“Everything we do in life uses fuel, and if we’d all just think before we throw stuff out the window, we’d save more money.”
– Landstar owner-operator Ken England
Ken England’s green thumb may not have developed without the help of his son and CMT’s Trick My Truck.
England’s son Matthew wrote into the series about the endless efforts his father put into supporting his family, asking them to make over his father’s truck as a gift of appreciation. “It was a shock because I’ve always been the one to work for things. I’ve never had anything given to me,” says England, an owner-operator from Inkom, Idaho, leased to Landstar. The Chrome Shop Mafia turned England’s plain-Jane 1997 Kenworth T2000 into a 1950s dream diner – much like one he and his wife Denise owned but were forced to sell when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
Trick My Truck installed a few “green” features on England’s truck that have helped him save both time and money. England now cruises the road on Michelin X One wide singles and aluminum wheels. England says he’s used these tires for a year and a half and has gained between a mile and a mile and a half per gallon in fuel mileage.
“I’ve seen the biggest difference in my truck since using the aluminum wheels,” England says. “Though a steel wheel is stronger than aluminum, aluminum wheels are less heavy and make a difference on fuel costs.”
After appearing on CMT, England joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The partnership has helped England implement more money-saving, environmental-minded ideas. “I’ve found better ways to find and purchase biodiesel – ways I wasn’t aware of until I merged with SmartWay,” he says.
England uses bio
