Taking Breast Cancer Awareness to the Streets

Volvo 860 Pink

4

Dec

Taking Breast Cancer Awareness to the Streets

Dec 4, 2020, 9:03 PM awareness

In a year that has seen words like “unprecedented” and “extraordinary” fill our headlines and our timelines, Big M Transportation Company in Blue Mountain, Mississippi decided to take a giant step under those monikers to bring awareness to a disease that affects millions of Americans each year. No, not Covid-19 – that disease has gotten plenty of “mileage” this year – enough in some instances to distract from other deadlier, if less common, illnesses and diseases that indeed deserve their place in the spotlight.

According to statistics provided by Breastcancer.org, over a quarter of a million cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women in 2020, along with nearly 50,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. Considering those staggering statistics, along with the fact that about a quarter of the workforce at Big M is comprised of women, it made sense to do something BIG to bring awareness to this disease and to honor those who have been affected personally by breast cancer – put it on a big truck!

Big M’s owner and CEO Michael Massengill is the type of business owner who takes pride in his company, but he also takes time to get to know his employees and what affects their lives. When industry partners Volvo Trucks USA, along with local Volvo truck dealer Tri-State Truck Center of Tupelo, Miss. agreed to create a unique and “unprecedented” special edition truck for breast cancer awareness, Massengill jumped at the opportunity. He ordered not one, but two brand new Volvo VNL 860s in shimmering Glacier White, a contrast to the deep red color on the rest of Big M’s fleet.  The new trucks soon arrived from the factory, dressed to the nines and loaded with every available option. They were whisked off to be wrapped with a “Breast Cancer Awareness” wrap, complete with pink ribbons, and of course the signature “Big Dog” logo that emblazons the sides of every one of Big M’s fleet of approximately 350 trucks. Another, smaller, logo was added to represent Big M’s corporate affiliation with Women In Trucking, an organization which takes pride in bringing awareness to women in an industry once dominated by men.

These two trucks are monuments – the ultimate road machine – yet, with a wisp of pink ribbon flying high on the roof of a sleeper cab covered with pink digital camouflage, they stand in stark contrast to just about every other truck on the road. This is a different kind of monument, it is one that points to the hope of a cure for a disease that has far too long been allowed to take our mothers, our sisters, and our friends from us. And if that isn’t enough, these two trucks are already assigned to their new drivers, who are not only women, but who are survivors of breast cancer themselves.