Family Freight 

Ringoes-based Kb Logistics grows with family.

By Anthony Bucci, Assistant Editor On Jun 29, 2016

Bill Braukmann, founder of Ringoes-based freight services company Kb Logistics, LLC, says his company has been growing rapidly due to the “dedication and hard work” of his children.

Braukmann says that his daughter Jessica, 22, and his son Billy, 20, showed interest in the company at a young age. However, based on a long “road” of trials and tribulations that he faced, Braukmann had some words of wisdom for his children.

“I told them that the trucking and transportation industry was not for everyone and that it was a very tough and competitive business,” Braukmann says. “However, that did not dissuade them at all. They saw the ups and downs my wife and I went through with the company and knew of the potential risks involved, but they had their hearts set on being a part of it. Now, Jessica handles the finances and Billy is in charge of operations.”

Braukmann started Kb Logistics with one dump truck in 1988. Today, it has 18 big rigs and another eight leased owner-operated trucks, along with an 18,000-square-foot storage facility and an 8,000-square-foot maintenance shop. In 2000, the company started to move freight via rail as part of the Black River Railroad System, and has 22 acres of land in Ringoes to accommodate its rail yard.

“Ever since my kids came on board, we have been growing,” Braukmann says. “In the last three years alone, we have doubled our sales and number of employees. We currently have 29 full-time employees and bring in between $5 million to $6 million in sales. We want to take this to a $12-million-a-year company and, eventually, would like to take it public.”

In the winter months, when the freight business typically slows down, the Braukmann family races monster trucks as another form of income. “My son drives our Shockwave Monster Truck in Monster Jam, and my daughter drives our Be Aware Monster Truck to help bring awareness to breast cancer,” he says.

While owning and operating a company in the service industry for many years, Braukmann stresses to New Jersey Business that individuals “don’t necessarily have to go to college in order to ‘make it’ and become successful.

“A lot of kids today, who are finishing college with a lot of debt, think they are going to make $100,000 right away,” Braukmann states. “However, that isn’t the reality. I look at service careers and vocations, like plumbing and contracting, and there is a lot of money to be made there. The service industry needs people, and younger people at that. We are grasping at straws to find individuals to work in certain vocations. …  I’m not saying getting a four- or eight-year degree is a bad thing. However, you can become very successful by going to trade school, and eventually starting your own business, all while leaving a legacy for your family.”