Among the events are open houses for customers and employees being held at DTR’s De Pere, DeForest and Oak Creek, Wis., facilities, key locations from which DTR serves the trucking industry throughout the state and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with transport refrigeration equipment, specialized trailers and repair services.
“Service is what got us to where we are today,” says Mike DeCleene, president and owner, DTR, which was founded in 1969 by his parents, Don and Dori DeCleene, who retired from the business in 1996. “We’ve always done whatever is necessary to take care of the customer.”
The business was founded as DeCleene Trucking, a fleet operator transporting petroleum products in northeastern Wisconsin. It serviced all the tractors and trailers in the fleet, and in those early years DeCleene also took on outside repair work, where it built a reputation for high standards and exceptional customer satisfaction. In 1980, the company exited the transport business, operating exclusively as an independent fleet service provider.
The operation became a Carrier Transicold dealership in 1984, selling and servicing truck and trailer refrigeration systems for refrigerated transporters, those vital links of the “cold-chain” that safely deliver food and other refrigerated essentials to supermarkets, restaurants, food service operations and more. The dealership initially served the central and northeastern parts of Wisconsin from its headquarters in De Pere, later expanding southward to the Madison and Milwaukee areas and into Plover and Sparta, blanketing the state with the high standards of sales and service that helped it twice win Dealer of the Year accolades from Carrier Transicold, the company says.
“DTR is a vital part of Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network, and we congratulate Mike and his team on achieving their 50th anniversary,” says Tom Ondo, vice president and general manager, Truck Trailer Americas, Carrier Transicold. “DeCleene has been a pace-setter among its peers and a tremendous example of how to put the customer first in every interaction.”
To complement its business over the years, DTR says it has added other transportation-related products and services including: ComfortPro Auxiliary Power Units from Carrier Transicold; specialized trailers by Trail King, Talbert Manufacturing, Dorsey and Stoughton; Groeneveld Lubrication Systems; and warranty service for Robinair refrigerant recovery systems, to name a few.
“We couldn’t have gotten here without our dedicated employees and loyal customers,” says DeCleene, noting that the DTR team now numbers more than 50. “Looking ahead, we’re going to continue to strive to be the best at what we do.”
