Five good things that happened in trucking this week–May 28

Summer is right around the corner and the country is preparing. Road trips, outdoor activities, family adventures–all the components that equal a great summer season. Get a head start to summer with these five good things that happened in trucking this week.  

Pilot Flying J launches summer road trip giveaway

In honor of the third annual National Road Trip Day–the Friday before Memorial Day–Pilot Flying J is celebrating this kick-off to summer vacation season with a summer of deals and the chance to win $5,000 in free fuel with the Summer is a Go Road Trip Giveaway.

Now through Sept. 5, the Summer is a Go Road Trip Giveaway includes a grand prize of $5,000 in free fuel and three-monthly prizes of $250 gift cards. To be entered to win, road trippers, professional drivers and Pilot Flying J guests are encouraged to share pictures of their adventures on the brand’s Facebook page or by posting on Instagram and Twitter with #SummerIsAGoGiveaway and tagging @PilotFlyingJ on social media accounts.

Participants can double their chances and earn an additional entry by including any Pilot-branded cup in their photo.

“After an unusual year for many, National Road Trip Day recognizes the pent-up demand to get back on the road and spend quality time with loved ones while safely exploring new destinations,” Whitney Haslam Johnson, chief experience officer for Pilot Flying J, said. “For over 62 years, Pilot Flying J has fueled America’s road trips and with more than 750 locations serving over 1.5 million guests a day, our travel centers are ready to welcome road trippers with clean, safe fuel stops and everything needed for a summer of fun.”

UPS volunteers help Bridge to Hope bring supplies to Florida families

According to a tweet from UPSers, the Latino business resource group (BRG) and women in operations (WIO) showed up in Florida to help Bridge to Hope distribute supplies to more than 1,700 individuals.

Bridge to Hope offers comprehensive wrap-around supports designed to create food security, improve health, nutritional and economic outcomes, and that bridge the gap to self-sufficiency for economically disadvantaged and in-crisis households; to raise the quality of life, standard of living and restore dignity and hope to those in need.

Throughout the past year, Bridge to Hope has provided nutritious and healthy food as well as personal hygiene products to help families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the organization, “We’re bringing things like toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, along with meat, vegetables, and shelf-stable products so families can safely shelter in place.”

Using their experience in supply chain logistics, the UPS volunteers helped Bridge to Hope increase the number of families served by 25%.

Ford’s Accessible Streets Studio announces first cohort of entrepreneurs 

Michigan Central, Ford Motor Company’s new mobility innovation district in Corktown, and Newlab, a community of experts and innovators applying transformative technology to solve the world’s biggest challenges, revealed that seven companies from a competitive pool of global applicants have been selected as members of the inaugural cohort of the Accessible Streets Studio.

Launched by Michigan Central and Newlab in 2020, the Accessible Streets Studio brings together Detroiters, civic stakeholders, startups, and industry experts to co-design high-impact, innovative mobility solutions to address community needs in a meaningful and impactful manner. Working with the city and applicable agencies, in the summer and fall of this year, the Accessible Streets Studio companies plan to deploy their technologies and services across Detroit neighborhoods to help address residents’ mobility challenges.

The seven inaugural companies in the Accessible Streets Studio 2021 include:

• Soofa builds the first of its kind, solar-powered digital signs with e-ink display.  Soofa Signs feature real-time updates on mobility resources, city communication and wayfinding.
• Kiwibot builds the autonomous delivery infrastructure of tomorrow for campuses, communities and cities. With local deliveries powered by robots, Kiwibot is focused on providing an affordable, reliable, and friendly service.
• Solartonic delivers solar power and wireless networks to smart communities exactly where they need it, managed through a remote cloud-based platform - solahub™- that integrates lighting, CCTV, IoT sensors, signage, and Wi-Fi network systems for mobility management and safe streets.
• Numina measures all kinds of curb-level activity to support urban planning, policy, and operations that account for everyone, not just cars. Committed to Privacy by Design, Numina delivers completely anonymous and aggregated volume counts, paths, and traffic behaviors of travelers and objects in streets.
• Lazarillo provides a navigation app for people who are blind and visually impaired to navigate the city using audible assistance that expertly guides them through their physical environment and also connects them to services while at home.
• KUHMUTE is the universal charging network for anything smaller than a car, agnostic to both shared fleets and personally-owned micro-mobility vehicles. Proudly designed and made in Flint, MI.
• Sway Mobility offers carshare-as-a-service by creating tailored, turnkey electric vehicle carshare programs for communities that include vehicles, insurance, tech, charging infrastructure and operational support.

“We are excited to welcome the Accessible Streets Studio’s first member cohort–an incredible slate of companies at the forefront of mobility, urban technology, and sustainability,” Shaina Horowitz, VP of product and programs at Newlab, said. “We launched the Accessible Streets Studio to drive cutting-edge innovation that will help make city life more easily navigable for the residents of Detroit by addressing critical gaps in transportation, public safety, and access to resources and information. We’re looking forward to working with the cohort companies to launch pilot projects in Detroit to generate important learnings and impact for residents, the City of Detroit and cities across the world.”

Meritor virtual 5K to support Military Appreciation Month

In a tweet on May 28, Meritor sent a shout out to its employees who participated in the “Keep Your Distance VIRUTAL 5K” in support of USA Cares.

According to the tweet, Meritor donated on behalf of employees to help veterans and military families spouting the hashtags: #MilitaryAppreciationMonth. #SupportVeterans #Military #Defense #USACares

Cross-country traveler receives gift from trucker: a shower

In a viral Tik Tok video, a cross-country traveler living in her Toyota Prius shared the inside scoop to a truck stop shower after a neighborhood trucker gifted her their “free shower” from the Love’s Travel Stops rewards program.

“Another day, another truck stop shower,” Tik Tok’er Nikki Delventhal said.

“When a trucker donates you a shower, it’s because they fuel up so much, they get free ones after a certain amount of fuel that they buy,” Delventhal explained. “They literally have unlimited showers–or just a lot every day–so they give it to people because they’re really nice people.”

Delventhal walks through Love’s process, showcasing the level of security the truck stop provides for its customers.

In a follow-up video, Delventhal give another shout out to truckers, explaining how safe she feels around them, knowing that if anything were to happen, a trucker would get out of their cab and help.

If that’s not the motto of the trucking industry, I don’t know what is.