A-P-A Transport Corp. Explained

A-P-A Transport Corp. (also known as APA Transport) was a North Bergen, New Jersey–based trucking and shipping company. At one point it was the nation's fourth largest interstate freight trucking company.^[1]

Origins

Founded in 1947 by Arthur Imperatore Sr. and his brothers Eugene, Arnold, George and Harold in West New York, New Jersey, it started as a local trucking business with a single surplus US Army truck, originally called "Imperatore Bros. Moving and Trucking." Later that same year they bought a second surplus truck, and then the name and two trucks of A&P Trucking Corp. for $800 from Albert Amorino, also of West New York. In the 1950s, after a few years of legal wrangling over the name by the A&P grocery chain, they simply added a trailing A.^[2]

Successful

In 1952 they built a new terminus at 88th Street and Tonnelle Ave in North Bergen andby 1958 the company surpassed $1 million in gross revenue.^[2] Eventually Arthur bought out all the other brothers in the business.The company enjoyed great success, growing to more than 3,500 tractor-trailers and operating 31 freight terminals by 1991.^[3]

Shutdown

By 2001 it had fallen to 38th place, and finally closed its doors in February 2002.^[4]

External links

• David Faust Collection of APA truck pictures

Notes and References

1. David Rounds, "Perfecting a Piece of the World: Arthur Imperatore and the Blue-Collar Aristocrats of A-P-A" Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1993
2. Lucien Rhodes, "The Importance Of Being Arthur" Inc. Apr 1, 1982
3. Jon Nordmire, "Trucker Who Rarely Backs Down" New York Times, May 16, 1992.
4. Hugh R. Morley, "Trucking Firm A-P-A Transport in North Bergen, N.J., Closes." The Record (Newspaper, Hackensack, NJ) February 24, 2002