Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/239108
P ride is evident everywhere you look at Stephen Izzi Trucking & Rigging, Inc., in Edison, N.J. It's particularly evident when you see the Izzi fleet, a diverse collection of 28 versatile Peterbilts that includes six different Peterbilt models. "You know what I'm most proud of?" asks David Izzi, the second generation of leadership at the company that his father founded. "Their ages." Indeed, several of the Izzi Peterbilts date back to the mid 1990s, but you wouldn't know it by appearance, even in comparison to one of the company's new Model 388s. It's a true testament not only to the durability of Peterbilt equipment but the care that the company invests in ensuring that their fleet makes a statement of quality and performance. The appearance of the fleet is perhaps even more impressive once you understand the heavy-haul nature of the work Izzi performs. Success is rarely measured in miles as much as tonnage, and their specialized line of work often means they're hauling far more than the 20-some tons of payload that the typical over-the-highway carrier can move. Perhaps it's fitting then, that the Izzi story starts with what the founder calls "bull work." Niche expertise Stephen Izzi got his start in the rigging business when, as a young mechanic, he observed the rigging operations of his employer and went to work on his own. The various machines he rigged onto camelback trailers were usually loaded with the help of a few hickory boards and a working knowledge of the principles of leverage, rather than with the aid of a forklift. "We had that culture within, to do what's right, without any short cuts. Our Peterbilt fleet is part of that." The elder Izzi began earning a reputation for his niche expertise and when local manufacturers had a unique, sophisticated and valuable piece of machinery that needed to be loaded safely and moved without damage, they knew Izzi could deliver. Whether manufacturers were coming into or leaving northern New Jersey, Izzi began getting the call to load their machines. All was going well, with one exception. "I used to hire the transportation out back then," Stephen says. "The problem was the reliability factor. I'd load the truck, then fly to the destination, where I would typically unload it and help set it up again. But I'd get there and get a call from my truck: 'We're going to be a couple days late.' "I knew I needed trucks of my own." Izzi's first truck was a Peterbilt cabover of about 1980 vintage, and once in control of his own transportation with a reliable truck, business opportunities multiplied. The highly demanding pharmaceutical industry saw Izzi as a turnkey provider of a service that few had the know-how and service record to provide. "That industry consolidated, expanded, contracted, reinvented itself — we rode the wave with every move they made, and we really started reaching out more, to places like Texas, Canada and New Mexico," says Stephen. With the growing reach came a growing demand for more trucks, and Izzi maintained a partnership with Peterbilt, a brand with which he found plenty of common ground with his own company and customers. "The industry was establishing a lot of good manufacturing practices," Stephen says. "They were making many safety advances and other innovations and we felt we had to present ourselves in a manner that was consistent with their standards. Continued on page 12 FIRST CLASS l 11