inbound
One of the most reliable signs the
nation is emerging from the depths of
winter is the start of baseball’s spring
training season, which kicked off Feb.
21 for the “Cactus League” (teams that
train in Arizona) and Feb. 22 for the
“Grapefruit League” (teams that train
in Florida).
With 30 major-league teams converging on those two regions from
19 states and one Canadian province,
one of the great challenges of the sport
is moving everything from exercise
equipment to balls and bats to sports
drinks to the teams’ spring training
destinations on time. But for less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier Old Dominion
Freight Line (ODFL), it’s a can of
corn. ODFL, which has been the official freight carrier for Major League
Baseball since 2017, handled the moves
this year for five teams: the Chicago
White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas
City Royals, New York Mets, and
Philadelphia Phillies.
Before the trucks hit the road, teams
have special send-off events attended
by fans, players, coaches, mascots, and
former players to celebrate the unofficial start of baseball season. This year’s
festivities began on Jan. 25, with the
White Sox’s annual SoxFest fan convention and sendoff in Chicago, and
ended on Feb. 8, with a celebration for
the Phillies. At the Philadelphia event,
Old Dominion loaded the team’s gear
onto two 33-foot trailers with help
from the team’s mascot, the Phillie
Phanatic, who escorted the truck
out of Citizens Bank Park for its trip
to Florida. Each of the trailers was
wrapped with a custom design, while
fans were encouraged to post photos of
their truck sightings on social media.
Take me out to the
ballgame
Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and dona-
tions by companies in the material handling and logistics space.
b XPO Logistics hosted its 6th annual “Fill the truck for veterans, kittens, and pups” campaign in Rockford, Ill., in December. At the event,
XPO collected pet supply donations for local animal shelters and raised
funds for the Circle of Change Veterans’ Dog Program, a nonprofit that
helps veterans work through their PTSD and other psychological issues by
working with troubled dogs.
b Overcoming anxiety about the unknown, Mallory Scheurer, senior
manager of process development and compliance for Fort Smith, Ark.-based ABF Freight, spent a morning last October rappelling down the
tallest building in Fort Smith to raise money for cancer patients. Scheurer
raised more than $3,000 through her participation in the annual Over the
Edge fundraising event, which benefits the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer
Support House, by rappelling 130 feet down the Arvest Bank Tower.
b Vipar Heavy Duty, an independent aftermarket truck parts distributor,
fulfilled the 2018 holiday wish lists of more than 30 children “adopted” by
Vipar staff members through the Boys and Girls Club of Rockford, Ill. In
addition to supporting the Boys and Girls Club, the company contributed
food, party supplies, and decorations to the Crystal Lake Food Pantry to
help food-bank patrons treat their children to a birthday celebration.
Logistics gives back
Undercover boss
Whether it’s surveys, customer reviews, or focus groups, most companies
rely on customer feedback to get the lowdown on their products and ser-
vices. But one software exec recently tried a very different approach.
The executive is Mike Williams, CEO of freight-matching service uShip.
Based in Austin, Texas, uShip serves as an online shipping marketplace that
connects consumers with big unwieldy items to move—think cars or couch-
es—with providers who have extra truck space.
Williams wanted to see for himself how the platform worked in the real
world. So he and his chief technology
officer recently rented a 15-foot box
truck and set out on a three-day road
trip to test their own technology as
they made deliveries around the South
Central U.S.
The pair left Austin at 7 a.m. on
a Monday and picked up a set of
bookshelves from a client in Houston,
then loaded a dresser with a mirror in Dallas. After stops in Kansas City;
Columbia, Mo.; Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.; and Kansas City (again), the two
made a final dropoff in Dallas before returning full-circle to Austin.
“There’s no substitute for seeing it through the windshield,” Williams
said about the product test, which sparked plenty of ideas for upgrades and
improvements. “One example—congestion around metro areas is frustrating because it can knock you off the schedule you expected. The next executive we hire, we will be certain to have them do the same exercise.”
