How Uber Freight supported USG through growth, expansion, and global complexity over 23 years of partnership

About the United States Gypsum Company

The United States Gypsum Company (USG) manufactures high-quality building materials, including wall, ceiling, joint treatment, flooring, sheathing, and roofing products, for the global construction industry. Founded in 1902, USG revolutionized the construction industry through innovations like its Sheetrock® drywall panels, which USG invented in 1917 as a faster, cheaper, and easier alternative to plaster. USG has more than 2,400 patented products and is recognized for constructing renowned landmarks like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Lotte Tower in Seoul, and the Freedom Tower in New York.

In 2002, the United States Gypsum Company (USG) shipped a record 10 billion square feet of its Sheetrock® gypsum wallboard—enough to build 1.2 million average-sized homes. At that time, the company operated 25 wallboard plants, 12 ceiling tile and grid plants, seven paper mills, and 171 distribution centers. Trucking carriers hauled 1,700 truckloads daily, making more than half a million deliveries that year to customers in all 50 states.

Despite its scale, USG’s transportation operation was decentralized. Each site managed its own transportation and processes, with little integration across the network. Most products—heavy, bulky materials like drywall sheets, ceiling tiles, and joint compound—required flatbed and less-than-truckload (LTL) capacity that was difficult to source.

Without integrated technology or a centralized strategy, securing capacity, coordinating shipments, and managing exceptions depended on manual processes and local relationships. The siloed structure created inconsistency and reduced visibility, hindering USG’s ability to control costs or scale.

USG was becoming the largest gypsum manufacturer in North America and was quickly growing its global footprint. Leaders recognized the need for a more modern and unified approach to shipping their products. In its 101st year of business, USG looked to the future, launching a multi-year initiative to transform its supply chain, starting with transportation management.

USG’s mission is to always search for a better way. Over 23 years, USG and Uber Freight have transformed a once-decentralized operation into a centralized, technology-driven supply chain that delivers global visibility, efficiency, and scalability.

Uber Freight has supported USG through scaling, restructuring, global expansion, market volatility, and its 2019 acquisition by Knauf. The partnership has endured because it’s not just between companies but also between people, with Uber Freight team members who have dedicated their careers to fostering this relationship.

“These minds know USG’s network, plants, carriers, and processes inside and out,” says Chris Meyers, Director of Transportation and Warehouse Operations at USG. “The Uber Freight team doesn’t just know freight; they know USG. Their tenure has fostered real trust. Across the company, USG team members know they can depend on Uber Freight team members to do the right thing. It’s why USG has turned to Uber Freight for support repeatedly over time.”

With nearly $550 million in annual transportation spend, USG captures savings of 11%–12% on rebid freight through Uber Freight’s managed transportation expertise, driving efficiency and cost optimization as market conditions allow. Since implementing a carrier manager into USG's business in 2022 to drive improved carrier compliance and performance among USG’s top 30 carriers, Uber Freight has helped increase in-transit check-call compliance by over 30%, resulting in better visibility of shipment status. USG now has end-to-end logistics visibility through Uber Freight TMS. The Public Tracking Portal is integrated with USG’s Salesforce and ERP systems, as well as MyUSG.com and MyCGC.com (USG’s Canadian arm), enabling customers to track orders directly. In 2024, USG's US tender acceptance rate was 94.49%; so far in 2025, it’s 95.29%. In Canada, it’s 99%. USG’s high tender acceptance rates support its drop-trailer strategy, which improves safety and reduces the laborious task of unloading live loads at plants.

International freight forwarding and customs management

• Uber Freight has moved more than 9k shipments and nearly 17k containers for USG.

• Delivered 10+ years of penalty-free customs compliance for USG by actively managing its customs strategy, guiding tariff analysis and duty savings, mitigating potential Customs Border Patrol (CBP) penalties, supporting post-summary corrections, and embedding best practices into USG's ongoing compliance program.

• 100% of USG's shipments to and from North America can be tracked and traced through Uber Freight's International Portal.