Trans American Trucking & Warehouse turns 40

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. - The family-owned business, Trans American Trucking & Warehouse, South Plainfield, N.J., is celebrating its 40th anniversary of providing safe, reliable transportation for cargo of all sizes. Whether it's transporting containerized cargo from port to warehouse or delivering oversized generators to electrical plants on trailers the length of a city block, Trans American is considered an industry leader in the Northeast.

Established as a flatbed and van carrier in Edison, N.J., in 1976 by Ron McGraw and Jim Skow, the business grew into one of only a handful in North America with the expertise to handle the transportation of heavy, oversized equipment and machinery. Ron McGraw and Skow had once worked together at another transportation company, but decided to join forces and go out on their own in 1976. By the early 1980s, the company evolved into hauling oversized equipment, with aircraft and industrial manufacturers among its biggest customers. Today Trans American, with headquarters at 115 St. Nicholas Ave. in South Plainfield since 1986, has a major presence in New Jersey and Baltimore. "Since my father and his associate started this company 40 years ago, our rigs have traveled close to 65 million miles, safely carrying hundreds of thousands of pieces of cargo valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars,'' said Craig McGraw, the company's National Sales Director. Trans American Trucking has clocked about two million miles annually for the past two years, McGraw said. It boasts an excellent safety score from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and also has a solid, on-time record, he said. The company also provides warehousing, packaging, and export services for customers throughout the United States and Canada. Trans American offers warehousing and export packaging services in a 300,000-square-foot warehouse. It also has a 40,000-square-foot auxiliary warehouse for containerization, drayage, and storage. Trans American Trucking employs 90 people from the tri-state area as drivers, dispatchers, warehouse personnel, office staff, and in its accounting, information technology, permit and heavy haul departments. It also employs a safety director. Over the years, the company increased its fleet and now has more than 200 pieces of equipment, including numerous 19-, 13- and 9-axle trailers. Trans American handles cargo from 300 to 300,000 pounds, including oversized items like parts for nuclear power plants and generators for electric companies. Transporting oversized cargo is complicated business, requiring police escorts, permits and road closures. But, says Craig McGraw, "Being in the industry so long and having it down to a science, has made Trans American the go-to company for heavy hauling in the Northeast.'' Trans American's leadership has changed. Skow retired from the company in 2014. Jeff McGraw, Craig McGraw's brother who has more than 35 years of experience, is now vice president. Unchanged, however, is the company's commitment to excellent service, something it owes to its longtime, loyal employees. Jeff McGraw said he expects the company will continue to expand its fleet and warehouse capacity in the future so it can serve its customers for another 40 years. "The long-term vision for the growth of Trans American will be based on the same principles that our company has grown with: honesty, hard work, dedication, and team work. With that foundation in place, along with the experience and selflessness of our entire team, we can maintain our loyal customer base. For the future, we are committed to expanding, obtaining new business, and providing excellent trucking service for the next generations."