Sweet Simon

For two decades, you couldn’t travel a west coast freeway without spotting a black Dick Simon rig with their signature ‘Sweet Simon’ skunk on the door. All that ended in 2002 when Dick Simon and other executives were accused of insider trading because they had sold $3 million in stock prior to the company’s rapid decline and ultimate bankruptcy.

Richard (Dick) Simon grew up in Provo, Utah, in a family of truckers and developed a healthy love of the industry. In 1955, Dick Simon sold his new car to buy a two-ton tractor and a 32-foot trailer, channeling his love into a start in the trucking industry. His first trip was hauling feed from Provo to southern California ranchers, and then returning with a load of fish meal from Long Beach.

When his first truck gave out, he continued his business while borrowing trucks from other owners. In 1963, Simon was able to purchase his first diesel truck and refrigerated trailer that would become the foundation for his business.

For 17 years, Simon was driving non-stop. “By the time I was 35 I couldn’t do it anymore,” he said. In 1972, exhausted by the pace, he ended his sole proprietorship and incorporated Dick Simon Trucking. That began the expansion of the fleet… read more >