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A. has been there for you through the Great Depression, deregulation of industry and beyond. Duie Pyle has maintained trucking through historic events in U.S. History, a century of economic cycles, and transformational changes to the freight transportation industry.
The motor carrier based in West Chester, Pa., has grown from one truck to a major provider of supply chain services and less-than-truckloads with operations across the U.S. Northeast.
A. Duie Pyle, a trucking company in the United States, celebrated its centennial anniversary earlier this year.
The business was established on April 1,1924, when Alexander Duie Pyle, his wife Mary Ellen and a used International Harvester purchased a flatbed trailer hauling service for Lukens Steel Co. a local steel producer that remains a client today.
The trucking company’s founding family still owns the entire company a century later.
A. Duie Pyle is now ranked No. The company ranked 57th on the Transport Topics Top 100 List of the largest for hire carriers in North America. In 2023, it generated $775 million revenue and had 4,300 employees.
Peter Latta, the third-generation member of the family and president and chairman of A. Duie Pyle, says that while the technology and equipment used in the trucking business have changed dramatically over the past century, the freight transportation industry has always been and will continue to be a people’s business.
“Like a hammer or saw is to a carpenter’s trade, trucks are our tools.” “At the end of it all, the people’s commitment and extra efforts are what define the service provided by one company compared to another,” Latta said.
Pyle has always had a people-centric focus.
Early in its history, the company survived the Great Depression with a fleet of 20 trucks and all its drivers were employed.
Pyle later supported the country’s World War II effort by transporting materials produced by Lukens Steel, in coordination with the U.S. War Department. These products included materials that were used in the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic weapon that ended the war.
In the 1960s when the company expanded to over 100 trucks, Alexander Duie Pyle gave the reins to Jim Latta who continued to expand the business.
In 1979, Pyle experienced a pivotal moment in its history when the Teamsters union went on strike for 14 weeks in order to secure contract terms that were different from the National Master Freight Agreement which Jimmy Hoffa Sr. had first imposed on the motor carrier industry back in 1964.
A. Duie Pyle with his truck, 1948. (A. Duie Pyle)
About 30 of the strikers eventually crossed the picket lines, petitioned an election, and voted to decertify from the union.
The company now reflects upon the bravery of those workers and their trust in the management as setting the tone to the “Pyle People” — its term for hardworking employees.
After that momentous event in the company’s past, the deregulation of the trucking industry in 1980 radically changed the competitive landscape and allowed carriers like A. Duie Pyle the opportunity to expand geographically.
Peter Latta stated that “deregulation was a catastrophe for many companies and many people in the industry. But it was an opportunity we were able capitalize on.”
Under his leadership, the business has grown from being a local company with a single terminal into a regional LTL transporter operating out of what will soon be 34 warehouses and service centers throughout the Northeast.
Before deregulation, West Chester’s company was based on the principle of “selling what you can make,” and at that time this was limited to overnight services within a radius of 50 miles around West Chester.
A. Duie Pyle, the company’s namesake, and his wife Mary Ellen in a photo taken in 1958. Duie Pyle)
Latta said that as deregulation took hold, Pyle’s philosophy changed to “make what you sell” which meant expanding geographically, and offering services that the market desired.
The company provides LTL service in all towns and cities within a 14-state area stretching from the Canada/Maine border, to the Virginia/North Carolina line, and westward to include West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. Pyle’s partnerships include Southeastern Freight Lines (SFL), Dayton Freight Lines (DFL) and Oak Harbor Freight Lines (OHL). This LTL service is available nationally.
A. Duie Pyle, a provider of supply chain solutions, has also added capabilities beyond its core LTL business to become a more comprehensive service provider.
The company has a dedicated division for transportation with more than 600 drivers. It also provides warehousing, distribution and managed full truckload services through its freight brokerage division.
The company also continues to operate its flatbed steel hauling business that still serves Alexander Duie Pyle, who started the business more than 100 years ago.
Frank Granieri is the chief operating officer of supply chain solutions for A. Duie Pyle.
A. Duie Pyle’s trucks parked at the company terminal in 1968. (A. Duie Pyle)
Granieri said that the company would continue to look for ways to adapt to changing industry trends and wider societal changes such as the push towards environmental sustainability and nearshoring manufacturing from Asia to local markets.
Latta said that A. Duie Pyle’s company culture has been the “secret sauce” behind its success, growth, and survival over the years.
He said that this includes maintaining the core values of the company, including treating others as you would like to be treated, and building mutual trust. This in turn inspires employees to go beyond what is expected of them. “In a business that provides services, this is a winning formula.”
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