Dec
19
The Next Generation for Mack
“It doesn’t matter how young or old you are — especially in the construction game — you can succeed with a little hard work and preparation,” says Daniel Cox, who doesn’t just believe it — he’s living it.
Only 22 years old, Cox used the little bit of cash he’d saved from working with his dad and some money his parents had set aside for his education to buy a 2007 Mack® Granite® dump truck. With that, he founded Cox Trucking in his hometown of Kings Park, New York.
As president of Cox Trucking, he sends drivers out in three Mack trucks five or six days a week, and plans to add a fourth Mack in 2019. The equipment has already proven to be a rock-solid foundation for a new construction business aiming to grow quickly.
Cox dropped out of college three years ago to work for his father, who runs a company that paved Yankee Stadium and some of the runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport. “It was 100 percent one of the toughest decisions I ever made, because I knew I would be looked at differently,” Cox says about leaving Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. “I went into college with the typical attitude of breezing through it and getting a degree in business. Unfortunately — or fortunately — it wasn’t a good fit for me.”
What was a good fit, however, was the construction business. Cox started with his dad as a flag boy. He says he spent nearly a year running errands and picking up traffic cones. That’s when the wheels began to turn. Cox began to think he’d like to run his own trucks — and he started taking mental notes about which were performing best. He noticed the Mack trucks “seemed to never have a problem. They were the most reliable day after day.”
Taking the leap
The first year, as he got his footing in the business world, he worked often as a paving contractor for his dad, but he also spent time approaching other companies and building a customer base. As he landed new jobs and the company’s word-of-mouth reputation grew, people called to hire his trucks. “There’s a lot to be said for being a service provider that shows up on time and looking good—and with a willingness to stay at the job site as long as needed,” Cox says. Soon business was booming, and in his second year, he bought another Granite dump truck and a 2019 Mack Pinnacle™ day cab tractor.
Much of the business involves bulky, heavy loads — recycled concrete, bluestone from the Hudson Valley — that put the equipment to the test. But Cox’s crew has also worked “some cool events.” In Manhattan, his Granites helped pave seven blocks of Broadway and a section of Fifth Avenue. The Pinnacle was part of the cleanup for the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This winter, when the construction business virtually shuts down in the Northeast, they’ll work in Brooklyn hauling snow.
Building blocks of success
Cox says his three drivers love running equipment they can count on. “The drivers have confidence in the Mack trucks’ ability to handle demanding loads on-road and off.” When they’re behind the wheel of the Pinnacle, they have the convenience of the mDRIVE™ automated transmission and the comfort of the spacious, redesigned day cab. They also have the assurance of Mack Over The Air, which does software and parameter updates in minutes to keep the truck running optimally without disrupting the ambitious schedule.
In addition to the equipment, what’s made the business successful, Cox says, is his commitment to the hustle and to a job well done. “I have a solid group of drivers. I visit prospects from Staten Island to the Bronx and all over Queens and Manhattan. And we wash our trucks every single day. I want customers to say, ‘Get Cox. They are on time. They are clean. They will stay late. They are legit.’”
Around the time Cox got his first truck, he also got a French bulldog puppy he named Achilles. He calls it a happy coincidence that he ended up with a fleet of Mack Bulldogs and a canine that is a fitting mascot for his operation. “Achilles goes to work with me every single day,” Cox says. “He’s sitting next to me right now.” The pup’s likeness appears on all the trucks.
As he plans the purchase of a fourth truck and the hiring of a fourth driver, he observes that “life keeps moving forward.” He intends to keep moving with it.
Cox Trucking Mack Truck Specs
2007 Granite dump truck with liftable pusher axle
425 hp Mack MP®8 engine
8-speed manual transmission (with low and low-low gear)
2016 Granite dump truck with liftable pusher axle
425 hp MP8 engine
8-speed manual transmission (with low and low-low gear)
2019 Pinnacle day cab tractor
505 hp Mack MP8 engine
12-speed mDRIVE automated manual transmission
“The drivers have confidence in the Mack® trucks’ ability to handle demanding loads on-road and off.”
Daniel Cox, president of Cox Trucking