SCOTT Monto was sitting in his den one night a few years ago, watching “The 9/11 Conspiracies: Fact or Fiction” on The History Channel. Monto, general manager of New Jersey-based Arrow Fuel, had stood on the top of his oil truck at Center Point Terminal in Port Newark and watched the World Trade Center towers collapse in a horrifying heap on that transcendent day, and this show jump-started a brainstorming session.
He thought about all the children who had been born since Sept. 11, 2001. What did they know? Did they really understand what had happened and who had perished?
He grabbeda pieceof paper and started sketching a truck similar to one in his Arrow Fuel fleet, which delivers heating oil and diesel to a five-county area in northern New Jersey.
“I knew I couldn't put on the truck all the names of the people who died that day, so I decided to focus on what most people don't know about — the passengers and crew who died on the flights,” he says, referring to American Airlines Flight 77, American Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, and United Flight 93 — the flight that crashed in rural Pennsylvania after some of the 40 passengers stormed the cockpit to prevent the plane from destroying its target.
Monto started with a 2010 Peterbilt Model 335 he had previously purchased from Girard Equipment, which is headquartered in Manalapan and Linden, New Jersey, and distributes a wide range of tank equipment. Girard also is a North America-based manufacturer of cargo tank fittings and tank container hardware.
The Peterbilt is very similar in specifications to two other trucks Girard has provided to Arrow: a 260-horsepower Paccar PX-8 engine with Allison automatic transmission, a high-level interior, aluminum package outside (wheels, tanks, bumper, grille), 32 red, white, and blue LEDs on the bumpers and fenders, a 2,800-gallon Trans Tech aluminum cargo tank, Betts domelids and work lights, Civacon internal valves and overfill protection, Blackmer product pump, Liquid Controls meter, and Goodyear Redwing delivery hose on a Hannay reel.
Monto consulted with Girard general manager Craig Marturano on the design for the back of the truck and then hired G1 Graphics of Newark. Monto told production manager Andrew Marich the theme and roughly what he wanted, and Marich came up with the design, using Adobe Illustrator. Marich needed a day to print and cure the 3M vinyl, then laminate it with 3M gloss. Two full work days were needed to apply the vinyl.
On the back of the tank are two running lights and two brake lights, covered with glass filaments designed to ensure that the brake lights don't distract from the mural on back — which includes pictures of the World Trade Center and Statue of Liberty. Above that, it says, ROLLING MEMORIAL. ALWAYS REMEMBER. The names of those 255 people who perished on all four flights are superimposed over a rippling American flag. On the bumper, the words, GROUND ZERO. ALWAYS REMEMBER 9/11.
The sides of the tank have an American flag with the Arrow logo superimposed over it. The front of the truck includes patches from the New York Police Department, Port Authority, and Fire Department, and the phrase, “Let's Roll!” which was uttered by Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer.
The hood of the truck is adorned with the American flag, flanked by Flight 93 references above each wheel well.
“We called it Flight 93 because of the passengers taking back the plane,” Monto says. “It was America's first battle won against the terrorists. Even though the passengers lost their lives, they saved thousands of more lives that day.
“It's tastefully done — not too gaudy or disrespectful. It's a nice presentation for the whole day.” Says Marturano, “It was important for us because I think September 11 was something that affected everybody, and we're coming up on the 10th anniversary. The general theme we all came away with was to never forget. Getting involved with this truck keeps it in the forefront.”
Raising awareness
Arrow commissioned Girard Equipment to design the truck to commemorate next year's 10th anniversary of 9/11, but it is also intended to raise awareness for two local charities, Tuesday's Children and the Vincent G Halloran Fund for Children.
Marturano says that as a family-owned business, Girard cherishes the chance to partner with these charities, both of which were established to serve the needs of children and families that suffered loss from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The non-profit family service organization Tuesday's Children has made a long-term commitment to help those who were directly impacted by the events of 9/11, as well as others impacted by global terrorism. The organization has partnered with recognized leaders in the fields of child development and family advocacy to develop an innovative platform of programs designed to address the ongoing needs of thousands of children trying to cope.
Also established to support those affected by 9/11, the Vincent G Halloran Fund for Children is a non-profit foundation that organizes three annual events a year to raise money for a variety of children's causes. Vincent Halloran, a lieutenant of Ladder Company 8 in the Tribeca area of Manhattan, left behind five sons and his pregnant wife, Marie, when he was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
“It is truly an honor to support these two wonderful organizations whose efforts are so inspiring and meaningful,” Marturano says. “Designing the 9/11 tribute truck is just one small way to keep the memory of bravery alive, and raise awareness for important charities.
“When we started thinking of building the truck, we decided that not integrating with some sort of charity would be fruitless. Tuesday's Children was a perfect match. Our commitment will last long beyond the building of this vehicle.”
Monto says he feels like a celebrity when he drives the truck. “People actually cheer me on when drive it,” he says. “It's amazing. People blow horns and take pictures with camera phones at stop lights. Initially, people were blowing horns and I was thinking, Something's wrong. I had never been cheered driving an oil truck. But if you see this truck, you have to stop. It grabs you. It's taken on a life of its own. It really has.”
Arrow has used the truck primarily for display purposes. It won Best of Show at a competition in Suffix County, New York, and Monto plans to take it to a show at the Charlotte Raceway in North Carolina.
“Right now, it does nothing,” he says. “It's parked at the Newark office in the garage. It's a brand-new $120,000 truck, but we have a lot of trucks, and I feel like I can't get the truck dirty or I would be disrespecting the whole event.
“No one wants to drive it because it has a $4,500 lettering job. I tell the drivers, ‘Anybody want to drive it? Take your passport so you have a head start in case you scratch it.’ I like trucks. I think trucks are the face of the company. If you pull a dirty truck in front of a house, it's dirty oil. If you have a clean truck, it's clean oil.”
Monto says he already is planning the next truck — a camouflage model to honor the Wounded Warriors Project, which raises awareness and enlists the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women.
“These guys come home with missing legs and mental problems,” he said. “We have to appreciate what people do overseas. We take a lot of things for granted in this world.”
Serving five counties
Arrow is a third-generation company founded in 1946, providing fuel delivery and service to Essex, Union, Hudson, Passaic, and Bergen counties. It consists of Arrow Fuel in Newark, Oil City Petroleum in Clifton, and Stultz Fuel in Keyport.
With a staff of 60 and 25 trucks, Arrow handles eight million gallons of heating oil and five million gallons of diesel. Most of the trucks are Macks, but the fleet also includes Scanias and Fords. They range from 1985 Macks to 2010 Peterbilts. Cargo tank capacity ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 gallons.
“We have a mature fleet,” Monto says. “Most of our trucks are older, but we have a state-of-the-art maintenance facility, three mechanics, and a wash crew. We get a lot of longevity out of our trucks because we're committed to providing a high level of maintenance service.
“We do all in-house smoke tests and DOT tests. We put a lot of work into our vehicles. We paint our own vehicles. Good maintenance is how we get a lot of years out of the trucks. We had only one vehicle in the past year that we could not fix on our own.”
Arrow concentrates primarily on full-service home customers, but also fuels Continental Airline's fleet shuttle at Newark International Airport, Hall's Fast Motor Freight, and most of the area's wholesale liquor vendors.
“We have four refueler trucks that we send out every night to fuel customer trucks,” he says. “We are a 24/7 company. There aren't too many things we don't do. Anything with fuel, we'll sell you — except biofuel. We stay away from that because we've had really bad luck with it up here. Five or six companies' trucks went down, and there were insurance problems.”
Arrow offers a broad range of heating services, including automatic delivery, equipment installation, tank replacement, service plans, budget plans, and price-protection programs. It is a member of the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey and the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers.
Arrow installs oil and gas boilers, furnaces, hot-water heaters, and above-ground oil-storage tanks. With the automatic-delivery plan, Arrow provides ample fuel all year round, using its degree-day tracking system to monitor weather conditions and schedule deliveries when an account's supply is running low. Arrow's service technicians all have at least 25 years' experience in the business.
Monto says he's excited about the future. Within the next year, Arrow plans to take 5,000 square feet of its maintenance facility and turn it into the corporate office, while merging the Clifton and Newark offices.
“It will give us a better hands-on approach to serving our customers,” he says. “As smaller Ma and Pa oil companies come available to purchase, we will be better-suited to buy them.” ♦
