| CDTOA's New Affiliate: America’s Trailer Company |
 |
 |
 |
| Members Corner | ||||||
| Thursday, 11 August 2011 09:42 | ||||||
|
Growth Through Acquisitions and a Commitment to Quality Products & Service By Betty Plowman
When Reliance Trailer of Cotati announced they were filing bankruptcy and closing in late 2010, their many customers were left in disbelief and with great concern about where they would be able to purchase replacement parts or buy new or replacement trailers and boxes. It was in 1940 in a small agricultural area called Fresno that Tom’s father Joe Pistacchio started the trucking business with his brother George. They named it G & J Pistacchio Trucking. Their first hauls were mainly moving a variety of farming equipment. The company soon expanded and began hauling general freight, tomato products, and liquid fertilizer.
As a young boy, Tom spent his summers working in the shop, wrenching and learning about equipment maintenance and the trucking business. At age 16, he easily passed his CDL test and began driving part-time and during the summer full-time. After high school, he attended Fresno City College where he received a degree in business, and then it was off to the Air Force for 6 years. After serving his country and returning home in the mid 1970s, the trucking industry once again beckoned and Tom has been involved in all aspects of it since. He was a real visionary; he even was involved with the developing and building of the Pilot Travel Center in Madera in 1978. It was a premier one-stop truck stop that was a model for all future truck stop designs. It offered a wide range of new food options and hotel accommodations that also appealed to family travelers. In 1984, he purchased his first truck dealership. Over the next 20 years, he expanded his Kenworth and International/Navistar dealerships, equipment sales, and other interests. When he and his wife Delores saw an opportunity to purchase Cozad Trailers in 2000, Tom’s business moved into the construction trailer-manufacturing world. Cozad has been manufacturing trailers for the United States Military as well as for the aerospace, construction, and the transportation industries in the U.S. and abroad since 1955. Cozad is well known in the heavy haul, lowbed industry worldwide.
In 2007, they sold their interests in the truck dealerships and decided to focus on the construction trailer manufacturing business. With the recession came some additional opportunities, and they picked up a number of construction trailer brands manufactured mainly in California and the west. The company hired and relocated Steve Clark, who had been the parts manager with Reliance Spokane for 12 years. Steve made the move to California and helped with the transition south, and he continues to provide former Reliance customers with the service and quality commitment now under the America’s Trailer Company badge. Their son Rick Hutcheson came on board when American Carrier Equipment of Fresno was purchased in 2010 and this family tradition now continues with the third generation. Today the business is run under the corporate umbrella or name of “America’s Trailer Company,” established in 2009. It is now the parent company for COZAD, Reliance, American Carrier Equipment, Sturdy~Weld, Alloy, and COMET brand trailers. CDTOA and its members would like to welcome America’s Trailer Company and their extensive list of diverse trailers as an affiliate and encourage members to support those that support our industry. AmericasTrailerCompany.com Corporate Headquarters: Fresno Plant: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
