(Rockway Oil Truck Circa 1950's)

History of Rockway

Rockway Fuel Oil Corporation is more than just a family owned and operated business – it’s a compelling success story about a determined newlywed soldier who needed to provide for his family.

After returning home from serving in World War II, and getting married, John Rutigliano used cash he received as a wedding gift to invest in his first oil truck.

John was a born entrepreneur, and no stranger to hard work. Before the war, he delivered ice and coal to buildings across Manhattan. Long before skyscrapers and electric elevators were everywhere, he trudged up five and six story walk-ups, saddled with bags of coal or blocks of ice. That takes a special kind of commitment and dedication.

But it paid off. Because when John started his oil delivery business, he already had some connections. In the early days, he’d go door to door, introducing himself as a boiler mechanic.

“I’m John Rutigliano, and I’d like to earn your business,” he’d say, shaking each new customer’s hand.

John never spent a dime on advertising—because he didn’t need to. His customers loved and relied on him, and were more than happy to recommend his services.

In 1966, after twenty-years of working out of his modest Jackson Heights home, John finally had enough capital to expand his oil truck fleet, and purchase not just one, but three commercial garages. That’s when Rockway Fuel Oil Corp. found its permanent, present day home at 729 East 140th St. in the Bronx.

John worked tirelessly until his death in 1999, when he passed the torch on to Dominick and Lawrence, who continue to honor their father’s legacy by treating every client like family—because that’s the Rutigliano way.