Looking back at where the idea for trailers started- a one-person operation, a 4-month turnaround, a move from Florida to Texas- allows us to appreciate just how far we’ve come. The journey to 50,000th Texas Pride trailer has been just that: a journey. This trailer is more than a piece of heavy equipment, it demonstrates the humble beginnings of Texas Pride Trailers. In this installment, Jim looks back, celebrates the present, and offers a glimpse of where we go next.
“A bunch of trailers, a bunch people, and a bunch of good experiences along the way.” —Jim Bray, Owner & Founder
From a Buzz Box to 50,000 Builds
Jim Bray didn’t start Texas Pride with a business plan—he started with bills to pay and a buzz box welder from Home Depot. The first trailer he ever built was a 5′×10′ utility trailer. He still remembers the date he finished it: April 15, 1998.
Back then, it took him four months to build that first trailer. He taught himself how to weld, pieced it together on weekends, and hoped someone would buy it. They did—and then they wanted another. And another.
“I just never could make them fast enough,” Jim recalls. Demand kept growing, and so did the crew. The first hire was a friend’s brother-in-law. The rest, as they say, is history—full of characters, hard work, and a lot of welding wire.
From Florida to Madisonville
When it came time to expand, Jim knew Texas was the place. It wasn’t just that Texas is the trailer capital of the world—it was the proximity to major hubs like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, and the opportunity to build something from the ground up.
And that’s exactly what happened. What started as cow pasture off the highway in Madisonville became the new home of Texas Pride Trailers. Over time, it grew into a large-scale manufacturing operation with hundreds of employees, multiple buildings, and one unshakable commitment: to hand-build every trailer that rolls off the line.
The 50,000th Trailer
This milestone trailer isn’t just a number—it represents every weld, every handshake, and every customer who made it possible. As Jim puts it, “These guys are literally hand-building every single trailer. That’s unheard of.” “We promise the perfect trailer. It’s going to be perfect—no matter how much time or effort it takes.”, says Jim.
To mark the occasion, the 50,000th trailer is being given away—completely free—as a thank you to the folks who made Texas Pride what it is: our customers.
The Road Ahead
Where do we go from here? The mission hasn’t changed. Keep building. Keep improving. Keep pushing. And keep having fun. “Same mission as always—how much trouble can we get into every day?” Jim laughs. “That’s what’s fun.”
Here’s to 50,000 trailers—and to every hard-working person who helped us get here. From all of us at Texas Pride: thank you.
Let’s roll!
