Our founding beliefs were to create a work environment which encourages individuals to realize their full potential, a belief that God is our creator and that we are stewards of the gifts he has given us, which influences our service to one another.

In 1972 need necessitated a change in the life of Anthony Luurtsema. His employer of twelve years, a produce trucking firm in Hudsonville, Michigan, was disbanded, leaving Luurtsema unemployed. With the tenacity of an entrepreneur, Anthony mortgaged his home and purchased enough equipment from his former employer to begin his own business – A. Luurtsema Produce, Inc.

Anthony hired his son Ross and another driver, Andrew Feenstra, to truck produce from Hudsonville to the Chicago Market. Family participation grew when Anthony’s and Ross’s wives began handling the books and answering phones at their make-shift office in a Hudsonville garage bay.

As a young company, A. Luurtsema Produce began modestly with several semis, one refrigerated trailer, and a van trailer that was cooled by 300-pound blocks of ice. Overnight runs to Chicago were complicated by having to unload the semis onto straight trucks at local lots because the logistics in the South Water Market (built in 1925) made direct delivery impossible. By taking its own straight trucks to Chicago and avoiding the fees, A. Luurtsema Produce made the first of many innovative moves to save the company, and its customers, time as well as money.
Deregulation increased the company’s opportunity for expansion and, in 1980, A. Luurtsema Produce was granted authority to become a common and contract carrier and, eventually, an interstate carrier for selected commodities. It was a momentous way to start a new decade of growth. The company was able to effectively coordinate outbound runs with return hauls, minimizing deadhead miles and its associated costs.

As A. Luurtsema Produce grew via savvy problem-solving skills and dedicated customer service, a name change became necessary. Not only was the company hauling produce, it was also delivering canned and frozen goods for the food service industry. In 1982 the company formally changed its name to A. Luurtsema Truck Lines, Inc., known today as ALTL, Inc.
ALTL continued to excel with speed of delivery and reliable performance in both the produce and food service markets. As consolidation of shipments became increasingly important, the next logical step for ALTL was to offer warehousing and distribution services to customers. In 1986, ALTL completed its new corporate headquarters and, by the end of the decade, was operating warehouses in West Michigan with services including transportation, traffic management, distribution, and freight consolidation.

Today, ALTL is a full-service carrier for office furniture, high-value products, retail, general merchandise, and food service customers. The company has grown strongly and steadily, by staying in step with customers’ needs. From the very beginning, Anthony and Ross were determined to put family and employees first, firmly believing that when those who operate the company are satisfied, the customers will be, too.

This has led to natural loyalty on the part of employees and customers alike. ALTL’s impressive list of accounts and the accompanying longevity of those relationships tell the story of a company that, through hard work and genuine innovation, has paved the way as we begin our thirty-fourth year of success.