For a combined total of 100 years, a family business has been hauling milk all over Wisconsin. However, Schwartz Trucking is now making its final rounds. Hauling milk has been a lifelong career for Tom Schwartz who started in 1974, just two months after graduating high school. His father asked him if he wanted to haul milk, and that was the beginning of his journey.
“I can still remember the first farm I picked up, which was also the last farm I picked up,” says Schwartz. “It’s an everyday thing and the farmers are your second family.”
The milk industry has changed a lot over the years, with farms getting bigger and bigger. When he first started, Schwartz picked up 20 farms a day and 38,000 pounds of milk. Now at the time of his retirement, he was hauling 150,000 pounds of milk for 15 farms.
“Being a milk hauler is a tough job that requires sacrifice and long hours.,” Schwartz explains. “Milk haulers work seven days a week, and it’s hard to get time off, even on Christmas. However, it’s also a rewarding job. If you can stick with the job and do a good job, it’s a career that can last a lifetime.”
Schwartz said the people he works with are what make the job worth it. However, 50 years and 10 grandchildren later, Schwartz said it’s time for him to retire.
One piece of advice he has for younger generations interested in being a milk hauler is to be prepared to make sacrifices.
Schwartz says a close friend is taking on the business, but he’s open to helping out still if needed.
