Dispatch publishes the next day’s preliminary schedule the previous afternoon when customer forecasts allow. Drivers start shifts at the Milwaukee terminal with pre-trip inspections and final route confirmation. First assignments often involve pulling an empty trailer from the yard to an ingredient warehouse or manufacturing plant.
Tuesday through Thursday normally carry the steadiest volume with a mix of plant transfers, warehouse deliveries, and finished product movements. Dispatch frequently sends secondary assignments electronically while drivers are en route, allowing real-time adjustments to production changes. Drop-and-hook accounts for 35% of moves, live loads 40%, and live unloads 25%.
Drivers return completed paperwork to the terminal at shift end. Friday focuses on positioning inventory for weekend needs and balancing empty trailers. Equipment returns to the secured Milwaukee yard each night unless dispatch approves otherwise due to early next-day appointments or weather.