The Primmer family knows trucking.

BJ Primmer has been a trusted name in freight transportation for more than 45 years. As a young entrepreneur Carl Primmer was an owner operator hauling livestock into Chicago, IL and steel back to Eastern Iowa. As Carl entered the twilight of his career he jumped out of the driver’s seat and into fleet ownership in 1981 creating BJ Primmer Inc. named after his beloved wife, Betty Jean Primmer. Carl started with one truck and driver (grandson Scott Schminkee) hauling grain from the local elevators to processors in Eastern Iowa building to a fleet of ten trucks, trailers and drivers.

His son Rick Primmer learned the trucking business from his father before taking the helm in 1989 incorporating the business and expanding into dry bulk feed ingredients and dry van freight regionally.

Rick weathered the ups and downs of the trucking industry for the next 34 years, establishing a solid reputation of quality service and created a company culture that professional truck drivers and their families could call home.

The Primmer legacy continues with Rick’s son James, stepping into ownership in 2023. James worked in several positions throughout the company, including driver and mechanic, prior to leaving the company attending Upper Iowa University and working in Minneapolis for fourteen years with Schwan’s Consumer Brands as a national fleet manager obtaining his Certified Transportation Professional from the National Private Truck Council.

 James is a current CDL holder and goes out on the road throughout the year to deliver loads.

Based in Vinton, IA, BJ Primmer Inc. continues to be a trusted transportation partner to many of the largest shippers in the country.