ALIQUIPPA, Penn. — PGT Trucking Inc. will reach a milestone this year, celebrating its 40th year in business.
Originally based in Industry, Pennsylvania, PGT Trucking was founded in 1981 — with one tractor and two employees — by Patrick A. (“Pat”) Gallagher, who today serves as the company’s CEO.
“From Day 1, PGT has focused on smart and strategic growth,” Gallagher said. “By networking with our customers and vendors, we quickly expanded to over 30 terminal locations across the U.S.”
Over the past 40 years, PGT has grown into a state-of-the art flatbed transportation company serving the steel, building materials, machinery, oil and gas, raw materials, aluminum, and automotive industries in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The following are a few of the milestones the company has celebrated along the way:
- 1981: In addition to founding PGT Trucking, Gallagher established a relationship with Jack Hill at O.S. Hill & Co. Inc. International in East Liverpool, Ohio. During the companies’ 40-year relationship, PGT has purchased thousands of trucks from Hill International.
- 1987: PGT opened Warehouse Distribution of Pittsburgh in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, a full-service warehousing complex designed to accommodate the steel and industrial goods industries.
- 1990: PGT headquarters moved from Industry, Pennsylvania, to Monaca, Pennsylvania, establishing a full campus setting for drivers and employees.
- 1991: Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, a third-party provider for international freight transportation, logistics and technology services was formed, later branching off into its own entity in 1993.
- 1995: PGT established a terminal in Laredo, Texas, opening the gateway to Mexico and expansion of transportation offerings.
- 2000: Southern Pines Trucking, a division of PGT, was founded to focus on cryogenic tanker moves for industrial and medical-grade gases, and hazardous materials, later expanding transportation offerings to oversize/overweight specialized commodities.
- 2006: PGT acquired Midwest Logistics in Champaign, Illinois, developing a van, refrigerated and Conestoga division.
- 2013: PGT acquired Liedtka Logistics in Trenton, New Jersey.
- 2014: PGT acquired Kelworth Trucking in Poteau, Oklahoma.
- 2016: PGT moved its headquarters from Monaca to Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, later acquiring property from Perfetti Trucking, and opening a new driver training facility and terminal in Blairsville, Pennsylvania.
Today, PGT employs more than 1,030 drivers, mechanics, agents and support staff, and operates more than 1,000 power units and over 1,500 trailers nationwide.
“Part of our success has been PGT’s ability to adapt and prosper in this ever-changing transportation industry,” said PGT President Gregg Troian, who joined the company in 1986. “In the last four decades, this sector has seen major changes to its regulations, economic highs and lows, and more recently, the addition of technology. And while many other trucking companies were not able to profit and grow, PGT has stood strong, rooted in our fundamental cornerstones of personal customer relationships, employee development, safety and profitability.”
PGT has numerous 40th-anniversary festivities planned for the year, including hosting its annual million mile and safe driver celebration in May. For more news, events and highlights during PGT’s 40th year, click here.
“I am so blessed to have such a great group of drivers and employees working here at PGT, many of whom started with the company in the 1980s and are still with us today,” Gallagher said. “In an industry that struggles with high turnover rates, I feel that this is a true testament of our principles and our mission. We are in the people business, not the trucking business. It is the drivers, the leadership, the support staff and the truck maintenance teams who have all contributed to the success of this organization over the last 40 years.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
