'Cheap Hauling' trucks face scrutiny from some neighbors CONSTANT CONCERNED WITH COMMUNITY'S IMAGE Thursday, January 3, 2008 By Stephen Baxter Pickup trucks with yellow signs advertising "Cheap Hauling" have been parked near some of San Jose's busiest intersections in the last few months, and residents in several neighborhoods are asking city officials to have them hauled away. Some neighbors say the wooden signs are tacky and potentially dangerous because drivers and pedestrians can't see around them, but the company's owner says its trucks are legally parked and hundreds of its customers appreciate the service. City code enforcement officials and the offices of city councilmen Pierluigi Oliverio and Pete Constant have received several dozen complaints about the trucks since the summer. Many of the trucks are older, white Ford F-250s with yellow "Cheap Hauling" signs fastened to the truck bed with the company's phone number. The trucks are often parked on Saratoga, Bascom and Meridian avenues. On Dec. 7, a white Ford F-250 with Cheap Hauling signs was parked on the corner of Saratoga and Payne avenues with a discarded blue camper shell in its bed. San Jose law prohibits parking on city streets for more than 72 hours, and Constant said he encourages residents who see cars parked for longer to call city authorities. "I'm very concerned that the company is doing business without regard to the image and appearance of our community," Constant said. Some residents said the signs cheapen their neighborhood, and some neighborhood associations have taken up the issue. Jerry Toste is the president and founder of Scotts Valley-based Jerry Toste Inc. that operates the Cheap Hauling trucks. Toste, who is 21, started the business about 18 months ago with $800 and a 1986 Ford truck. He now has 48 trucks, eight to 15 employees and $750,000 in projected annual revenues. "We do thousands of jobs a month, and for every 20 or 30 great clients, there's always one or two that's bitching," he said. "Ninety percent of the people love us." Toste said the trucks are parked near employees' and clients' homes and on busy corners in San Jose for advertising purposes. He added that the trucks are moved every day. "We do everything 100 percent legal," he said. Toste said the company's business plan relies on rates that are 10 percent to 30 percent cheaper than competitors such as 1-800-Got Junk. The rates vary by items to be hauled, and Toste said his haulers recycle items and take them to landfills. If a vehicle less than 10,000 pounds is parked for more than 72 hours, city code enforcement officials can put a red tag on its windshield with an order to move it. There are 35 full time code enforcement officials in San Jose. In District 6, some residents were irked in November when they saw Cheap Hauling trucks parked near the corner of Hamilton and Pine avenues and on Meridian Avenue. One truck with the 3 1/2-foot wooden signs that was parked on Meridian blocked some drivers' views, said Denelle Fedor, Oliverio's director of public policy. "Sometimes the trucks are parked so you can't see around the corner," she said. The lack of visibility makes it dangerous for drivers pulling out of an intersection. Oliverio's office is asking the city attorney's office what can be done about the trucks. Toste said San Jose residents may see more of the trucks in the Bay Area, with his hauling business expanding to San Francisco. He also has plans to expand his Cheap Tree Service from Santa Cruz to the San Jose area. "We will have cheaper prices than the competition and cheap advertising," Toste said. "I plan on building the Cheap brand."