The Rabbit River is a tributary of the Kalamazoo River within Allegan County, which is one of two counties that Holland, MI calls home. There is a house bordered on three sides by the Rabbit River, which is owned by Bruce Hassevoort. Bruce (71) is also a father to two sons, Eric (49) and Jeremy (44) who own, after the river name, Rabbit River Transport II, LLC out of Holland, MI.
Cattle have always been a kind of mainstay in the Hassevoort family, even going so far as starting a company in the early ‘90s for the purchasing and selling of cattle, along with owning a couple trucks called Rabbit River Farms. They eventually transitioned out of cattle into trucking only, and Rabbit River Transport II, LLC was born.
Bruce started trucking in 1979 and basically paved the way for his sons to come on board as the second generation in the family. The company equipment used to be in the front yard of Bruce’s house, but as they grew, they rented a few different places. Eric learned how to drive from his dad, Bruce, having started around the age of 16. A couple years later, in 1993, he officially obtained his CDL and started out within Michigan, hauling live birds at night and local freight during the day.
Being the younger brother, Jeremy had the benefit of learning from both Bruce and Eric, including riding with them a lot, before he started driving. Around age 14, Jeremy was driving on his own with no supervision and helping with truck maintenance, then got his CDL in 1998 when he turned 18. In 1999, Eric took the first step of ownership with the purchase of his first truck, which he leased on to the family business, and Jeremy did the same a short year later.
Into the 2000s, the family and the company started growing, beginning with Jeremy marrying his wife Anne on May 6, 2006. Around 2008, Rabbit River Transport II, LLC bought their first shop, and on May 16, 2009, Eric married his wife Jodi. Rabbit River remained in that shop for 17 years and was relocated to their amazing new facility in 2024 (see my story about that grand opening event in the Dec. 2024 edition). Doing an article about these two brothers, there wasn’t a way I could pick photographing one brother’s truck over the other, so I thought it would be a little change of pace to include both trucks.
Eric’s truck is a 2021 Kenworth W900L with a Cummins X15, 18-speed transmission, 292-inch wheelbase, 3.36 rears, and can be found hooked to a 2016 Wilson livestock trailer. The truck sports a stainless American Eagle bumper, factory stacks with Dynaflex tops, Sutherland Bros. air ride, and Hogebuilt stainless full fenders.
Jeremy’s truck is a 2018 Peterbilt 389 powered by a 550 Caterpillar 2WS, 13-speed transmission, 3.55 rears, and a 300-inch wheelbase. This classy truck has a Lincoln Chrome bumper, 12 Ga. Customs visor (as well as light bars and deckplate), Dynaflex 8-inch stacks, Shift Products fenders, and the interior was done by Davis Bros., with a nice stereo install by Kevin Johnson. I saw Jeremy’s truck for the first time in September 2018 at the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show in St. Ignace, MI where I was able to capture some cool shots of the truck with the Mackinac Bridge.
Even though business keeps Eric and Jeremy very busy, they still find the time for things they enjoy. Eric enjoys time and camping with his family as well as playing with his cows. A passion for cattle has always stuck with him, and today, although he doesn’t raise beef cattle, he has a herd of cows. The calves that are born are for the kids to work with and show. Jeremy enjoys time with family, including Anne and his grandkids. With the family, he also enjoys trips in the motorhome, snowmobiling in the winter, and side-by-side riding in the summer.
Truck shows of yesteryear have a way of making someone feel nostalgic because some of those amazing shows are no longer happening. One of those is the Peterbilt Only (anniversary) show in California, and Jeremy said that it was one of the coolest shows to go to. However, Jeremy and Eric both agree that their favorite show to attend as an annual event in their home state – the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show in St. Ignace, MI. This show provides a great time to be had by all, located in a beautiful city, kind of like a vacation, and just an awesome show to hang out at.
Today, Rabbit River Transport II already has the third generation in the Hassevoort clan taking on integral roles within the company. Eric’s sons Corey (29) and Austin (21) work in the dispatch department, while Jeremy’s son Cody (28) is the lead mechanic in the shop, and his other son Tyler (25) drives, hauling livestock. The future plan is to continue thriving the way they have been and to one day hand the company off to their sons. Eric’s beautiful daughter Nicole (25), who according to Eric is the smart one, because she didn’t come onboard with the trucking – instead, she went into the medical field and became a nurse.
Eric oversees the drivers, dispatch operations, customers, and still does plenty of trucking with hauling livestock or pulling a stepdeck. Eric’s wife Jodi is a sales representative for west Michigan and sells livestock medication for a vet and poultry company. Jeremy is what some would call a Jack of all trades, usually starting his day in the office at Rabbit River, which has a connecting door directly to Reliable Road Service. Throughout the day, he’ll float around to wherever things need to be done, which includes running one of the heavy-duty wreckers during winter storms or he’ll haul livestock in his 2024 Wilson trailer. Jeremy’s wife Anne is the caretaker of the books for all the companies and holds everything together.
Between Eric and Jeremy, their family continues to expand to include grandkids. On Eric’s side is grandson Dawson (5) and granddaughter Lenni (6 months), while on Jeremy’s side is granddaughter Margo (2) and grandson Cash (8 months).
Since last year, Rabbit River has been relocated into the same complex as the Hassevoorts’ other two companies, Reliable Road Service and Preferred Truck and Trailer Sales, in a beautiful, state-of-the-art, 60,000 square foot building. On the Rabbit River side, they designed it with their out-of-state drivers in mind, but it is available for any of their employees to utilize. The new facility includes 24-hour access, a modern cafeteria style kitchen where drivers are able to cook meals, dishwasher, large paperwork room, fitness room, driver’s lounge with ample seating and a big screen television, vending machines, two full shower restrooms, and a laundry room with washers and dryers. Another perk is the use of a company vehicle to go into town, and the trucks are washed in the onsite wash bay before the driver heads back out trucking. This was a big part of the design to aid the Rabbit River side for employee retention and to attract new hires. The Hassevoorts welcome anyone to stop by for a tour.
Founded in 1995, the National Association of Show Trucks (NAST) has seen hosting shows for decades. About four years ago, the president stepped down, then a year later, Chuck Kemner, who was the executive director for NAST, passed away. Jeremy was approached to see if he had any interest, otherwise it was going to be the end. Jeremy and Anne, along with Dave Laarman and Kendra Hendrixson, dove straight into this to keep it going. This series typically hosts four shows yearly, which change each year, with exception to the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show in St. Ignace, MI. These four individuals are the glue that hold this organization together, with extra help from amazing people like Jason Mayrand of Flat Top Transport, Brian Hitchcock of MBH Trucking, and Tyler’s (Jeremy’s son) fiancé Anna.
Special thanks from Eric to his wife Jodi for her love, support, and putting up with all of this. To his mom and dad for all the guidance, to his brother that he is pretty thankful to be able to work with, and to all the drivers and employees for their years at the company. Special thanks from Jeremy to his wife Anne for her love, support, being there for it all, and for keeping everything moving, both at home and at work. To his kids and grandkids who are very important to him, and to all the employees who help make it all go around.
Some people briefly pass through your life, while others remain constant. I met Eric for the first time in Missouri about a month after wildfires wreaked havoc on Kansas and Oklahoma in 2017 as he and others were hauling hay from Michigan to aid ranchers in Kansas. I met Jeremy not long after, and these brothers have remained my friends and two people I admire, not only for what they do in the industry, but for who they are, as well. I was able to meet their father Bruce Hassevoort last year at the grand opening of the new facility. It was nice to see the facility, hang out with the family, meet most of the employees, and see a father and his two sons amidst it all. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe.