Our History
Valley Farm Transport, otherwise known as VFT, began with a small town boy’s love of trucks. In 1963, after many years of driving trucks and hauling gravel for Hess Mace, Robert “Bob” Nickum started VFT and bought his first truck. The company started out hauling mostly grain products, then in the mid-1970’s added tomatoes. At that time, now with 25 trucks, Bob purchased land near Pedrick Road in Dixon that became, and still is, the company’s headquarters. In 1980 the company began hauling sugar beets, which became a large portion of the business for several years. In 1988, the company expanded to the north, by acquiring a business and property in Yuba City while moving into rice, almonds and walnuts. The late 90’s and early 2000’s brought new year-round hauling opportunities in dry rice and spring water.
In a 15 year period beginning in 2005, acquisitions of Bernie Gorman, ABT, Sagara, RVT and VA Farms expanded our trailer inventory, customers, and subhauler base. As CARB initiatives were launched in California, we led the market with a sustainability program and the registered trademark, Rolling Green. In addition to clean trucks, VFT is running 100% Bio-Diesel.The Dixon location doubled in size in 2011 by acquisition of an adjacent property that provided increased space for maintenance work and equipment storage.
In 2013, the company moved its northern operations from Yuba City to Arbuckle, which also has a dispatch office and maintenance shop. In 2016, a yard, shop & office in Bakersfield was added, and in 2017 VFT’s fourth facility was added with a yard, office & shop in Stockton. Just prior to our 2019 harvest season, we added a yard in Firebaugh, bridging a gap between Stockton and Bakersfield. In 2022, VFT added a location in Orland bringing the terminal count to six across CA. As a result of this steady growth, the company now houses over 250 trucks, over 2100 trailers, and operates throughout California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona, and also beyond those state lines to meet customer needs.
Family leadership in the business is significant. Unfortunately, Robert passed away in 2009, but in the late 1980’s, his son David joined the management team. David has expertly guided the company through a substantial growth period and the difficult transition to CARB compliance. Robert’s son, Matt, is the facility manager at Stockton. In addition, two other family members have joined the management ranks. Dylan Pretti is the Bakersfield facility manager, and Jordan Owensby manages the Arbuckle and Orland yards.
The company remains family-owned and managed; poised for new opportunities. We are proud to be a family business!
VFT THROUGH THE YEARS
Hover and scroll for a journey through our history.
MEET THE TEAM
Valley Farm Transport has an outstanding reputation that hinges on the quality of our employees. We pride ourselves on our family-oriented culture, work ethic, and individual skill sets. We dedicate much of our success to our employees, some of whom have been with us for as many as 40 years. This company stands apart from competitors through our professionalism, integrity and excellent service, and our employees are at the heart of those values.
