Independent Truck Company

Independent Truck Company is a skateboard truck manufacturer based in Santa Cruz, California, United States (US). Established in 1978, the company is owned by NHS, Inc. and sponsors an extensive list of team riders. The trucks are manufactured in the city of San Francisco, US, by Ermico Enterprises, Inc., the only dedicated skateboard truck foundry in the US.

History

The company was co-founded by Richard Novak, Jay Shiurman, Fausto Vitello, and Eric Swenson and the Stage 1 model was the inaugural product, released on May 23, 1978 in Newark, California, US. The Independent truck (or "Indy") was designed as a response to the lack of quality skateboard trucks on the market at the time. In reference to the two other major truck companies on the market, Blackhart stated that one broke, and one didn’t turn (Bennett Trucks and Tracker Trucks, respectively).[1]

Hawk recruitment

In January 2013, a brief video part was released[2] to publicly announce that prominent professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, Tony Hawk, had joined the Independent Truck Company roster—Hawk was identified as the second most influential skateboarder of all time by Transworld Skateboarding magazine in December 2011.[3] The video was released on YouTube's RIDE Channel, one of Hawk's various enterprises,[4] and Hawk was previously sponsored by the Theeve truck company.[5]

The iconic logo for the trucks was based on the Iron Cross according to legendary skateboard illustrator Jim Phillips, who created the design. It has remained the Independent logo since the company's inception.

Jim Phillips says in his 2007 book "The Art of Jim Phillips":

"...I began toying with the iron, or Maltese cross which was long dead as the old 60s surfer's cross, and even longer dead as the biker's cross. I used a beam compass to make it into a round shape, which looked completely different than the old square iron crosses... I took my idea into the NHS office the next morning and it went on the wall as usual. Jay and Rich each stared at it for a while, and they both thought that it looked a little too "Nazi". My sketches were rejected and I was sent back to the drawing board. I went back to my studio determined to use it, knowing it was the one. I searched my archives and scrap file for some justification for using the symbol. I found a firefighter's logo, symbols on the knights and Columbus sails. Then in my scrap file, under the letter P, I found a Time magazine cover of Pope John Paul from the June 18,1979 edition. It was amazing; there was a cross on his vestments almost the way I designed mine. I marched into the office the next morning with the magazine to show what I thought was proof of acceptability. They both looked at each other and said, 'Well, if the Pope has it, it must be okay!' That was that, and the Independent cross was born."

[6]

Signature professional model trucks

As of 2012, four team riders have consistently released signature professional model trucks for the company: Andrew Reynolds, Eric Koston,[7] Chris Haslam,[8][9] and Geoff Rowley.[10] Christian Hosoi released a guest signature truck in the winter catalogue of the company's products.[11]

Team

[12]

References

  1. ↑ Denike, Bob. BUILT TO GRIND: 25 YEARS of hardcore skateboarding from the archives of INDEPENDENT TRUCK COMPANY. San Francisco: NHS, 2004. Print.
  2. ↑ RIDEChannel (14 January 2013). "Tony Hawk's 2013 Welcome To Indy Video Part" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Blair Alley (30 December 2011). "THE 30 MOST INFLUENTIAL SKATERS OF ALL TIME – 2. Hawk". Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  4. ↑ RIDEChannel (15 January 2012). "Tony Hawk Welcomes you to Ride Channel" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Blair Alley (27 November 2009). "TONY HAWK ON THEEVE TRUCKS". Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  6. ↑ Skateboard Art of Jim Phillips, 2007, published by Schiffer
  7. ↑ APPLECRUNCH199abd (7 October 2012). "Eric Koston Independent trucks review." (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Don Nyugen (2012). "5&5 With Chris Haslam" (Video upload). Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  9. ↑ IndependentTrucks (19 March 2010). "CHRIS HASLAM - NEW PRO V SERIES by INDEPENDENT TRUCKS" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  10. ↑ IndependentTrucks (2 November 2007). "New Independent Geoff Rowley Stage 9 Trucks out now!" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  11. 1 2 Aaron Smith (7 September 2012). "INDEPENDENT TRUCKS BEHIND THE AD WITH CHRISTIAN HOSOI". Skateboarder magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  12. ↑ IndependentTrucks (21 August 2006). "Eric Koston - New Independent Stage 9 Low" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Strange Notes (August 2012). "On The Spot With Greg Lutzka". Strange Notes. Strange Notes. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  14. ↑ IndependentTrucks (19 May 2010). "CHRIS HASLAM - NEW PRO V SERIES by INDEPENDENT TRUCKS". YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  15. ↑ Sidewalk (May 2012). "New Independent Trucks advert with Andrew Reynolds.". Sidewalk. MPORA ACTION SPORTS NETWORK. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Team - Lizard King". Supra Footwear. One Distribution. 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  17. ↑ Dustin Dollin (August 2012). "6 Pack: Braydon Szafranski" (Video upload). Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  18. ↑ Don Nyugen (2012). "6 Pack: Figgy" (Video upload). Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  19. ↑ IndependentTrucks (9 September 2011). "6 Pack with David Gravette" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  20. ↑ IndependentTrucks (14 July 2011). "David Gonzalez Rides Independent" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 kdub (19 February 2010). "Fresh team pick ups". Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  22. ↑ IndependentTrucks (2 October 2012). "5&5 with Navs" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 rhino (12 January 2013). "Agenda Trade Show weekend" (Photo upload). Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  24. ↑ "Riders". Strange Notes. Strange Notes. August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  25. ↑ "5&5 with Ben Raemers" (Video upload). Strange Notes on YouTube. Google Inc. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
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