In 1946, Sidney Tennant purchased his first truck and trailer. He had a dream and a plan and started small, hauling hogs on a milk run from the Quad Cities to Chicago, Illinois and back. With the support of his wife Arlene and children Mike, Dean, Bob and Beth, Sid turned that one man show into what is now a thriving business with more than seventy trucks and over fifteen members on the support team.
In 1968, Tennant Truck Lines made a turning point when they started transporting for Butler Manufacturing Company in Galesburg, Illinois. This opened a door into the flatbed trucking industry that led to the addition of several more key customers like John Deere, Montgomery Elevator, and International Harvester. With these additions the fleet began to grow quickly and the need for a support team became evident.
In 1970, Sid’s sons Dean and Bob came on board to help meet the demands of the growing business. For nearly thirty years Tennant’s grew and became a well known name for the customer service and reliability they provided. In 1999, Bob Tennant’s oldest son Aaron, who started painting rims and buildings when he wasn’t in the truck as a tag a long, came on board and took over dispatching. Two other younger brothers followed to take on various positions within the company.
On October 3, 1999, Sidney Tennant passed away but his legacy has lived on. Tennant Truck Lines continues to be a family owned and operated business. Aaron, Bob’s eldest son has purchased the company and now serves as President. Bob Tennant continues to be actively involved and can often be found in the shop working side by side with the maintenance crew or in the truck covering one of our several short hauls.
The customer list continues to grow as the demand for ground transport increases. Tennant’s still transports freight for Butler Manufacturing, John Deere and Case New Holland but the addition of Macuch Steel, McLaughlin Body Company, and Grove World Wide has enabled the business to expand equipment types and territory. Tennant’s currently houses over 500 trailers including RGNs, stepdecks, flatbeds, and van trailers. All of which are in circulation at all times. As long as Tennant’s continues to work through the growing pains and industry changes with the grace and dependability that it has come to be known for then that number will continue to increase as will the number of drivers and customers. We are here to be the best and offer nothing short of the best for our customers and employees!
“I will ensure TTL is the safest, most reliable, most cost efficient machinery hauler on the road”
Aaron Tennant, President- Tennant Truck Lines, Inc.