Arizona Trucking & Materials

Out near the Tucson airport you’ll find a landscape materials company called Arizona Trucking & Materials. It was started in 2001 and has the slogan “Direct From The Mines To You”. It’s family owned and prides itself on having “the best pricing in town” for organic materials, decorative rock, sand’s, and flagstone.

At the intersection of S. Alvernon Way and E. Ajo Way you can’t miss their iconic red truck with a large boulder in the back. The entrance is off S. Alvernon Way and is marked by their company name mounted to a steel fence and rock wall.

When I walked through the front door I was immediately greeted by a nice gentleman who was more than willing to help me with all my questions. I wanted to take a look at some gravel materials (the correct term is “decorative rock”) for a home landscape project. He pointed me to their outside display area and asked if I’d like some small plastic bags – to take as many free samples as I needed. I jumped at the chance. Once I’d finished, I went back inside the office and he offered to mark the bags and give me the prices of the three different samples (in this example the material is priced/ton). I told him that I didn’t know which material my wife and I would decide on, nor did I know how much we’d ultimately need. He said, “no problem, just give me a call when you both figure out which decorative rock is right for you, provide me some  length and width measurements of the area you want to cover, and how thick a layer you want … and I’ll calculate the amount of material required and the corresponding price”.

I told him that we needed to have it delivered, and he said that he’d also provide us a separate line-item cost for the delivery charge. FYI, the cost to deliver is typically based on how much of the material you order and the zip code you want the material delivered to. They also have  a tiered delivery pricing schedule – the more you buy, the less the delivery charge. There are some weight restrictions, but they’ll let you know that up front. If you’re a DIYer and want to forgo a delivery fee, they’ll load your pickup truck or landscape trailer at no extra charge. As an aside, don’t plan on buying small amounts of material (like a 5 gallon bucket’s worth or a sand bag size), as the operation is not set up to do this.

They have a full color, nicely designed “pricing guide” (yours for the taking at the office counter). Unless otherwise noted in the guide, or on their website, the product price is based on the cost/ton.

When looking for materials they have a great selection. Everything from decorative rock, organic materials (wood chips, fine mulch, organic compost, planting mix, and topsoil), fill & sands, rip rap, salt river rock, boulders, and flagstone. They also carry landscape fabric, a fire pit kit, a flagstone bench and Gecko pavers.

I felt right at home the moment I walked through their front door. They took good care of me, and I know they’ll do the same for you.