Troy Klopp Email and Phone Number

Working with Koch was one of the more challenging and rewarding positions of my career. Koch has one of the more varied, if not the most varied, freight types of any organization that I've been a part of. Boats, side-by-side UTV's, golf carts, large power generators, electronics, general dry van freight, and a wide variety of small specialized dedicated fleets... they haul it all. With this came the need to hire experienced drivers for local, regional, otr, and specialized positions all across our great country. 50+ pay packages, all types of home time, and dramatically different driver job requirements. Being a driver recruiter at Koch requires a great deal of knowledge of the company and the ability to disseminate it effectively. I enjoyed the diversity of drivers and working with the different fleets within the company immensely!

What a great name for a trucking company! Yes, I suggested it to the owner in the mid-1990's and low and behold, when he started his company, BANG, Logisticize it is. Logisticize was a 37 truck fleet that I helped grow to over 60 trucks. Hauling primarily specialized flatbed freight, we grew the dry van segment, as well as flatbed during my tenure. Recruiting had always been my passion, however I found that leading the safety operations for a fleet was very engaging, challenging, and ultimately extremely rewarding. Likewise, bringing the recruiting program from simple hiring within a 30 mile radius to a multi-state, digital operation was also very gratifying. The new programs and procedures that I put in place greatly improved their CSA rating, overall safety and performance, and laid the ground work for ongoing growth of their driver and owner/operator numbers. I wish Logisticize continued success in the future!

I was approached by the new Field Recruiting Manager to come to CRE in order to build a field staff from the ground up. For those that may not be familiar with what a Field Recruiter does, at its heart, it is an account executive role in every facet. CRE had mainly concentrated on contract student driver recruiting for nearly 20 years at that point, and no presence in driving schools for years. Needless to say, it was a challenge to get the schools to allow us back in since CRE had its own driving schools as well. It definitely took my personal relationships that I had developed over several years with a myriad of Midwestern driving schools to get it done, but we did. This was without a doubt one of the most challenging projects that I had engaged with in my career.

I came to TSTC with the intent of buying the business. It seemed a natural fit with my background. The idea was to get to know the company and customers and then purchase it in 6 months. While there, I conducted direct B2B sales including farm operations, small trucking companies, construction companies, manufacturing companies, pretty much any type of business that operated a commercial vehicle(s). Once we were contracted, I would manage the revamp or set-up of a complete DOT compliance program, conduct safety meetings, train drivers and staff on a multitude of subjects, supervise maintenance compliance, facilitate the client's DOT application if needed, conduct accident investigations, and incorporated all clients in our independent DOT Drug/Alcohol Consortium. TSTC also offered consulting on business management, transportation insurance navigation, and when I came aboard, recruiting/retention. This was a very dynamic position and unfortunately we could not come to terms on the final purchase of the company.

MTL is a great company and I was fortunate to work with them. I was approached by MTL as I was in the the process of selling Klopp Trucking. They had no recruiting presence in Mid-western driving schools and due to business growth, they needed to build a Mid-west fleet ASAP. So someone told them to call me. Through my existing contacts at driving schools and the pure thrill of creating new business partners at schools I had not been to previously, we staffed a new 50 truck fleet in just over 6 months. Quite an accomplishment as no one in OH, IN, or IL had ever heard of, or had seen McElroy trucks since the ran almost exclusively in the Mid-south and Southeast at that time. After being away from it for a few years, I thoroughly enjoyed getting back to account executive and recruiting work! I am very thankful for MTL calling me, out of the blue, on that cold December day.

My grandfather bought his first truck in 1938 and operated a 20 truck fleet for nearly 60 years. He was an extraordinary man! Yes, I thought it was time for Klopp Trucking 2.0. Buying my first truck and starting a business in 2009 was regarded by many as being, well quite frankly, insane. However, it ended up being a great success! I originally leased to a small company and hauled flatbed, step-deck, and a great deal of oversized loads. Primarily overlength loads as long as 128 feet. During this time, the vast majority of the freight ran in the eastern half of the U.S. Wanting to expand my horizons, I started pulling bulk chemical tanks nationwide and all but one province of Canada. Ultimately, I ran under my own Authority and added 3 more trucks/drivers and managed it all while still driving full-time myself. We incorporated a hot asphalt tank and end dumps by the end of 2013. Doing all of this while driving was a challenge to say the least. When all was said and done, I was made the proverbial "offer I couldn't refuse" and I sold the entire operation. As difficult as it was at times, the entire experience was beyond rewarding and I would not trade it for the world!

What a great experience! The Kissner family has owned and operated this restaurant icon since 1927, and I was one of the very special few who's name was not "Kissner" to have the keys to the joint. I was the evening manager and supervised a staff of 5-8 people as well as being in charge of inventory control for the bar. What a bar it is as well! The back bar is a massive mahogany and glass work of art built by The Brunswick Colander Co. in the mid-1890's. When you're in the Defiance, OH area, its a must see! The business and the building are loaded with history.

Four years active-duty service in the United States Marine Corps including 16 months overseas. Several commendations, 2 Letters of Appreciation, and Honorable Discharge. Final Rank: Corporal (E-4) Final Billet: Infantry Squad leader