Car owners who drive used cars in New Jersey may want to help the environment, but but they may be enticed by options that are cost-effective as well.

One company that operates a fleet of large trucks recently sent its drivers to learn how to drive in a way that reduces carbon emissions, but there was another reason at play: reducing fuel consumption by some 26,000 gallons, or 10 percent of the company’s fuel usage each year.

As Molex manager Joel Eurich says, the truckers who took the 90-minute course help the company to “minimize the environmental …impacts of our business activities,” but it also represents “cost savings for the company as we reduce our fuel usage.”

Drivers of used cars in New Jersey may not need to take the course to use some of the concepts the truckers learned about.

Instead, if they reduce the weight of their vehicles by taking out unneeded items in the backseat and trunk, make sure that they give themselves enough space on the road to deal with potential accidents and traffic conditions and use cruise control properly, they too can save money on their fuel bills each year.