What’s the Best Axle Configuration to Transport a Giant Turkey?

As Thanksgiving nears, it's a great time for us in the logistics and supply chain world to take a step back and appreciate everyone who keeps things moving.

Truck drivers are stars in this regard. They're the ones ensuring everything from fresh food to the latest gadgets gets delivered, especially when things get super busy around the holidays. Their knack for handling tricky schedules and complex routes is nothing short of impressive.

But let's not forget, it’s a team effort. Everyone, from those in the warehouses to the folks planning the routes, plays a big part.

As we dive into the holiday rush, let’s give a shoutout to everyone in our logistics community. It’s the hard work and dedication of each person, whether they’re behind the wheel or behind a desk, that drives our industry forward. Here's to all of us making it happen!

Unexpected Turkey Day Stats

• The National Turkey Federation estimates around 46 million turkeys are eaten in the U.S. each Thanksgiving.

• 50% of all whole turkeys sold in the U.S. are consumed on Thanksgiving Day. That's a lot of tryptophan.

• This year, U.S. consumption of turkey is estimated to be 5.14 billion pounds and 15.3 pounds per capita.

• If you're traveling for Thanksgiving this year, get ready for some traffic. AAA projects 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home for the holiday, up over 1.5 million travelers from last year.
• It's looking like Thanksgiving dinner will be a little cheaper this year! Expana’s Thanksgiving Dinner Index, which measures price fluctuations across key food commodities that make up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, fell by 3.3% year-on-year in October 2024.

• In 2024, U.S. total turkey production is estimated to tally around 205 million birds raised, equaling 5.11 BILLION pounds of turkey. That's a lot of turkey legs!

• 10 Hours is the length of time the average American male would need to spend on the treadmill to burn the 4,500 calories consumed at the average Thanksgiving meal.

• About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) say turkey is their favorite dish in the holiday feast, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

• Nearly $60 billion worth of foods and holiday goods purchased are distributed to local stores mainly by trucks, of course!

• Truckers are estimated to deliver about 16,600 truckloads of turkeys to the United States on Thanksgiving alone.

• According to USDA, the top turkey-producing states are Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa and California.

• Did you know that because of a mistake involving 260 tons of frozen turkeys, TV dinners were created in 1953, kickstarting the $1.2 billion frozen dinner market. The first TV dinner cost 98 cents, and in 1954, 10 million turkey dinners were sold.

• Stuffing, seen as just “seasoned bread crumbs” to some, realizes sales of $96 million at Thanksgiving. Kraft sells 40 million boxes of Stove Top Stuffing Mix from October to December.

• 40% of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup sales occur around Thanksgiving. And almost all of this 40% is designated for green bean casseroles served by over 20 million American households.

• What's Thanksgiving without the iconic jellied cranberry log fresh from the can? Ocean Spray makes 70 million cans of jellied cranberry sauce, which amounts to one for every American family. It is wildly more popular than canned whole-berry sauce; three cans of jellied are sold for every one can of whole-berry. Ocean Spray sells 80% of its jellied cranberry sauce the week of Thanksgiving. Every jellied can requires 220 cranberries.

• 1876 is the year Thanksgiving football tradition began with Yale vs Princeton. The first year NFL games were played on Thanksgiving was 1920. Two teams have played every Thanksgiving since 1966 (that year it was Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys).

• 1924 was the first year of the Macy's Parade (originally called Macy's Christmas Day Parade, despite being held on Thanksgiving). The parade route is 2.5 miles through Manhattan streets. This year over 8,000 people will participate in some form of the Parade, with 3.5 million spectators attending.

• The most expensive Thanksgiving dinner ever cost a whopping $181,000. In 2019, The Old Homestead Steakhouse in New York City hosted a dinner for for 12 where they served turkey covered in edible gold flakes, seafood bread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, butternut squash, a plethora of pies, and Cristal champagne. Guests also received luxury gifts such as tickets to Super Bowl LIV and “The Voice,” two iPhone 11 Pro Maxes, and a SeaDream Yacht Club Cruise.

This Thanksgiving let's remember to pause and really appreciate what the holiday's all about, including showing gratitude to the people who make it special.

Oh, and a friendly reminder: don't forget to defrost your turkey!

(Sources cited in this article: The Economist, University of Arkansas, USDA, financebuzz, National Grocers Association, Kraft Heinz Company, Smithsonian Magazine, Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Vox, Expanas, CNBC, WalletHub, AJR Trucking, Oklahoma State University, Cloud Trucks, Trucker Path, FreightTech)