Dry Van
53' dry vans for general freight — palletized goods, packaged consumer products, and dock-to-dock loads.
Best For
- Palletized Freight
- Consumer Goods
- Dock-to-Dock
- Drop Trailer Options
A Wisconsin trucking company with a trailer for every load.
Asset-based, family-owned trucking out of Hartford, Wisconsin. Dry vans, flatbeds, step decks, and Conestogas moving freight across the Midwest for 49 years.
A Laufer Enterprise Company
Where it all started
Overview
Asset-based. Family-owned. A Wisconsin trucking company.
Laufer Trucking is an asset-based, family-owned Wisconsin trucking company hauling freight across the Midwest with dry vans, flatbeds, step decks, and Conestogas. We own our trucks and trailers, employ our own drivers, and dispatch every load from our Hartford, WI headquarters.
That means when you call us for a quote, you're talking to the carrier that's actually going to move the freight — and if we can't, we still have the resources you need to get it done through our own logistics division, LT2 Logistics.
Midwest Freight · Asset-Based
What We Haul / Equipment
Our fleet covers the four trailer types that handle the vast majority of Midwest freight. Each equipment type has its own page with more detail:
Flatbed
48' and 53' open flatbeds for steel, building materials, machinery, and anything that won't fit inside a van or a Conestoga.
Best For
- Steel & Metals
- Building Materials
- Machinery
- Oversize
Step Deck
Drop-deck trailers for taller loads that won't legally clear on a flat — equipment, tanks, and bulky machinery.
Best For
- Tall Loads
- Equipment Moves
- Machinery
- Construction
Conestoga
Flatbeds with a retractable tarp-and-curtain system on a rolling frame — freight loads from the side, then seals up under cover with no hand-tarping. Can also be dock loaded.
Best For
- Weather-Sensitive
- Gentler Than Tarping
- Hard-to-Tarp Loads
- Faster Load/Unload
Step Deck Conestoga
Combining the versatility of a conestoga with the height allowance of a step deck.
Best For
- Tall, Hard-to-Tarp Loads
- Equipment Moves
- Machinery
- High-Value Cargo
Hartford, Wisconsin · Since 1977
What Makes Laufer Different
Three things, mostly.
- 01
Asset-Based
We own the trucks and trailers, and we employ the drivers who move your freight. Our drivers are local professionals who live and work in the same communities we serve, taking pride in representing our company and delivering for our customers. Because we operate our own fleet, we have direct visibility into where your freight is, who's hauling it, and when it's scheduled to deliver — fewer surprises, better communication, and greater accountability from pickup through delivery.
- 02
Family-Owned
Independent and Hartford-based for decades. We're not owned by private equity, managed from an out-of-state corporate office, or driven by short-term investors. Decisions are made here by people who know our drivers, understand our customers, and have spent their careers in the transportation industry.
- 03
Responsive
When you call us, a real person answers the phone — no endless phone trees, no complicated menu options, no getting lost in a corporate call center. Quote requests and freight inquiries are acknowledged within 15 minutes during business hours, and if something changes while your freight is on the road, you'll hear it from us first. Proactive communication is part of good service, and we work hard to keep our customers informed every step of the way.
Storage Trailer Program
The simplest warehousing solution may already be at your dock.
Laufer Trucking offers storage trailers because sometimes the simplest warehousing solution is one that's already sitting at your facility. Storage trailers provide secure, weather-tight space for inventory, seasonal products, overflow stock, and production materials without the cost or commitment of additional warehouse space.
We offer a variety of storage trailer options, whether you need a trailer for stationary storage or one that is roadworthy enough to move between locations as your needs change. To help maximize your available yard space, we can also store loaded trailers at our terminal until you're ready for them.
Our team can deliver and retrieve trailers on your schedule, providing a flexible solution for inventory storage, overflow capacity, seasonal needs, and production support. With a local fleet and decades of experience, we can tailor a storage trailer program to fit your operation.
Contact us today to discuss your storage trailer needs and we'll be happy to provide options and pricing.
Best fit for
- Slow-load operations that take hours to fill a trailer
- Shippers with tight floor or staging space
- High-volume customers who need consistent, always-on capacity
"We work around your operation, not the other way around. As a local carrier with our own trucks, trailers, and drivers, we have the flexibility to provide customized solutions that fit your shipping needs and schedule."
Krista Laufer
CO-OWNER
Where We Run
Based in Hartford, Wisconsin — about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee — running Wisconsin and the surrounding Midwest as our primary footprint.
The Laufer Family
THREE COMPANIES. ONE FAMILY. ONE TEAM.
Laufer Trucking, Wacker Drive Logistics & Warehouse, and LT2 Logistics each operate independently — but they share the same ownership, the same values, and the same commitment to customer service and reliability.
Whatever your freight needs, chances are the right solution is under this roof.
Trucking Services FAQs
Straight answers — about our equipment, our lanes, and what it's like to drive for a family-run carrier in Hartford.
Still have questions?
Talk to a real person in Hartford. We answer the phone.
It depends on the way your freight is packaged, how it needs to be loaded or unloaded, its dimensions, and whether or not it needs to be protected. Laufer is here to help — call us and we'll walk through it together.
Laufer is an asset-based carrier. We own our trucks and trailers, employ our own drivers, and dispatch every load from our Hartford terminal.
When we're unable to accommodate a shipment due to capacity, equipment requirements, or geographic coverage, we can turn to our brokerage division, LT2 Logistics, to help find a solution.
You'll always know whether your freight is being handled by Laufer or LT2. Regardless of which company is moving your shipment, you can expect the same commitment to service, communication, and accountability.
Laufer is based in Hartford, Wisconsin, about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee, and runs Wisconsin and the regional Midwest as its primary footprint. That includes in-state Wisconsin moves, Chicagoland lanes, and the surrounding Midwest states our customers ship into and out of.
Laufer can serve customers anywhere in our coverage area and can leverage our brokerage division, LT2 Logistics, for anything beyond our normal asset-based operating area.
Have your origin, destination, equipment type, weight, and pickup window ready. With those five details, dispatch can work the rate. If you are not sure which equipment type fits, describe the freight and we will help you choose before quoting.
A flatbed and a step deck (drop deck) are both open trailers used for freight that can't easily fit in a dry van, but the key difference is deck height. A flatbed has one continuous height from front to back, approximately 60" off the ground. A step deck offers a lower deck that is approximately 41' long and about 40" off the ground. A step deck accommodates taller freight that would not fit on a regular flatbed or in a dry van.
Use a step deck when your open-deck freight is too tall to ship legally on a standard flatbed. The step deck has a lower main deck that adds vertical clearance, so tall machinery and fabrications ride within legal height without permits. If the load fits within standard flatbed height, a flatbed is simpler.
A Conestoga is a flatbed with a retractable tarp-and-curtain cover. It's the right choice when your freight loads from the side or top like an open-deck load but still needs protection from weather and road spray, without the time and labor of hand-tarping. It combines flatbed access with enclosed-trailer protection.
If your product is difficult to tarp or high value and you want to protect it from the rubbing and friction that can occur when tarping, a Conestoga is a great choice. It can also be dock loaded, making it a very versatile option.
Laufer hauls the manufacturing and industrial freight of the Midwest: palletized and packaged goods, steel and steel coils, machinery and weldments, plastic injection molds, and other high-value manufacturing loads. The right trailer depends on whether the freight is enclosed or open-deck and whether it needs weather protection.
Laufer focuses on freight that fits within legal trailer dimensions across its dry van, flatbed, step deck, and Conestoga fleet. We do not specialize in oversized loads that require permits, escorts, or special routing. If your load falls outside our standard scope, we will tell you upfront and point you toward a carrier equipped for it.
Laufer is asset-based, family-owned, and locally run from one Hartford location where the terminal, maintenance shop, and dispatch team all sit together. That means accountability: fast quote responses, a drop-trailer program for shippers who want to load on their own schedule, and the same company year over year — not a rotating cast of subcontractors and employees.