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The Ren Potterfield Legacy
The Ren Potterfield family legacy dates back to 1959, when Ren himself returned from military service and purchased his first truck. That single investment launched a business that has now spanned three generations. Ren’s son Phillip took the wheel in the late 1970s, and Phillip’s son Stone has followed in his footsteps, starting as a driver and now supporting the back office and dispatch operations.
The family support doesn’t stop there – Guyla, Phillip’s sister in law, and her daughter Laura Ashley also play pivotal roles in payroll, billing, and beyond. For over six decades, the Potterfields have built not just a company, but a tradition – passing down hard work, responsibility, and a deep pride in keeping goods moving for their community.
We had the pleasure of talking with Phillip, Stone, Guyla, and Laura Ashley – to learn a little more about Ren Potterfield. And when you step into a conversation with the Ren Potterfield team, it doesn’t feel like a corporate meeting – it feels like sitting around the family table.
A People-First Strategy
The company’s success isn’t just about longevity – it’s about reliability, trust, and willingness to adapt. The team has embraced a strategy focused on developing and maintaining personal relationships, and they now have regular customers that they haul seasonal products for throughout the year. In the spring and summer, they haul fertilizer, grain, and construction aggregates; in the winter, the team hauls de-icing materials to airports. This diversification strategy keeps business humming and keeps the team busy year-round.
But beyond strategy, what makes the company unique is its culture. “We treat our drivers like family,” Phillip and Stone emphasize in their recruiting efforts. Many drivers started when they were in high school, learning the ropes behind the wheel before taking on bigger routes. That emphasis on training, mentorship, and respect has helped Ren Potterfield Trucking retain talent in an industry where turnover is common. The family-first mindset is not only something they live internally – it extends to how they treat their customers, their drivers, and even their technology partners!
Modernizing With Toro TMS
Despite its deep roots, the business isn’t stuck in the past. In fact, modernization has become a family project in itself. During our conversation, Phillip pulled out his old “dispatch ledger”, the paper system he once relied on to manage load planning and dispatch – which, ironically, looks a lot like a physical version of Toro’s dispatch timeline. The family also gave me a glimpse of their former software system, Keystone, which looked more like a clunky 1980s PC computer game than a dispatch solution.
“I’m so glad we made the change to Toro,” Guyla shares. “It’s made our lives so much easier. Billing’s faster, Payroll’s faster, it’s all faster!”
Today, Toro has helped them bring operations into a new era. And just like the business itself, each family member has their own area of ownership in the platform:
- Guyla and Laura Ashley love Toro’s billing and invoicing tools, which have streamlined office workflows. “Billing is about 20 times faster,” Guyla mentions. “All of our rates are already in the system, and we know they’re right, so we don’t have to go back and fix billing like we used to.”
- Stone relies on the dashboard summaries and reporting features to stay on top of day-to-day performance. When he needs a new feature built, he’ll reach out to the Toro team and they’ll get started on it.
- Phillip sees Toro as a way to strengthen customer trust. Toro’s live tracking links, which allow customers to see where their loads are in real time, have cut down on customer phone calls and back-and-forth updates. “It’s improved our customer relationships,” he shared.
The transition hasn’t just made the company more efficient – it has freed up the Ren Potterfield team to focus on what matters most: their drivers, their customers, and their family.
Shared Focus on Success
Ren Potterfield Trucking’s story is one of legacy and modernization: A company that has honored its roots while also embracing change. For Toro, the partnership is about more than software; it’s about amplifying that story, helping a family-owned business continue to thrive in a competitive and regulated industry.
From Ren’s first truck purchase in 1959, to Phillip’s leadership in diversifying the business, to Guyla and Stone and Laura Ashley guiding it into a technology-driven future, the Ren Potterfield team has shown what it means to build something lasting. And just as they have passed down knowledge, responsibility, and values from one generation to the next, Toro is proud to be part of ensuring that legacy continues – stronger, smarter, and ready for the road ahead.