COVER FEATURE - OCTOBER 2003
Sometimes pride can be a bad thing. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “conceit” and “haughty behavior” and another well-written book says “pride always comes before the fall”. But those definitions are only true if pride is unjustifiable – which is not true in this case. D Jeffrey England left the comfortable fold of his secure and successful family business to create something he could call his own – and be justifiably proud of it. The result is Pride Transport. And to celebrate that pride, he and his team built what we call the “Pride of Pride” – a custom Peterbilt show truck which is a rolling example of Jeff’s deep passion for trucks.
Pride Transport is a family-owned refrigerated and dry van carrier based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pride operates in 48 states and Canada, with an emphasis on the West and Midwest regions. With a fleet of 220 power units and 300 trailers, Pride is “Large enough to meet the customer’s needs, but small enough to still give individual attention and care.” They are currently undergoing a major fleet upgrade by replacing 42 older Volvo VN770s with new VN670s, and aging Freightliners and Peterbilts with 100 new Freightliner Century Class tractors. The Pride rigs are known for their slate gray and black paint and are always meticulously maintained and clean – but none as much as Unit #9990 – the fleet’s flagship on our cover this month.
It all started with an engine. Being a member of the Cummins Customer Council, Jeff had the opportunity to field test one of the first Cummins Signature 600 engines ever built, and when the three-year test was finished (and Cummins had completed their inspections), the engine was given to Jeff. It sat in his shop for awhile until he decided he might as well use it. Jeff ordered a 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 63" flat top sleeper in February of 2002 as a glider kit – that is, it was complete except for the engine and transmission. The Signature 600 engine, along with an Eaton high-torque 13-speed transmission, was put into the truck. From there, the fun really began. Fueled by Jeff’s excitement, he and a team of five others from Pride Transport (his son Jay, shop foreman Sean Webb, recruiter Ken Hammerschmidt, dispatcher Dave Baker, and a young helper named Neil Winget) spent the next six months getting the truck ready for its debut at the annual Great Salt Lake Truck Show – a benefit for the National Kidney Foundation of Utah which Jeff co-founded 14 years ago. They “finished” the truck in time for the show (barely) but you know how these things go - the guys talked about naming the truck “Never Done” for obvious reasons.
Looking to achieve that long and low look, the first major project to be tackled was stretching the hood an additional twelve inches. After searching a bit, Jeff found a shop called Kendo, Inc. in Commerce City, Colorado, that was willing to take on the challenge. After much work, the first set of hood panels were prepared and sent back to Pride. But these pieces didn’t fit right so another set had to be made. The second set was right, so now the painstaking job of reassembling the truck began. To accommodate the longer hood, the truck was ordered with a longer (280") wheelbase. The cab, cowl, sleeper and tanks all had to be moved back twelve inches. Then, each rivet on the new hood had to be hand-drilled and aligned perfectly to match the existing holes in the rest of the pieces – not an easy task! After the hood was finished, Jeff had a local sheet metal shop called Image West fabricate the running boards, the side panels below the cab, and the extra long side hood panels. Made from 1/8" sheets of aluminum, the running boards were attached to the frame with custom-made “L” brackets. A mock radius was added to the outside edge to make the running boards appear thicker. The end result is a totally unique rig with perfect “lines” down the sides.
After the major fabrication and painting was finished, it was time to start dressing up the truck’s exterior. A two-inch lip was added to the inside radius of the front fenders to help give it that lower (and classic) look. Opting to be a little different, Jeff decided to paint the tanks, tool boxes and deck plates black, instead of using polished stainless. Although painted deck plates aren’t very functional (you really don’t want to be standing on them), they do look good. The truck was ordered without cab lights, so a custom visor (also painted black) was built and fitted with six lights. To help get in and out of the cab, stainless steel steps, tied into the frame, were constructed and attached. These steps are not only functional but very nice looking – the guys did their best to make them as subtle as possible so as not to intrude on the truck’s clean lines. The truck was also covered, tastefully, with LED lights and neons. Purple neon glows from underneath the truck and from behind the front bumper through a screened cut-out, made by Valley Chrome Plating in Fresno, CA. Double JJ blinker bars and headlight brackets (holding classic 359 double headlights) were also installed. The finishing touch to the rig’s exterior were purple, pink and orange “ghost flames” added to the front fenders, the lower side panels, the rear full fenders, and the deck plating by local painter Dave Jewkes. Corporate Image provided all of the vinyl graphics.
That now-famous engine that started it all began as a typical red Cummins Signature 600, but after the first few shows, it was evident that it didn’t quite match the black and gray color scheme of the rest of the truck. So, earlier this year, they pulled the motor and painted it black. Adorned with many chrome and purple painted components, this engine is awesome. A computer chip change upped the engine’s horsepower to 700 with 2,250 ft. lbs. of torque. Panels on the side of the engine that cover electronics and other “messy” stuff were sent out and covered with carbon fiber. This engine is truly a work of art and worthy of being under the hood of this trick truck.
The truck’s interior is still a work in progress – but already far from stock. Featuring an American Class interior, the stock air-ride seats were recovered in gray leather and extensive carbon-fiber panels were added throughout, including all of the dash panels, steering wheel, shift tower floor plate, arm rests and upper door panels. A polished aluminum tube was specially-made and slipped over the shifter to hide the air lines. Conrad’s Custom Upholstery in Salt Lake City made and installed light blue carpet with dark blue flames on the floor of the cab, and covered the lower portion of the door panels in gray material with dark blue flames stitched into them. Back in the somewhat stock sleeper, Jeff installed a 13-inch fold-down monitor and an X Box video game system for his kids and grandchildren to play with.
When it works (and it does work), this incredible truck pulls an equally incredible, matching, 2001 Utility spread axle stainless reefer trailer. Featuring extensive amounts of custom-fabricated stainless, matching black half-fenders at all tire positions, polished landing gear, a polished fuel tank that hangs back near the rear axles, polished rear door hinges, and plenty of LEDs, this trailer is super sharp. To clean it up even more, all of the reefer unit’s plumbing lines, drains and electrical were rerouted and hidden within the trailer’s front wall. Although it was built to be a show truck, this combination works enough to justify its existence in the Pride fleet, already logging over 50,000 miles over an eight month period between October 2002 and May 2003 (it was then pulled out of service to prepare for the 2003 show season).
If you haven’t figured it out already, Jeff is a grandson of Chester Rodney England, the founder of C.R. England Trucking. Chester was born in Plain City, Utah in 1896 and formed the company back in 1920. C.R. was a true pioneer of the trucking industry. Years later, Chester’s sons Gene (Jeff’s dad) and Bill took over the company. Today, the company, with around 2,500 trucks, is run by four of Jeff’s brothers, but his 83-year-old father (Gene) still likes to climb into a truck, from time to time, and hit the road. Just as soon as he was old enough, Jeff went to work with his father and spent twenty years at England.
In 1976, Jeff got the urge to buy his own truck. He convinced his dad that it was a good idea and bought a 1976 Kenworth, which he fixed up rather nicely. The following year, he convinced his dad to let him buy a second Kenworth (this 1977 KW was nice enough to grace the cover of American Trucker at one time). Again, the next year (1978), he bought a third truck. All of these trucks ran as a sub-division of England which Jeff called “The Pride of England”. Later, Jeff decided to leave the comfortable fold of the family business and venture out on his own. His father didn’t take him seriously at first, but always supported him. There was never any animosity or bad blood – it was just something that Jeff felt he had to do.
Taking advantage of an investment tax credit that was in effect at the time, Jeff got a handful of investors to help him buy seven more trucks by the end of 1978. Jeff ran those ten trucks for a couple of years, still under “The Pride of England” name and still hauling mostly for England. When customers began getting confused, Jeff decided to shorten the name to just Pride and began seeking out his own customers and loads. Eventually, one by one, he pulled those ten trucks from England until they were completely independent from his dad’s company, hauling Pride’s customer’s freight exclusively.
Jeff and his family were born and raised in the tiny town of Plain City, Utah, just west of Ogden. Oddly enough, many other now-famous trucking professionals came from there too. Jeff was friends with Jerry Moyes and the Knight family in Plain City, where they all grew up together. If those names don’t ring a bell, Jerry Moyes went on to form Swift Transportation (among many other things) in 1965. Today, with over 16,000 trucks, Swift is one of the nation’s largest carriers. Jerry hired the Knight Brothers (actually two sets of brothers) who later broke from Swift and formed Knight Transportation in 1990. Today, Randy, Keith, Gary and Kevin Knight have over 2,000 trucks in their fleet. Collectively, England, Pride, Swift and Knight account for about 21,000 trucks on the road today – and they are all managed and owned by folks from the sleepy little town of Plain City – there must have been something in the water!
Jeff and his wife Pat have been married for 35 years and have six children (five girls and one boy) and several grandkids. Most of their children are active in the family business. Their oldest daughter Marnie is married with four children. Marnie helps out by inputting the drivers’ logs into the computer from home, while raising her young family. Their daughter Jodie works as the company receptionist and son Jay, who’s married with three children, is Pride’s Director of Operations. Lindsey works part time in the office but spends a lot of time in school. Sunne (pronounced Sunny) does all of the company’s billing and collections (Jeff is afraid he may lose her to the medical field soon and fears it will take two people to replace her). Last but not least, Kaci, who just recently got married, also works in the office. Jeff’s wife Pat handles all of the fuel purchasing and deals with the truck stops and Pride’s fuel accounts. Pat, they realized later, grew up living next door to a C.R. England truck driver. For many years, there was always an England truck parked in front of her house. Who knew she would one day marry into the name and raise a clan of England’s of her own (see photo). With so much help, Jeff often wonders what his job is.
When he isn’t working, Jeff enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, building hot rods and boating. He and his son Jay have been building a beautiful 1969 Chevy Camaro with a hopped-up 454 for over five years. They both hope that, someday, they will get all of the “bugs” out and get it finished. Jeff is also putting the finishing touches on a neat 1955 Chevy, complete with a modern suspension from a Corvette. Visiting local lakes and trekking down to Lake Powell with their 28’ Eliminator ski boat are some of their favorite family vacations. This boat, like most of his toys, is fast and powerful – sporting a blown 502 motor and a flashy paint job. The trucking industry has been very good to Jeff and his family and he is proud of all his accomplishments.
But nothing makes Jeff prouder than being involved in his annual charity truck show. For 14 years, the Great Salt Lake Truck Show has been held as a benefit for the National Kidney Foundation of Utah. Jeff co-founded the event with a trucker named Leonard whose son had undergone several kidney transplants. Each year, the show helps pay for dialysis and transplant patients and their family members to attend a special weekend among the pines at Aspen Grove Family Camp at the base of spectacular Mount Timpanogos. This fun-filled weekend, called Kidney Kamp, allows the children to forget about hospitals and enjoy the great outdoors. Jeff is pleased to be affiliated with the Kidney Foundation and proudly serves as one of its Board Member.
Jeff England is an amazing giver – we learned that by spending the day with him and watching him in action. He was gracious (and humble) enough to get into his truck, while it was still dark outside, the morning after his big truck show ended, by himself, and drive 100 miles out to the Bonneville Salt Flats, so that we could take pictures of his truck. Not many CEO’s of a multi-million dollar company would do that. Then, later that afternoon on the way back to town, he stopped to offer assistance to a woman that had a tire blow out on the highway. He didn’t even think twice – he saw her on the side of the road and just stopped automatically. Ah, remember the good old days when truckers actually cared about other drivers? Apparently, Jeff does.
Jeff’s goal in life isn’t to be the largest company around, but he does want to build a strong business that he can pass on to his children. He’d also like to be thought of as a “good guy” by those who meet him and know him. We don’t think either of these goals will be too hard for Jeff to accomplish. Pride, when justified, can be a powerful force to be reckoned with. Truth is, the real “Pride of Pride” isn’t Jeff’s awesome Peterbilt at all – it is Mr. Jeff England himself.