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WEST VALLEY CITY — When we get into our later years, most of us surely hope to be comfortably retired.
Gene England isn’t most of us, and retirement isn’t in his vocabulary. He recently turned 95 and still comes to work every day.
“It's been a blessing to me,” he said. "I just enjoy getting up and coming to work.”
Gene England is the president emeritus of C.R. England Trucking, the company founded by his father in 1920. Back then, the company, located in the Cache Valley, only had a few small trucks. So when England was in the Army, serving in Japan during World War II, he started saving money so he could help his dad expand the business when he returned. As a non-smoker, he sold off his cigarette rations.
“They were pretty generous with those cigarettes overseas,” England said. “And the people over there were always looking for cigarettes.”
He came home with $5,000, enough to buy the company’s first big rig, a used Kenworth.
Fast forward to today. The company has close to 5,000 trucks. C.R. England is now one of the largest transportation companies in the world. The family-owned business, headquartered in West Valley City, is still very much in the family. England's sons and grandsons will continue to drive C.R. England long into the future.
England drove a lot of miles over the years — several million for sure. And he drove through probably every state several times, except Hawaii, he said.
Needless to say, England always loved being the road. So much so that he was still making runs in the big trucks at the age of 90.
“My sons thought I should be off the highway at 90. And I said, 'You know, my CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) is good for another 2 1/2 years, and I want to run it out,'” he laughed.
I just enjoy getting up and coming to work.
–Gene England
But he did park the truck for good. Instead of retiring, though, he and his brother started a leasing company, leasing trucks to drivers around the country.
A few weeks ago, England celebrated his 95th birthday and came to work that day. Working, he said, keeps him young.
“We need to be doing productive things. Achieving. It’s important, I think, to be able to stay active, mentally and physically," he said.
England has been going to the office for 67 years and counting. He said as long as the good Lord allows it, retirement is not in the cards anytime soon.
