When their son, Grant Palmer, joined T. Palmer Septic Service of New Fairfield, Connecticut in 2018, the emphasis of the company began to evolve toward pumping. Company owners Todd and Sara Palmer bought a used 2008 Kenworth T300 pump truck for their son to drive that same year.
“Eventually, we were putting so much money into the truck that we realized we had to buy something more reliable,” Sara says. “We told Grant that if he was making plans to stay with us for the foreseeable future, we would buy a brand new truck instead of another used one and that he could add whatever features he wanted. Grant agreed he wanted to stay, so he and Todd decided on the specs and put the whole truck together.”
The family chose a 2025 Kenworth T880 with a 4,250-gallon aluminum tank, NVE 4310 blower, and heated valves, built out by Imperial Industries.
“I wanted an automatic transmission, but we ended up putting in the 18-speed transmission that Grant wanted,” Todd says. “We got the biggest Cummins engine that could fit into the truck, which was 565 horsepower. We put all-aluminum wheels on it, and it’s got an air-ride cab. The displays are lit up, and we got all the windows tinted as well as a drop visor.”
However, a trip to the 2024 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show inspired a change in the new truck’s color.
“We were going to paint it gunmetal grey, but we saw a Kenworth at the show and changed our minds,” Todd says. “The color of the paint we saw was amber, and we had already named the truck after the aunt who raised me — the name ‘Amber Rose’ appears on the hood.”
After a seven-month build, the Palmers received a call from Imperial’s Jim Stieber that the truck was ready. Todd asked his wife to order a pair of airline tickets for Wisconsin, so they could take a tour of the assembly plant and then drive the truck back.
“We get in the truck, and we start driving back,” Todd says. “Every time we stopped for fuel or to get something to eat, I said, ‘Grant, can I drive?’ But Grant doesn’t hand over the keys — ever. To this day, the truck's got 10,000 miles on it, and I've never driven it once! He loves that truck. That’s his baby.”
