St. Patrick’s Day reminds me of the four-leaf clovers, pots of gold and leprechauns all around us during the month of March…but the real magic happens behind the scenes as LTL shippers, truckers, and carriers move volumes of ‘lucky’ freight leading up to March 17th.
We’re a little over a week away from the Irish holiday and as we see each year, the demand for goods skyrockets when it comes to St. Paddy's necessities like beer (OH the beer), food, Kiss Me I’m Irish shirts…and enough colored dye to make a major U.S. river ‘Green with envy’.
Pour Another Round 🍻
No St. Patrick's Day festivity would be fully complete without the ample Ale to go around. Over 13 million pints of Guinness alone get shipped to bars and pubs for these celebrations!
(mind you, that’s over 1.8 million cases OR almost 105,000 kegs…)
When you account for all the other popular brands selling beer, you're looking at well over 200 fully-loaded semis dropping off straight ‘liquid luck’ across the nation 👀 (meaning MANY reefer trailers to keep those stouts and lagers frosty)
How'd They Dye That? 💚
Each year, the coloring of the Chicago River for St. Patrick's Day has become an iconic tradition watched by millions. It’s even more interesting when you know what goes into pulling it off:
While it may look like a massive operation requiring tanker trucks of green liquid, the entire dyeing process only utilizes about 25 pounds of orange vegetable-based powder.
Small boats operated by members of the local plumbers union cruise into their positions mid-morning and use flour sifters to release the concentrated orange powder into the river. As the dye hits the water and disperses, it creates an eye-catching Kelly green color that lasts for several hours.
In the early 1960s when the tradition began, a full 100 pounds of dye was required - leaving the river green for an entire week! Today's recipe hits that perfect shade in ¼ of the powder which has helped minimize more of our environmental impact as we celebrate this way.
The Unseen Heroes 🫡
Let’s not forget…St. Patrick's Day celebration would be nothing without the decorations, t-shirts, hats, beads, and billions of green or gold items we see around this time of year.
While it gets overshadowed by beer and food, these involve countless e-commerce shipments being managed behind the scenes. Keeping those items on shelves and in stock in time for festivities is just as key to a successful Irish holiday as the other factors we’ve mentioned.
It's Getting Green Out There… 🍀
Give a nod to the logistics team who made it all possible as you bite into your brisket or sip your beer - the truck drivers, cold chain experts, track-and-trace teams, and shippers are putting in the unseen work.
Because remember - the everyday items we use in these celebrations all start as just another shipment needing to get to where it goes.
When March 18th rolls around, we in logistics will already be preparing for the next holiday haul…Easter eggs and honey hams aren't going to ship themselves right?!
Don’t forget to wear green, and have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
🍀 In need of some good luck? We don't put pots of gold at the end of any rainbows or anything... but click here to connect with someone on our team today to learn more about improving your LTL shipping process and saving some money.
This article was collaboratively written by members of our “LTL Observers” collective - industry veterans and knowledgeable experts spanning the carrier, shipper, 3PL, and tech provider spaces who are willing to share their opinions.
Disagree with any of our opinions? We'd love to add you to the line-up to make sure we're including a diverse set of LTL Observers. Contact us today.