When Jose “Pablo” Bossi left Uruguay for the United States in 1987 at the age of 16, he came with aspirations of achieving the ‘American Dream.’ But it wasn’t easy. With limited resources and no guarantees when Bossi arrived in New Jersey, he carried a strong belief that hard work could lead to a better future. And sure enough, it did.
After working in construction and at a tire retreading facility, Bossi pursued a career in commercial trucking when he became old enough to earn a CDL. “When I worked on retreading commercial tires, I started to grow an appreciation for big rigs,” said Bossi. “One of my friends was a truck driver, and he took me out for a ride-along so I could see what it was like to be a driver, and I loved it. Between that experience and my dad being a driver himself, I was convinced trucking was a career I wanted to go all in on.”
When Bossi became a local company driver in 1990, he learned as much as he could about the industry and what it would take to make the jump to owning and operating his own truck. During that time, he discovered his favorite truck, a Kenworth T600, which he would go on to own a few years later.
“I thought the T600 was the most beautiful truck on the highway,” Bossi recalled. “It was the first aero model and it was a truck I thought was ahead of its time. It was the look of a Kenworth that first drew me in, but the quality, reliability, and comfort of a Kenworth is what has kept me a fan for life.”
Bossi bought his first Kenworth in 1992 – a used 1988 T600. Through hard work and dedication, it didn’t take long for the number of Kenworths Bossi owned to multiply, and in 2003, he founded VPV Transport – named after his three daughters, Viviana, Paola, and Valentina.
Today, VPV Transport operates 110 Kenworth trucks and has become one of the largest fleets serving the ports of Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Norfolk, Virginia. But despite the growth, the business still functions with the tight-knit feel of a small company that Bossi built from the ground up. His daughters and wife, along with other family members, are fully involved in day-to-day operations. Headquartered in Kearny, New Jersey, the company specializes in drayage, port operations, regional runs across the Northeast, and longer over-the-road lanes carrying time-sensitive freight, including pharmaceuticals. The company uses a mix of Kenworth T680s and T880s tailored to each job – day cabs for daily port work, small sleepers for regional lanes, and full-size sleepers for over-the-road drivers who spend multiple nights on the road.
According to Bossi, every truck in the fleet is specified with PACCAR’s fully integrated powertrain, including PACCAR MX-13 and MX-11 engines paired with PACCAR TX-12 automated transmissions, and PACCAR DX-40 tandem rear axles. In fact, VPV Transport was one of the first companies to begin spec’ing their Kenworths with PACCAR’s MX engines when they launched in 2010. To maximize weight savings and increase fuel efficiency, VPV Transport operates MX-11 engines in trucks that haul lighter loads and stay local, and MX-13 engines with ratings up to 510 hp for heavier regional and OTR routes that demand higher power.
“We’ve been really happy with the performance and reliability of our trucks,” said Bossi. “Every truck is spec’d according to where and how it will be used to optimize efficiency. Because of that, we’ve been impressed with the fuel economy our trucks get. It’s not uncommon for trucks to get up to 9 mpg.”
In November of 2022, VPV Transport partnered with Burlington Development on one of its most demanding assignments, hauling specialized gas in reinforced, “bomb-proof” containers from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Salt Lake City Community College in Utah for a university project. A critical portion of the journey followed Alaska’s Dalton Highway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, a notoriously unforgiving route marked by extreme cold, remote terrain, limited services, steep grades, and long stretches of ice and gravel road.
“It was a unique job for us, but we were up for the challenge,” said Bossi. “After several weeks of preparation and outfitting our trucks to handle the harsh environments of the far north, our drivers and trucks handled the job flawlessly. Kenworths are built for these conditions; it’s why you see so many on the ice roads.”
To support uptime, VPV Transport has a team of in-house technicians to service its trucks. The company leverages the PACCAR Solutions Fleet Service Management program, which helps diagnose and notify technicians of the maintenance needed for each of its trucks.
“With every truck using the same powertrain, it’s very efficient for us to manage our maintenance programs because our mechanics know exactly what they’re working with – every bolt, component, and system. Plus, it’s easy to keep parts in stock. When you keep good care of your trucks like we do, they’ll perform well, and they have. It’s why we’ve run PACCAR Powertrain all these years.”
As a former company driver, Bossi understands the hardships of operating less-than-desirable equipment. It’s why he’s committed to providing his drivers the best equipment on the road. According to Bossi, company trucks are on a 5-year or 500,000-mile lifecycle to keep equipment new, comfortable, and equipped with the latest in-cab technologies. VPV Transport works with Gabrielli Liberty Kenworth – Swedesboro on new truck orders. “You hear a lot about the ‘driver shortage,’ but we don’t see that problem at all,” said Bossi. “We take a lot of pride in our trucks. We want our drivers in the most comfortable, best-looking trucks on the road, and drivers appreciate that. Not only do we have a low-turnover rate, but we also have a steady pipeline of drivers reaching out asking to come work for us.”
For VPV Transport, drivers aren’t the only ones who have taken notice of their trucks. In the ports, Bossi claims the trucks are known for their clean presentation and consistent reliability, knowing its equipment is top-tier, and its drivers operate safely and professionally. “We started this company with just three trucks, and today we’re operating 110,” said Bossi. “That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. We’ve built VPV Transport by being a company our customers can rely on –doing what we say we’re going to do, every time. Running what we feel are the world’s best trucks has played a huge role in that success. Kenworth’s reliability, efficiency, and durability allow us to deliver for our customers day in and day out, and that trust is what’s fueled our growth over the years.”
