A Memoriam To Ronald Gross,  Sr.

Ronald Gross, Sr. age 84 died on January 14, 2025, at his Cabot, Pennsylvania home.  Ron Gross started driving truck at the age of 18,  right out of high school in 1958 and continued driving until 2014.  Ron purchased his first truck at the age of 25, a used 1960 single axle Brockway.  He founded Ron Gross Trucking in 1965, still operating with a single truck.  He then purchased a second truck in 1974 and hired one of his cousins to drive it. Ronald Gross, Inc. has experienced steady, controlled growth since then, growing the fleet to 45 company trucks and 9 owner-operators.

In the mid 1970s, Ronald Gross, Inc. began hauling for Moonlight Mushrooms, located near Butler, Pennsylvania.  At the time, Moonlight Mushrooms was the world’s largest producer of mushrooms.  Ron and his drivers were pulling open top vans loaded with various types of compost into the mushroom mines.  The fleet grew to 4 trucks and with the decline of Moonlight Mushrooms, Ron Gross started trip leasing steel out of Butler and Brackenridge, Pennsylvania.  In 1982, he purchased their current location in Cabot, Pennsylvania.  It wasn’t long after the industry deregulated that Ronald Gross, Inc. applied for and received their own operating authority.

Today, Ronald Gross, Inc. is 100% flatbed with their primary commodity being steel.  The hauls are mostly regional, running primarily east to west along I-70, I-80 and US 30 in a 450-500 mile radius of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In 1990 Ron decided to “lighten up”, spec’ing trucks and trailers as light as possible to accommodate additional coil weight.  This enabled a nice market niche for the company to be able to haul coils that are on the heavy side. 

Ronald Gross, Sr.’s legacy lives on through his family who continue to operate the company he founded. Today, Barry Gross (son) serves as President, Ronnie Gross, Jr. (son)  is Vice President and Connie Harbison (daughter) is Secretary/Treasurer.  Connie’s son Ben Harbison works in dispatch. 

Trucker’s Last Ride Poem: He traveled the roads in years gone past.  A life he chose and hoped would last.  He parked his truck now.  His engine has stopped, and those who love him, their hearts have dropped.  Now with a smile of great pride, he drives the streets of Heaven on his last ride.