“I like to say there was diesel in the water, and we were conceived in a sleeper cab,” is how Jerry Moyes explains how three of the nation’s top 100 trucking companies were birthed in Plain City, Utah. There are only 3,500 people who live in this small agricultural town, but 25,000+ trucks on the highways from the companies that started here. I drove to Plain City recently to try to find out how one small town could nurture such an entrepreneurial focus.
The original trucker was Chester Rodney England who started out delivering farm produce in a Model-T. His sons, Bill & Gene, returned from WWII and with one used diesel truck started C. R. England. Carl Moyes drove for the Englands. His son Jerry started driving with his dad at age 14 and founded Swift Transportation in 1966. Kevin and Keith Knight and their cousins Randy and Gary Knight worked for Swift for over a decade, before they split off to start Knight Transportation. Gene England’s son, Jeff England, started Pride Transport in 1979. Jerry Moyes said, “I remember playing with toy trucks in the sandbox with Jeff.”
Driving into Plain City you would never guess that four major trucking companies, 3 in the top 100 (England, Swift and Knight), all started out in Plain City. It is a typical farming town. There are pickups parked on the street, stacked hay is visible from the town center and city hall was manned by one secretary. Someone from a big city might consider it sleepy. For me, it was tranquil.
In looking thru a history book on Plain City at city hall I found a picture of George Moyes, Jerry’s uncle, driving a milk truck. There are a lot of dairies and small farms around Plain City. As I continued my search, I recalled Juvenile Judge Steve Seymour telling me several years ago, “You know Jack, I’ve never had a dairy farmer’s kid in my court. They learn at a very early age the importance of hard work and how you have to take care of everything.” I’m sure that same work ethic was instilled in the Englands, Swifts and Knights at an early age and is why Plain City is the birthplace of so many national trucking companies.
My only disappointment is that all of the four companies are headquartered in other locations. England and Pride are in Salt Lake City. Swift and Knight in Phoenix.
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2 comments:
This is a very well researched blog...I drive for Pride Transport and have driven for CR England in the past. I can't say I've ever had any personal experiences with Dan or Dean England who run things over at CRE, but Jeff England strives on that sort of interaction and he is by far a very smart and motivated person. Unfortunately, I doubt that Plain City (much like the situation Brigham City faced in the proceeding article) had or has the infrastructure to support such massive companies like England, Swift, or Knight. However, England, Knight, Pride and Swift's once refrigerated affiliate Central Refrigerated, are all sandwiched within a mile from each-other in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake. Might be an interesting trip? Anyhow, very well written and enjoyable blog. Thanks.
KJB
Thanks for your comments. I've met Dan England in the past and found him to be a very solid, honest businessman. It continues to amaze me how so much talent can come out of such small aea as Plain City.
I was just in Springfield, MO earlier this week where I believe Pride is headquartered. I'll be blogging on one of their favorite citizens next week.
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