In this paper, the authors discuss the quality of operations in the trucklo
ad trucking industry. After introducing the concept of quality in the indus
try from the perspective of the customer, the carrier, and the driver, the
authors introduce a new operational paradigm based on zone dispatching that
leads to improved quality from all three perspectives. A review of the cur
rent literature indicates that the approach is unique. A comprehensive expe
rimental design supports simulation experiments to examine operational desi
gn parameters and to determine solution robustness for zone dispatching alt
ernatives. Results indicate that zone dispatching alternatives compare favo
rably with baseline point-to-point dispatching methods. Case studies suppor
ted by data provided by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. further demonstrate the e
fficacy of the approach as a means of improving the quality of operations i
n truckload trucking. Additionally, a research framework is provided to gui
de future efforts in this area.