10-4 Magazine March 2023

12 10-4 Magazine / March 2023 As many can remember, those recession years between 2007 and 2009 were tough, and many companies did not star t seeing recovery until 2012 or later, if they even managed to survive. During this time, Felix Maggini passed away, and his five trucks, that were par t of the Maggini fleet, were sold. When it was all said and done, the Maggini fleet had trimmed their operation down to just seven trucks. After getting through the recession, they began to focus more on heavy hauling. Today, the fleet of company-owned trucks has been built back up to 13 – six are hauling hay, six are doing heavy haul, and one pulls a walking floor trailer and services some local dairies. Mike runs the heavy haul side, and Melvin takes care of the hay. And the four th generation is now involved, too. Mike and his wife Jodi both grew up in Riverdale and met in high school. They got married in 1996 and now have two children – Mikayla (25) and Mitchel (22). Mikayla is a dental assistant, and Mitchel drives for the family company, which now operates as Maggini & Son Trucking and Mike Maggini Hay Service. Back in 2003 when we first shot Mike’s truck – a 1998 Peterbilt 379 with a turned-up 550 CAT hooked to a Super-13 transmission and a 3.70 ratio rear end – the exterior of the truck looked similar to what you see today. In fact, besides flames being added to the roof of the cab, the paint is still the same from when it was first done in 1998 when the truck was new. The candy green flames were sprayed by their longtime painter, Dale Lysdahl, who was killed in a motorcycle accident not long after our photo shoot in 2003. Back then, the truck had LEDs with clear lenses, a painted engine, 7-inch pipes, a rear window that rolls up and down, and single round headlights, which were mounted lower. After being on our cover, Mike and the rest of their crew continued to customize truck #13 for the next few years. Most of what you see