Solar Eclipse and Highway Problems: Supply Chain Working Through It
By Alex Batty, MHI Marketing Communications Coordinator |@mhi_alex
So… the eclipse.
IT WAS AWESOME! I’m a total space nerd, and we were lucky enough to be at 98% totality at MHI HQ in Charlotte.
On Sunday, I was driving back down I-77 and the little warning sign said “Prepare for delays”. Honestly, even at 98% totality, it didn’t get super dark. Though, if you check out videos from 100%, it’s pretty freaky. I’ve got friends in Idaho and their videos were cool.
People were worried that it was going to cause all sorts of problems. On the freeway, with animals, and even with supply chain.
Yes. That’s right. We found a way to tie it back to supply chain.
Several states were encouraging companies to adjust their freight schedules to avoid the uptick in highway traffic surrounding the eclipse. Oregon actually is prohibiting extra-wide loads August 18-22 because they take more than one lane and they don’t want to add bottlenecks to the gridlock.
Some companies aren’t changing their schedules, just planning for the congestion and working through it. These changes are a big deal for transportation companies because congestion produces financial setbacks.
Tie-ins to supply chain aside, the sheer cool factor of watching the sun slowly disappear was pretty awesome. Space nerd out.
