Evaluating the efficiency of trucking operations with weekend freight leveling

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver life, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of a technique called yard-stacking in the truckload trucking industry. The technique seeks to find ways to provide level freight availability during normal weekly cycles in an effort to seek improvement relative to all constituencies. Design/methodology/approach – Simulation is used to examine the use of yard-stacking on Fridays to provide additional freight on weekends, which is generally much less available than on weekdays. In this technique, before being dispatched on Friday for a long-haul, a driver initially picks up a load to make a short ‘dray’ move from the customer site to the carrier’s closest terminal yard. During the weekend, another driver picks up the drayed load. In this research, we evaluate the potential of weekend yard-stacking under a variety of scenarios. Findings – The paper shows that a carrier’s adaptation of weekend freight leveling can be beneficial to both trucking companies and their customers, while remaining relatively neutral to drivers. Research limitations/implications – Carriers may be able to utilize Friday yard-stacking to improve their cost efficiency, driver satisfaction and customer performance. Originality/value – This research extends the knowledge base of truckload freight imbalance problems. It was industrially motivated by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., one of the world’s largest truckload carriers, who provided freight data and conceptual guidance.