From left to right: Frank Wycoff, Everet Ray, Fred Ray (Dog), Tony Rook, Bruce Benham, Greg Menna, Kathy Menna, Jamie Menna (Dog), Margaret Santos, Marlene Freeman, Xenia Gomez and Greg “Stew” Stewart

Greg’s Trucking Service, Inc.

Family, Employees and the Commitment to Servicing the Customer –
Keys Behind One Companies Success

Beginning our 2003 New Year, CTN will begin featuring member stories throughout the year. This month, we will begin this effort by featuring one of our CDTOA members in Northern California, Greg Menna, of Greg’s Trucking Service, Inc., located in San Mateo.
Greg was born and raised in San Mateo. He grew up with two half sisters. His mother emigrated to the U.S. in 1917 from the Naples, Italy area. His father was also Italian, first generation, born in Southern California. As a kid, Greg worked in the family’s Italian restaurant business, but he knew working at the restaurant wasn’t his calling.

At the age of 16, Greg started working as a yard boy for a landscape contractor operating some of the equipment in the yard. That experience hooked him on operating equipment including trucks. After a couple of years there, he was old enough to get his Class A drivers license, which he did in 1971 at age 18. With that license in his wallet, he began to seriously think about owning and driving his own truck. Greg continued working in the landscape/construction business as a laborer, hoping to save up enough to purchase a truck, knowing that he would some day accomplish that goal. “I was flagging end-dumps at a jobsite in San Francisco one day,” recalling the day when he knew he was going to be a trucker. “A foreman on this job asked me how I was doing?” and I replied, “I will own my own truck someday” as he looked on at a truck drive by. The foreman looked at Greg and gave him this look and replied, “I believe that you will own a truck like that someday – I don’t doubt you.” Unfortunately, it would take him a little longer than he thought to be in a position to buy his first truck, but he did follow his dream.

By early 1975, Greg had saved $8,000, enough to buy his first truck. It was a broken down 1966 three-axle Pete, pulling a brokers end dump. Greg laughingly described his first truck, as “a broken down Pete with the hood falling off, the cab cracking, and the engine was bad. As quick as I was putting the oil in it, it was blowing out the stack.” In those first years, Greg often worked long days and at night, had to learn the mechanical nuisances of his equipment – “wrenching.” As time went on, Greg rebuilt and restored the 1966 Pete and later sold it to buy a better truck.
Shortly after buying the truck Greg started working for a large truck broker in the North Bay area named Roger’s Trucking, pulling the brokers end dump.

By late 1975, Greg bought his own Fruehauf trailer and he began thinking about growing his own trucking/brokering business – Greg’s Trucking Service, Inc.
Greg rented a small space for his new business from Cap Concrete in San Mateo, which was a large concrete manufacturer in the area at that time. Greg grew the business to two trucks and brokered two pullers, as well as brokering other truckers over the next eight years.

During 1983, due to the bad economy and some lack of focus, Greg’s business slowed down, although he continued working his own equipment. He decided to regroup and restrategize and develop a better business plan that included remedying the shortcomings he believed he had had during those first seven to eight years in business. “I became very serious about the business after 1984. I knew that to be successful the second time, I had to watch all aspects of the business such as the volume of work I was committing to. I spent more time learning the details and I only hired qualified personnel. I narrowed the field of clients that I trusted and worked at getting to know their particular needs. I really paid close attention to every element of the business this time,” explained Greg.

Starting again to grow the business in 1985, Greg purchased two additional trucks that year, and added four pullers – dispatching from his own truck. But the business grew faster than he imagined and decided that he had to hire an additional driver for his truck. In 1986, Greg begrudgingly stepped out of his truck because he was forced to spend his time in the office and traveling to jobsites running the business.

Greg’s Trucking was on its way back up. To his amazement, he had no idea that his company would grow so large. As things were picking up, he said to his wife laughingly, “We’re going to need a bigger yard, so we better buy a few more trucks.”
In 1989, Greg purchased a two-acre yard in San Mateo just north of the 92/101 interchange, which has a two-bay shop, main office and two office trailers. The company currently has 21 employees and contracts with a variety of owner-operators, leasing company trailers. His fleet consists of a 12-power-units, 12-transfers, 10-ten-wheelers and 83-trailers – which include, 1-Cozad equipment trailer, 2-flat beds, 9-semi-bottom dumps, 42-end dumps and 8-high side end dumps. It’s not unusual for the company to dispatch as many as 150-200 trucks during the busiest times of the year.

Greg knows his business revolves around his philosophy of service, “service means being on time, having reliable employees, subcontractors and equipment,” he explained. “We have a saying around here: If you’re not ten minutes early – you’re late.” Greg added that his service philosophy includes, “being on time, treating all customers with respect no matter what size they are and being competitive.” “That’s what service means to me,” explained Greg. “I believe that my service philosophy is an important reflection of my value system. It’s all about character.”

Greg’s company over the last 28-years, has worked on many major construction projects throughout the Bay area. But probably the most memorable work his company was involved in was local disaster related work. “We worked on many of the disasters that struck the region – from the Stockton levy floods of the late 70’s to the floods of Santa Cruz County. We worked many hours on the ‘89 Loma Preita earthquake. Two years later we were all over the Oakland Hills firestorm and than about 1998 El Niño floods hit the Bay area.” “It’s somewhat disappointing that trucking has so many negative connotations in this state today. Yet, when a disaster hits, we are the first and the last on the site – and everyone loves us. The public forgets pretty quickly. Maybe too quickly,” added Greg.

Greg first learned of CDTOA through a good friend and long time CDTOA member, Wes Basset. Greg joined the association in 1989. Today, Greg is always encouraging other owner-operators he works with to join CDTOA, if not for the many benefits it offers than the many political, legislative and regulatory issues CDTOA is involved in. “CDTOA is the only state-wide organization that is involved specifically in construction truck industry related issues,” he said. Greg, is also a member of the Bay Counties Dump Truck Association.

When asked what keeps him motivated and inspired, he explained, “My family, employees, owner-operators and customers – the entire challenges of this business – all have been very important. And frankly, because I just like trucking.” Greg reiterated how supportive his family was over the years, “I recall many times when I was working late on a truck that was need on the job the next morning and Kathy, my wife would call me and ask if I was going to make it to dinner and I would usually say, I don’t know what time I would be done. So, we both understood, dinner would always be waiting for me.” He added, “She and my son Greg Jr. never bothered me, they have always been very supportive of me and the business.”

Greg’s hobbies and interest are his family, motorcycles, and learning to speak fluent Italian and learning more about his heritage, “It good to have roots and family and I do love Italian food,” he finished.

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