The Viviano name has been associated with bottom dump trucking and setting the bar in California’s Bay Area since 1959, back when Tom Viviano started VTI Trucking. These days, his son Mike Viviano (62) carries on the family name and tradition, doing the same thing, in the same area, under his company banner Viviano Trucking. Not only does Mike have a cool 2-axle Peterbilt with a lot of history, he also is part owner of a historical piece of property in Newark, CA, which is where we recently did our photo shoot for this month’s cover feature. It might not look like much today, but this property was once Peterbilt’s Environmental Research Facility, and it still has the sign on the fence to prove it!
As most of you know, Peterbilt trucks were built at a facility in Newark, CA from 1960 to about 1986. Their Denton, TX facility opened in 1980, but the Newark location remained active until it was closed in 1986. This 176,000 square foot manufacturing and assembly plant was located on Cherry Street, about a block west of Mowry Avenue, in Newark. Today, there is an Amazon Sorting Center and a lumber company on that property. About a half mile south on Mowry is where Mike’s property is located, and it is literally right around the corner from that old Peterbilt plant. While we were there, we drove around and looked at all these places, did some research, and were moved at the thought of all the history that happened there. We were also shocked that there is not some kind of historical marker at the site of the old factory – because there really needs to be.
The 35-acre facility on Mowry Avenue was where Peterbilt trucks were tested for durability, comfort, and longevity. It is said that trucks would run the rough “course” 24/7 for long periods of time to fetter out any problems that might come up as their trucks were used and possibly abused. There was a metal building on-site, along with a small office building next to it, where the tests would be monitored, and the trucks inspected and/or worked on. Today, the office building is gone, but the building that Mike calls their “shop” – the same building his latest truck was built in – is the original metal structure that was there when Peterbilt Motors Company ran the facility. That is pretty cool.
Today, the property, which sits along the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay and is zoned for farming and agriculture, is shared by Mike and his siblings, along with another partner, and isn’t much more than a typical truck yard, filled with old trucks, trailers, equipment, the one shop building, and other various truck parts and pieces. Across the street, the Cargill Salt Ponds collect salt water then let it evaporate, leaving behind the salt to harvest. This facility has also been around for a long time and began as the Leslie Salt Evaporation Ponds when Leslie Salt was opened in 1901. Cargill bought the company in 1978, but the Leslie name remained until 1991. In some of the photos, you can see those famous piles of salt in the background.
Mike’s father Tom and another partner purchased the Mowry Avenue property around 2005. After Mike’s mother passed away in 2009 and his father in 2017, Tom’s ownership portion went to Mike and his brother and sister. Today, they share the property and shop with the other partner. Retired truck builder and mechanic Felipe D. Gonzalez Sr., who worked for Mike’s dad for many years, still works in the shop part time and helps maintain both of these owners’ fleets. He also customizes cars, for himself and others, and built Mike’s truck, the one seen here, after it was purchased and acquired as a wreck.
Tom Viviano was born in 1932 and, after high school, at 19 years old, he enlisted in the Army. Ending up in Korea, during the Korean War, he got involved in the transportation side of things, including tank maintenance, where he learned the art of body and paint work. After being discharged, he returned home and began doing paint and body work and customizing cars. One of his creations – a black 1952 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 – ended up on the June 1955 cover of Rod & Custom Magazine. He eventually began trucking in the Bay Area of California, pulling double bottom dumps and semi bottom dump trailers, and then formed his own company called Viviano Trucking Inc. (VTI) in 1959.
With his first truck being an old Diamond T, Tom was known for buying wrecked or incomplete trucks, and then using his paint and body skills to fix or finish them, and then selling them off or adding them to his fleet. In his heyday during the 80s and 90s, Tom’s company had upwards of 80 trucks of its own and dispatched another 30+ subhaulers. Mike’s mom Jane passed away in 2009, and after that, Tom began slowing down and passing what was left of the company to his children. After Tom’s death in 2017, they sold the remaining equipment, except one truck and four sets of trailers, and Mike formed his outfit, Viviano Trucking, which survives today.
Born in 1962, Mike grew up around trucks, motorcycles, and hot rods, learning to drive a truck before he even learned to drive a car! In addition to greasing trucks and moving trailers, he worked a lot with his dad rebuilding the wrecked trucks he bought. In his teenage years, Mike began racing bicycles (BMX) like so many of us did in the late 70s, me included, and then graduated to motocross, racing his Yamaha YZ 125 in the Novice class. With a full sponsor and a lot of wins under his belt, he was on the verge of going pro when he crashed in a race. Breaking his leg in two places, he went on to finish and win that race. But after taking time off to heal, things were never the same after that.
Upon graduating high school at 18 years old, he immediately got his CDL and started trucking. Over the years, Mike drove some cool rigs, including a 1965 narrow-nose Peterbilt, a white 1985 Peterbilt 359, which was known as “The White Pony” to many, then “The White Pony 2” – a white 1995 Peterbilt 379. His dad’s colors were always white and yellow, so most of his trucks from that era were those colors, including a 2008 Peterbilt 384 he owned, as well, which was white with black fenders. When he started his own company, he bought an old Granite Construction truck (a 2000 Peterbilt 379) painted in Granite colors, which is green and caution yellow. He kept that truck for several years until the CARB regulations in California made him replace it, and that is when he got the green truck you see here today.
Originally purchased by a man named Ivan Cooper Jr. of Ivan Cooper Trucking, he was a well-known and liked trucker, who also pulled bottom dumps, in the San Diego and Temecula, CA areas. Ivan bought the 2020 Peterbilt 389 new and put it to work immediately. Oddly enough, or maybe super cool, he numbered the truck “10-4” and that was on the side of the hood and the front bumper in almost the same font we use here at the magazine. Unfortunately, just a few months later, in an effort to avoid hitting a car full of innocent motorists, he went off the road and laid it over. Ivan was not seriously hurt, but the truck was wrecked pretty badly. He immediately ordered another truck – a 2021 model – that was exactly like the one he rolled over, but with a slightly longer wheelbase. Sadly, about the time that new one came in, Ivan died at 60 years old from colon cancer in September 2020.
Looking for a replacement truck after his Peterbilt 379 aged out in California, Mike and his brother Peter found Ivan’s wrecked truck on the internet being auctioned off. This truck was kind of special, because it was one of the few 2-axle trucks that Peterbilt fitted with a big 605-hp Cummins X15. It was also equipped with an 18-speed AutoShift transmission, and all the bells and whistles. Mike and his brother put in a bid, but they did not get the truck. Instead, it went to another bidder in Southern California. However, a few months later, it came up for bid again, and this time, they got it! In true Viviano fashion, Mike bought a wrecked truck, just like his dad used to do, and then fixed it all up.
The truck, which only had 18,000 miles on it, was first delivered in September 2021 to Mike’s friend Will Millward, where he replaced the damaged rear end housing, the oil pan, and a few other things, and then took it to a frame shop where the twisted rails were straightened and the crossmembers were replaced. It took them about a month to get the chassis perfect, and then it went back to Will’s shop for a few more things. After that, it was delivered to Felipe in Mike’s shop to be completed. It took a year to finish the project, and the truck was finally put into service in November 2022.
Wanting to honor Ivan and his memory, Mike kept the truck green, but he did modify the color a bit, and he did have Felipe paint the fenders, roof, and frame metallic gray. The 2020 Peterbilt 389, as mentioned before, has a 605-hp Cummins X15, an 18-speed automatic (which Mike loves), a 205” wheelbase, and sits on low pro tires. Featuring lime green and orange stripes and accents, the truck has an air-ride front end from Stuart at NorCal Customs, all new axles, springs, hangers and shocks, the hood and fenders were replaced, and the cab was completely gutted, restructured, and then put back together. It was also fitted with new fuel tanks, new air cleaners with light bars (front and rear), new mirrors and brackets, a new stock exhaust, and new side boxes and covers.
The truck’s exterior features a “Southern Style” aluminum bowtie visor, side window chops, seven cab lights, an 18-inch Valley Chrome bumper, blacked-out LED headlights from United Pacific, and old-style square Peterbilt emblems. It also got a one-piece diamond plate deck plate, a stainless grill surround from 12 Ga. Customs, seven vertical grill bars, (4) watermelon LED load lights that were recessed into the back of the cab, and Hogebuilt stainless quarter fenders. A rear tail piece, which is also the brackets for the rear fenders, was fabricated out of steel by a local welder named Lalo. Surprisingly, all the wheels and tires are still the originals.
The engine is stock, except for a fancy logo on the tag on the side, made by “Mike The Stripe” out of Milpitas, CA, who also did all the vinyl graphics on the rig’s exterior. The interior features black leather and has a double bench seat on the passenger side. Mike has had this seating configuration in all his trucks because it is good for laying down, if needed, and good for his dog, Roxie, a German Shepherd Mike often takes with him out on the road. As mentioned before, the rig is equipped with all the bells and whistles, like a full gauge package, and Mike also had a nice Pioneer sound system installed and swapped out the stock interior lights for LED lights. He also added lime green Peterbilt emblems on the door panels.
Pulling a set of matching (sort of) 2020 American Carrier Equipment (ACE) super light double bottom dumps, that were painted before this truck was built, the green paint on the trailers does not match perfectly, since Mike and Felipe modified the green color on the truck. Mike’s plans are to buy a brand-new set of trailers in the near future and give them the exact paint to use so the new trailers match perfectly. He also wants to reintroduce the “10-4” number on the truck in honor of its former owner, Ivan, and this 10-4 Magazine cover feature, which Mike was so excited about.
Shortly after Mike got this truck back on the road, he took the combo to a truck show in Plymouth, CA and was surprised and excited to find his Peterbilt’s “sister truck” – the one Ivan bought to replace it after the rollover accident. Mike was happy to be able to show his truck to Ivan’s family, who were touched to see how good it looked and how well Mike was taking care of it. It also made them feel good to know that Mike specifically kept it green in Ivan’s honor. When going to shows, sometimes Mike hooks to his double bottom dumps, and sometimes he hooks to his 42-foot 2023 Raptor toy hauler – and both make a bold statement.
Growing up, Mike’s sister Mary has always been involved in the family business, handling all the billing and accounting. Today, she still does that for Mike’s company. Mike’s brother Peter has never been a truck driver, but he was always part of the family business. At one point he owned a wrecking yard, and Mike was like a kid in a candy store when he went there. He is not involved with Mike’s company, but the two are still very close, and he helped Mike chase down parts for this truck build. Mike was briefly married way back when and has a daughter named Michelle (33) who is married and has two small kids, Warren (2) and Little Michelle (about six months old), and Mike loves being a grandpa!
Currently, Mike still runs every day, along with three of the best subhaulers around, that pull his (3) sets of double bottom dumps, delivering rock and sand to local ready-mix plants. He also has a set of powder trains that he uses when needed. Mike plans to keep running for as long as he can, and to keep his pullers busy, but might start thinking about slowing down soon to focus on being a grandpa. He still enjoys racing motocross from time to time, with his daughter, who likes to race, too.
The family is considering selling the Newark property, but Mike really doesn’t want to. He loves owning a piece of Peterbilt history and would hate to see it go. Mike wanted to thank Felipe, Will Millward, his brother Peter, and his friend Mitch Railsback for their help and support (Mitch even joined us at the photo shoot). And whether he retires or not, after “setting the bar” in the world of bottom dump trucking for decades, Mike and the Viviano name will be forever remembered in the Bay Area and beyond.
