Elmer Buchta History

Sixty years ago a young man borrowed his father’s farm truck and began a business hauling livestock and farm equipment to and from the farm. That young man was Elmer Buchta Sr.

During World War II, he began to haul ammunition with his truck.

Then after the war he got his big break; he began working for Horace McGrady, of Petersburg, and learned the trade of moving houses.

Buchta’s son Elmer Buchta Jr. said that was how his father basically got started on the road to a thriving business.

Today Elmer Buchta Trucking Inc. is one of the largest and most successful family-owned trucking companies in Indiana with divisions hauling coal, general commodities and heavy machinery.

Elmer Buchta Jr. attributes the success of the company to the work ethic and philosophy established by his father long ago.

"People today would say he was from the old school," Buchta Jr said.

"If he told you was going to something, he did it," Buchta Jr said. "His word was his bond. You could take his word to the bank. He did what he said he would do."

I think the one biggest factor that made him stand out from other men was his word," Buchta Jr said. "I saw him do it time after time. He stood by his word," he said.

"It was the dependability factor that he established which has made us successful and kept the business growing," Buchta Jr added.

"My father was very business minded," he said. "Different people would come to him if they needed help and he always willing to lend a helping hand."

Buchta Jr explained the company has just recently finished renovation of the original office building built by Buchta Sr in Otwell in 1948.

"Back then the business was named Elmer Buchta and Sons," he said.

Originally this building housed the trucking company, the mechanic shop, the post office and upstairs were apartments where we lived," he said.

Buchta Jr. said half the building was destroyed in a 1953 fire and had to be rebuilt.

Elmer Buchta Jr said he grew up in the business. By the age of 13 he was helping the family move houses.

After graduating from high school, he went to Purdue University. He said he then began working for Bristol-Myers.

"I came back in 1977 and this is my 20th year back in the family business," Elmer Buchta Jr said.

He explained when he came back the company was still mainly in the business of moving houses but had also acquired 20 coal trucks.

Buchta Trucking was about to experience a major boost in business because the coal industry was hitting a boom period.

"We were in the right place at the right time," Buchta Jr said. "We were right square in the middle of the power plants and the coal companies, it was a good location."

"From 1977 we have had steady growth." Buchta Jr explained.

By 1984, Elmer Buchta Trucking Company’s Buchta Moving Engineers Division had moved more than 11,000 buildings.

Buchta Jr said one of the most interesting projects occurred in 1964 when his father was hired to move half a town.

"When they put in Barkley Lake, he was hired to move half of Kuttawa Kentucky, including a huge church." he said. "It’s a good thing they moved it because that side of Main St became part of the beach."

Three years ago the house moving division was shut down but the company has continued to thrive and prosper.

"In 1987, we added a sister company called Regent Trucking which hauled general commodities nationwide and had 80 trucks," he said.

"We’ve continued to grow and in probably the last five years we have almost doubled in size," he said. "Today we have 400 trucks."

In 1995, Elmer Buchta Trucking boosted its fleet of trucks by 100 trucks with the acquisition of Rose Brothers Trucking.

"We try to operate the business like he would." Buchta Jr said.

He said despite the trucking company being one of the largest in Indiana, it still functions as a family business.

"I can remember mom and dad would have a Christmas Party for the employees and their families every year in the basement of their house."

Mary Alice Ashby, Buchta Jr’s sister and co-owner of the business, said she also remembers the parties vividly.

"It was a tradition," Ashby said. "My mother Myrtle would have a present wrapped for each of the employees and their kids."

Ashby and Buchta Jr both said the entire family has been involved in the growing business.

"My husband Buck has been with the company for 41 years," Ashby said.

"Buck’s the Operations Manager of the Heavy Machinery Division," Buchta Jr said.

"Mom used to make sandwiches and bring them to the drivers at lunch time," Buchta Jr said.

"I can remember helping mom do the flagging when we would move houses," Ashby said. "We used to make the flags ourselves at the house."

He said his sister, Billy Abbott, worked for the company for several years before she died.

"This is a family business," he said. "At one time or another all of the family has worked here including my step-brother Jim Brace and step-sister Jo Kabrick".

Buchta Jr said he and the other family members have kept several of the traditions Elmer Buchta Sr started.

"We still have a Christmas Party every year and in the summer we have a party where we take the employees and their families to Holiday World", he explained.

In 1979, Elmer Buchta Jr became the president of the company while Buchta Sr became the president of the board of directors.

Buchta Jr said his father died on January 5, 1991. Six months later his wife Myrtle died.

Since Buchta Sr’s death the company has grown by leaps and bounds but Buchta Jr said he and the other family members have tried to honor his father by continuing to maintain the tradition of being dependable and keeping his word.

"We are still growing," Buchta Jr said. "We will be adding at least 20 more trucks this year. Right now we are still needing more trucks and drivers."