Coffman International, the Dothan-based International Trucks dealership, marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday, August 2 — a half-century milestone for a business that has become a fixture of Alabama’s trucking community.

Founded in 1976 by brothers Bob and Barrie Coffman under the International Harvester banner, the dealership started selling tractors and equipment to the area’s agricultural and timber operators before growing alongside the region’s trucking industry. Brothers John and Mark Coffman, sons of Bob, took over ownership in 2006 and have kept the business true to its roots: one location, a hands-on approach, and a reputation built on knowing customers by name.

“Treating people the way we want to be treated is what it’s all about,” Mark Coffman says. “We’ll do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. That’s the goal.”

“They are a true partner,” says Tres Parker, President of Wiley Sanders Truck Lines, one of Coffman’s longtime customers. “They just go above and beyond.”

That reputation extends across the industry. Dothan native and former ATA Chairman of the Board Fenn Church, now President of Church Transportation & Logistics in Birmingham, got his start working at the dealership as a teenager in the early 1980s.

“My sincerest congratulations to Mark and John, and the legacy they’ve continued from their granddad, their dad, and Barrie,” Church says. “They’ve done an excellent job. They’re just good people — that’s why people do business with them.”

Fifty years, two generations, and one location — Coffman International’s anniversary is a reminder of what staying close to the customer can build over time. Alabama Trucking News congratulates the Coffman family and the entire Coffman International team on five decades of service to the Wiregrass and the trucking industry across the state.

A full feature on Coffman International’s 50th anniversary, including more from Mark and John Coffman on the philosophy behind the business, will appear in the upcoming issue of Alabama Trucker.