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Bessie Liquids Family Story
When Paul Midgett founded Bessie Liquids in 2017, he didn’t have much other than grit, determination, and the dream of building something lasting. Starting with a single truck, he slowly grew the business into a fleet of 30 owner-operators serving customers across the U.S. and Canada.
He named the company after Bessie, the family’s beloved Blue Tick Beagle. Although Bessie sadly passed in 2019, her legacy lives on as her name displays proudly across the Bessie Liquids tankers.
After Paul got Bessie Liquids up and running, he turned to his sister Joy for support. Although they grew up 7 years apart, building the business together allowed them to re-ignite and establish new sibling bonds. Joy says, “I really think working together is great. It’s not without its challenges, but it’s helped me to get to know my brother a little bit better.”
Together, alongside a small but mighty team, they’ve learned to navigate the ups and downs of running a trucking company, while always remembering to put family first. Wanda, who manages payroll and invoicing, can’t help but relate: “We’re like a little family, almost. We really care about each other. That’s what struck me the most about Bessie.”
Finding a Technology Partner with Shared Values
After a while, the team at Bessie Liquids knew they needed to invest in finding a technology partner to help streamline their operations. Given their order volume (up to 300/month during peak agriculture season!), the day-to-day tasks became too cumbersome to manage – invoicing through QuickBooks took Wanda hours every week, payroll and dispatch were prone to errors. The more the company grew, the harder it became to keep operations smooth without sacrificing valuable time.
Finding the right technology partner wasn’t without trial and error. The team tried several other TMS providers before landing on Toro. Joy says, “We tried 4 or 5 software systems in the past and they were clunky, the support team didn’t respond… it just felt like they didn’t care about us.”
For an operation who cares deeply about family values and supporting each other – they knew they needed to find a partner who could do the same. Enter Toro.
How Toro Helps Bessie Liquids Save Time
When Bessie Liquids implemented Toro TMS in 2023, the product wasn’t perfect right away, but Joy and Wanda worked alongside the Toro team to provide feedback that was actually implemented. Every time they called into support, they got a response in minutes, not hours or days – a dramatic change from providers of the past. They immediately felt the Toro team becoming an extension of the Bessie Liquids family.
The results of the investment have paid off massively in time savings. Wanda now saves 5-6 hours every week on invoicing and payroll by relying on Toro’s automation and audit workflows. She says, “Toro automatically calculates driver pay… all I do is make sure that the number is right.”
The team also now benefits from full visibility into their operations, from scheduling tank washes to tracking compliance, to
At Bessie Liquids, every success is a family success. Whether it’s supporting drivers in need, celebrating growth, or simply enjoying the chance to work together, the business has always been about more than loads and tankers – it’s about people. For Joy, Wanda, and the rest of the Bessie Liquids team, the real gift of Toro is time. Time not spent buried in spreadsheets. Time they can use to support their drivers, focus on growing the business, and most importantly, spend together as family.
And with Toro by their side, they can keep building that legacy together.