How 750 Trucks Handle Packers Game-Day Freight

Packers logistics is a no-fail job, and Paper Transport has handled it for 10 years. Ben Schill breaks down how the Green Bay Packers’ gear gets to away games, where the backup plan sits, and why dedicated trucking matters when game day freight can’t miss. The conversation also gets into carrier quality, brokerage risk and why stronger enforcement is changing the market for asset-based fleets. #Trucking #NFLLogistics #FreightWaves

Paper Transport Inc. has served as the official dedicated carrier for the Green Bay Packers’ away-game gear for 10 years, with the relationship tracing back to drivers who followed their previous employer to PTI and brought the Packers account with them, said Ben Schill, Chief Corporate Development Officer of Paper Transport. The first official move was a Hall of Fame preseason game in Canton, Ohio, in 2016 — the same night Brett Favre was inducted — though the game was ultimately canceled due to field conditions.

The logistics of moving an NFL team require tight sequencing. PTI trucks typically load out Wednesday or Thursday and arrive at the destination stadium before the team does, first unloading sideline equipment and then meeting the plane on the tarmac. Essential game-day gear — helmets, shoulder pads and coaches’ outfits — travels on the team’s aircraft, while PTI hauls backup equipment and all sideline material. For international games, PTI moves the gear to a U.S. airport gateway, where it transfers to air cargo bound for London or other overseas venues.

“The helmets, the game-time shoulder pads, the coaches’ outfits, all of that, that actually goes on the plane with the players,” Schill said. “If the team doesn’t make it, neither will their gear because they’re on the same plane.”

Alongside the Packers partnership, PTI has launched a campaign donating $0.50 per mile driven on Packers-related freight to Truckers Against Trafficking. Schill said the intent was to leverage the carrier’s national brand partnership with the Packers to broaden awareness of the organization beyond the trucking industry.

Founded in 1990 — making it 36 years old — Paper Transport built its roots hauling for what was then Fort Howard, later Fort James, then Georgia-Pacific, and now Koch Industries, along the Green Bay-to-Chicago corridor. Today, more than 90% of PTI’s asset-based freight revenue is dedicated, and paper represents only a fraction of current volumes, with CPG, food and beverage filling the balance. Schill said PTI runs more trucks and trailers on the Green Bay-to-Chicago lane than any other carrier.

On growth, Schill outlined three acquisition targets: dedicated carriers that fit PTI’s core model, opportunities that add density in Wisconsin, and freight in higher-value end markets that can provide long-term stability. “We’re looking to truly dominate that export in Wisconsin,” he said.

Schill described the broader dedicated market as “significantly less delicate” than in recent years, citing more stable shipper conversations and less fear of freight being undercut on price. He acknowledged, however, that inflationary pressure — including diesel costs hitting unprotected items such as idle time and out-of-route miles — continues to weigh on carriers across the industry, pointing to J.B. Hunt’s recent commentary as a benchmark for the sector.

• Paper Transport has been the Packers’ official dedicated gear carrier for 10 years, with its first move tied to Brett Favre’s 2016 Hall of Fame induction game in Canton, Ohio.
• More than 90% of PTI’s asset-based freight revenue is dedicated, and the 750-truck carrier is actively seeking acquisitions in dedicated, Wisconsin density, and higher-value end markets.
• PTI is donating $0.50 per mile driven on Packers freight to Truckers Against Trafficking, using the NFL partnership to amplify awareness of the anti-trafficking organization.

This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above.