It came together fast after he answered a newspaper ad, Gerry Bandemer remembers, leaning back in a chair after returning from the interstate delivery route he started well before the sun was up.

In June of 2001, Bandemer, still months away from being formally hired into Medline, hit the road with his first trailer full of medical supplies as an employee of the third-party carrier U.S. Logistics — and one of just three drivers initially making deliveries from Medline’s since-retired distribution center in Mundelein, Ill. He interviewed for the opportunity in a parking lot.

“We had just a little pup trailer and a straight truck in the beginning,” he recalls. “By the end of the first week, they had added a 48-foot trailer, so I was the one driving the 48 around Chicago and the suburbs.”

Earlier today, he was 2½ hours north of his home base in Grayslake, Ill., delivering medical-surgical supplies to hospitals in Appleton and Oshkosh, Wis., the far northern end of the route he’s had for the last 11 years.

John Broaddus, meanwhile, was about 2,000 miles away in San Bernardino County, Calif., visiting the many places and faces along his own delivery route. When Medline hired him in early 2002, he was the lead driver in Fontana, Calif., also planning routes for 11 other drivers as Medline expanded its logistics and delivery operations to the Los Angeles area. Later, Broaddus opted to drive full-time out of Rialto.

“Being face-to-face with the people we service is what I enjoy most,” he says.

He and Gerry Bandemer have never met. Yet they’re distant brothers of sorts, sharing the distinction of being two of the longest-tenured members of MedTrans, the relentless force of more than 2,100 drivers and 2,100 tractor trailers, straight trucks and parcel vans that has been rolling along officially for 25 years this fall.

A good thing that hasn’t stopped growing

MedTrans was born out of Medline’s desire — first fueled by former Medline director Tom Flynn, the “grandfather of MedTrans” — to lower costs for customers by moving away from third-party carriers in favor of a private fleet that could match the rich level of service Medline already was known for.

The MedTrans vehicle count alone shows just how much the division has grown in a quarter-century. By the end of 2001, after Medline had also taken MedTrans into the Detroit area, there were 25 trucks in use. By 2006, that number had more than quintupled to 137. Consistent growth accelerated even faster about 10 years ago, raising the national vehicle total past 1,000 in 2020 and beyond 2,100 in 2025.

When Jeff Brennan (pictured), vice president of transportation, arrived at Medline in 2010, there were slightly more than 200 trucks.

“We have about 200 in some single sites now,” he said.

In terms of drivers, MedTrans had just north of 1,550 four years ago. Last year, the number surpassed 2,100.

But perhaps the most impressive growth is in the percentage of products sold by Medline in the U.S. — both those manufactured by Medline and those made by other companies — that are delivered through MedTrans. It was around 51% when Brennan started. By 2018, it was more than 70%. Today it’s around 80%.

“For us to be able to advance from 51% to where we are now means we not only have had to keep up with the growth of Medline as a company over time, but we also have had to add on top of that every single year,” Brennan said. “The growth of MedTrans has outpaced the growth of Medline as whole on a percent basis. If Medline was growing 10% over this time, MedTrans needed to grow the percentage it was delivering by 12 to 14%, capturing more of Medline’s sale volume to be delivered with our fleet.”

The extra trust created when supplies are delivered directly by Medline has become one of the many things that sets the company apart, Brennan added.

“What we find through our sales force is our customers want to be delivered on MedTrans,” he said. “And we figure out how to do that efficiently for more and more of them.”

Fine-tuning and familiarity

Efficiency can take many forms: Daily optimized delivery routes to reduce miles and get the most out of truck capacity. New technologies that allow drivers to save time and make more deliveries. A few years ago, MedTrans began using “domiciles” — sites where a driver from a primary location can pass a trailer to a second driver who then takes it the rest of the way for local deliveries. This has increased the reach of MedTrans in more rural communities, with a higher level of service.

Efficiency alone doesn’t earn loyalty, though. Much of MedTrans’ success also comes down to the people — drivers like Bandemer and Broaddus who are effectively the faces of Medline for customers they visit multiple times a week.

“Many customers see our drivers much more than they do their sales reps,” Brennan said. “The fact that our drivers work for MedTrans and not for an outside party is probably the No. 1 most important piece of the puzzle because our professional drivers know our mission. They’re hired with the right mindset and attitude that’s needed in this environment. They know we’re delivering medical products and helping with patient care. As they deliver into hospitals, nursing homes, surgery centers and physician offices, they start to understand the products they’re delivering really matter.”

Bandemer, who has been around almost from Day 1, knows that feeling.

“There’s pride in what I’m doing because of the importance of the supplies we’re bringing and the conditions we bring them in sometimes,” he says. “Maybe you start work and there’s a serious snowstorm. When you get everything done — when you’re driving back and the sun’s coming out again — you feel good about what you did.”

Some of Broaddus’ customers today had him as their first MedTrans driver 20-some years ago.

“It really plays a role with their peace of mind as far as knowing Medline is going to be there for them,” Broaddus says. “They get to know their drivers. They’re used to a certain level of service. And I’ve also been fortunate to meet patients who benefit from the products we deliver. When they see a MedTrans truck, they know it’s Medline. We have a good name out there.

“It’s been a great ride for 25 years,” he adds, pun intended or not. “It really has.”