men wondered how they were going to make it.
Going into different avenues to help pick up where there was slack was the best option. It was time to give up on the livestock hauling and focus on other areas of the business.
Bulk cement hauls became a huge asset to the company, as well as getting freight back and forth from the Twin Cities to the St. Cloud area.
In the mid 1980s, the two-way radio system was installed, making communication much better, linking all the drivers to the main office. This made a huge improvement for Mike in dispatching. With the increase of equipment and drivers, it was time to update in the office. In the mid 1990s, a computer system was put in, making a great advancement for the office work.
Gene’s health continued to deteriorate and on Oct. 3, 1993, he passed away. He left a huge hole in everyone’s heart. The business continued on to grow to satisfy the customers’ needs for freight, cement, building materials, paving stones and more. There were more flatbeds purchased and also forklifts that could ride along on the back.
General freight was always on demand, so more vans were needed. There were four curtain side trailers bought in 2004, to improve on the need for more versatility. Of course, with these trailers there was always a need to update and add more trucks. More sheds were also built for all the equipment.
As modern technology came along with the computers, fax machines and e-mailing. Mike decided he had had enough of the office and dispatching after doing it for more than 30 years. In 2008, he got out of the office and went back to driving truck.
Mike and Ann have three children – Joy, Angela and Michelle. Chuck and Ann also have three – Bill, Jennifer and Bradly. Throughout the years, everyone in the family has helped with the business in many different ways. Both Anns have been called on in a pinch to help out.
Mike’s Ann remembers helping with the loading and unloading of livestock, driving truck, sitting in the long grain lines, typing out freight bills on the kitchen table, riding along with a new driver to show them their route, dispatching and much more. That’s the way it was back then, (you just learned how to do it and then you got it done). She still works in the office and Chuck’s Ann helps with cleaning and polishing in the truck shop. Chuck’s son, Bill, is still with the company. He does dispatching and is general manager in the office.
It was always important to Gene to keep his trucks and equipment clean. Mike and Chuck have continued to take the same pride in their company, keeping all of the equipment well-maintained and polished. After 65 years of business, they are thankful for their dedicated employees who will always go the extra mile to make sure every customer is fully satisfied and they get the job done right. Scherer Trucking now has 32 trucks and 48 employees.
Mike and Chuck are still driving truck.