inbound
If you ever need a reminder that the
trucking industry is the foundation of
America’s industrial, retail, sports, and
entertainment sectors, take an hour to
watch an episode or two of “RoadLife.”
Created by Mack Trucks, the Amazon
Prime Video series profiles men and
women in the trucking business “as
they keep the wheels turning and the
world moving,” as the truck maker put
it. “Our goal with RoadLife is to tell
the stories of men and women whose
stories aren’t often told, but are so vital
to the success of society,” said John
Walsh, vice president of marketing at
Mack Trucks, in a statement announcing the series’ launch.
Over nine episodes, the series goes
behind the scenes with freight carriers
as they haul trash, serve as “roadies”
for the Zac Brown Band’s summer
tour, haul NASCAR race gear from
town to town, and make their lonely
way across Canada. Other episodes in
the series look at truck manufacturing
in America as well as the issues faced
by women truckers.
The ninth and final episode, called
“RoadLife Reunion,” provides a
behind-the-scenes look at the making
of the series. It features interviews
with the Mack marketing team members behind the project, who traveled
32,325 miles over 136 days to capture
footage for the show. The journey
began in New York City, the birthplace of Mack Trucks, and culminated
in a reunion in Pennsylvania, where
those featured in the series shared
their distinct experiences. Check it
out at www.youtube.com/channel/
UC6ScTMFpIAE001dEgLYUzYw.
A day in the life of a
road warrior
Businesses in every sector have backup
plans for supply chain disruptions triggered by, say, hurricanes, wildfires, or
labor strikes. But Anheuser Busch Co.
LLC faced another kind of challenge
in 2017 that inspired it to tweak its
approach to beer distribution.
That challenge? Thirsty fans—
specifically, thirsty Iowa State football fans,
who, according to the brewer, drained the city’s entire inventory of Busch
Light when they traveled to Memphis, Tenn., for the 2017 Liberty Bowl.
To avoid a repeat scenario, Anheuser Busch threw its logistics weight
behind an initiative to avoid a similar stockout when Iowa State fans
headed to San Antonio for the 2018 Alamo Bowl. In the days before the
Dec. 28 game, the St. Louis-based brewer said it had packed Busch Light
“to the gills” in distribution centers around San Antonio, stocked more
bars around the stadium than ever before, and arranged to have a secret
reserve on hand “just in case.”
And, of course, the company took to social media to spread the word.
The brewer had some fun with the project, helping consumers track the
supply of Busch Light on its @BuschBeer Twitter feed and encouraging
fans to use the hashtag #BuschSafeHouse wherever they found a San
Antonio bar with an ample supply of Busch Light.
The brewer’s strategy was reportedly a success, but things didn’t go so
well for Iowa State. It lost to Washington State 28–26.
Making sure no fan goes beer-less
Between partial governmental shutdowns and political infighting, the
prospects of getting a major infrastructure spending bill through Congress
seem pretty dim right now. But a new study from a Washington, D.C.-based think tank shows that a patchwork of regional initiatives may be
picking up the slack.
Voters in 34 states across the country approved nearly $41 billion in
new investment for transportation at the ballot box last year, according to
the Eno Center for Transportation’s analysis of 2018 transportation ballot
measures.
Eno analyzed hundreds of ballot measures considered by voters in 2018
and provided breakdowns by transportation mode, funding source, and
geography. All told, voters passed 142 transportation ballot measures last
year, 77 percent of the 185 measures considered. Or to put it in dollars,
$40.9 billion was approved, 58 percent of the $70.7 billion at stake.
Filtered by mode, voters approved more ballot measures to raise money
for roads than for any other mode, passing 80 of the 113 road measures,
according to the study, Transportation at the Ballot Box 2018. However,
the transit-specific measures that passed will provide more new funding
by dollar value than the road-specific measures ($9.3 billion for transit vs.
$7.5 billion for roads).
No infrastructure bill? No problem
