Milky Way's cow logo moooves people as well as milk

From serving as a good luck charm for a college student driving across the state on school breaks, to a fun game for a young girl looking for the trucks on the road, Milky Way's gleaming tankers and the iconic winking cow make a lasting impression. 

"When going home from Washington State University in Pullman to the west side, I would often hit sketchy weather," writes Nelson Giorgini, a recent college student. "Seeing a truck on my drive became a good luck charm for a safe trip. On 30-plus drives I saw a Milky Way truck every time." Nelson graduated this year and obtained a Milky Way sweatshirt with the cow logo "to bring the good luck charm with me on my next chapter of life."

Milky Way tankers didn't always feature a cow. One of the first Milky Way truck and tankers (above) shows a milk pitcher with the message: "Milk goes fast, Drinkamuggamilkaday." In the early 1970s, the Drinkamuggamilkameal slogan was chosen by employees at the LTI, Inc. office in Lynden, WA, following a contest asking local youth to come up with a tagline. The decals were transitioned to the red and yellow color scheme at that time as well.

"Milk's Great–Anytime!" and "Support Your Local Cow" messages were added later. Red and yellow were used through the mid-1990s and then changed to the current green and yellow with a more modern black and white winking cow with a bow.

The year 2005 was a big year at Lynden Tank Company, the company that builds the tank sets for Milky Way," recalls former Milky Way President Brad Williamson. "There were major advances in productivity, payload, safety, and security. We redesigned the black and white cow at that time, removing the buck teeth and bow."

Although no one is sure exactly when the cow image was initially added to the advertising scheme, it may have been intended to add a bit of whimsy to the product being carried – with a nod to the cows that produce the milk and the dairy farmers that care for them. And maybe the people on the road who enjoy seeing something a little different go by.

Keeping the tankers spotless inside and out with the trademark polished finish is the work of Levi Bos and Kyler Jansen at Lynden Tank Company, and Cristian Oblea-Rodriguez, Ignacio Garcia, and Adan Amaral Nava at LTI, Inc. "The appearance of our fleet is a matter of pride for our drivers, wash bay crews, and mechanics who work to keep our equipment safely maintained and looking its best while operating in the most challenging conditions across the Pacific Northwest," says Chae Matta, LTI, Inc./Milky Way President. LTI, Inc.'s wash bay crews have received national certification for the cleanliness of tankers carrying food grade products. The teams clean and sanitize thousands of tankers each year.