Portland’s B-Line Urban Delivery is fast approaching its 15th birthday. This cool local company has been on our radar since it first opened in 2008 because of their commitment to doing freight delivery differently: Instead of big, stinky, loud, dangerous trucks, they use pedal-powered, electric cargo trikes.
In doing so they’ve replaced over 320,000 truck miles and have prevented well over a half million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Beyond being eco and human-friendly, B-Line’s mission is also to support our local economy by giving a leg-up to small food and product vendors who need help with last-mile logistics and distribution.
I ran into B-Line’s Dispatch Lead Tegan Valo at an event recently (he testified against the I-5 Rose Quarter project, a freeway expansion being pushed by ODOT and rural Oregon legislators largely because of its role as a trucking route) and we thought it’d be fun to connect for a look behind the scenes of their operation. Of course while I was at their Central Eastside warehouse Tuesday, I also tagged along with Tegan for a delivery to a local New Seasons Market.
In this podcast episode, you’ll learn more about B-Line and you’ll get the inside scoop on the bikes and business practices that make this company so worth shining a light on.
Listen to the episode in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to check out the audio slideshow below:
