A
TRUCKING
This month’s Readers And Their Rigs comes to us from Ricardo L. Franco from the City of Industry, California. This 37-year-old man came to California in May 1995 from Puerto Rico with $150 dollars in one pocket and lots of dreams in the other. He arrived at LAX on a Friday and on Monday he started driving a bottom dump truck, hauling sand and gravel for a company out of Chino, California. After only three months, two of his dreams became a reality when he bought his first truck (a 1982 Freightliner 2-axle conventional) and then became an owner operator, pulling a bottom dump trailer under the name of his new company called Ricardo’s Trucking. After four years of hauling sand and gravel, another dream came true when he bought his next truck - a 1993 Extended Hood Pete 3-axle conventional with a sleeper. This truck featured a 3406-C Cat engine with 425 horsepower and a 15-speed transmission, and was the perfect tractor for Ricardo to make a change and begin pulling a flatbed trailer. With the help and advice of a good friend who had been in the flatbed business for over 30 years, Ricardo bought a 45-foot flatbed trailer and left the bottom dumps behind. A couple years later, in August of 2001, Ricardo gave the rig a complete make-over and nicknamed the truck “Blue Bird” for its beautiful blue paint job. In May of 2002, Ricardo decided to change the name of his company to Blue Bird Transport, Inc. Ricardo attributes his success to God, his family and hard work. It just goes to show that a little faith and a lot of work goes a long way - especially in this great country of ours. Our thanks and congratulations go out to Ricardo for sharing some of his dreams with us. |
