Eight-Year-Old Recycling Entrepreneur Trades Family Pickup for a Mack® LR Refuse Truck in Latest RoadLife Episode
GREENSBORO, N.C., Aug. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mack Trucks today released the fifth episode of its RoadLife series on roadlife.tv and Amazon Prime Video. "Ryan's Route" stars 8-year-old Ryan Hickman, a recycling entrepreneur and owner of Orange County, California-based Ryan's Recycling, as he trades in the family pickup for a more appropriate work truck: a Mack® LR refuse model.
"When Ryan was about three years old, we took him to the recycling center, and he fell in love with it," said Damion Hickman, Ryan's dad and driver. "The next day he started asking all of our neighbors to save their cans and bottles for him, and it just grew."
Ryan collects plastic bottles, cans and glass from customers along his route, transporting them to a local recycling center. What started as a local operation, with collections from family friends and neighbors, has grown to include business customers. In order to keep up, Ryan realizes he'll need to grow his collection fleet someday.
"My ultimate goal is to get a trash truck," said Ryan. "If I had a trash truck, it would help me more efficiently run my business."
Mack Trucks granted Ryan's wish for a day when Curtis Dorwart, Mack refuse product manager, arrived at Ryan's house in a fully equipped Mack LR model, including Ryan's Recycling logos proudly displayed on each side.
"You can pack a lot of stuff in this truck," Dorwart said as he showed Ryan the Mack LR model.
"More than this truck," Ryan replied while pointing at the family pickup.
After a brief review of some of the LR's features, the two set off on Ryan's route to collect his customers' recyclables. While too young to drive the Mack LR model, Ryan got plenty of practice using the truck's Curotto-Can automated loading arm.
In addition to providing a service to his customers, Ryan's hope is to get more people to begin recycling in order to help our planet. With recycling rates for plastic materials hovering in the single digits, experts estimate that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050.
"He's an inspiration to a lot of people who have started recycling because of hearing his story," Damion said.
"Ryan's Route" is available now on roadlife.tv and Amazon Prime Video. In addition, viewers can access RoadLife bonus content on Mack Trucks' social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Dedicated to durability, reliability and meeting the needs of customers, Mack Trucks has provided purpose-built transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and Mack® trucks are sold and serviced through an extensive distribution network in more than 45 countries. Mack trucks, diesel engines and transmissions sold in North America are assembled in the United States. Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems and OHSAS 18001 standard for health and safety management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations' public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation's roadways.
Mack Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs almost 100,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2017 the Volvo Group's sales amounted to about $39 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com.
For more information about Mack, visit our website at www.macktrucks.com
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
CHRISTOPHER HEFFNER
MANAGER – PUBLIC RELATIONS
MACK TRUCKS, INC.
336-662-1615
[email protected]
SOURCE Mack Trucks
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article