Truck Dispatch by State

We dispatch owner-operators in all of the lower 48 states. The pages below cover the states where the most truck freight starts and ends, with what each one ships, its main lanes, the rules that catch out-of-state drivers and the equipment that fits best. Every number comes from a public source, mostly the federal Freight Analysis Framework, port authorities and state agencies.

Dispatch is remote. We're an online service registered in New York, with no local offices. Your dispatcher works each state's market through load boards and the brokers who move its freight, and talks to you by phone or text wherever you are.

States we cover in depth

Tonnage is from the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF6, base year 2022) from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "More leaves" or "more arrives" compares truck tons going to and coming from other states, which hints at how easy outbound loads are to find.

Don't see your state? We still dispatch there. These 32 pages cover the states where there's enough freight to say something specific and useful. The rest of the lower 48 are served the same way, through the same dispatchers.

Freight hub cities

A few metros have their own freight story: a port, a border crossing or a rail hub. These get their own pages, with local districts, rules and lanes:

• Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Laredo
• West Coast: Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
• Midwest: Chicago, Indianapolis and Columbus
• Southeast: Atlanta, Savannah, Memphis and Charlotte
• Northeast: North Jersey and Port Newark

A short guide to regional freight

Freight in the U.S. follows a few big regional patterns. Knowing them helps you decide where to run, where to reload and where a high rate might be a trap.

Texas and the South Central states

Texas is the largest truck freight state by tonnage, but most of its freight stays inside Texas. Northbound freight from Mexico funnels through Laredo and up I-35, and the Gulf Coast plants around Houston ship plastics and packaged goods. West Texas pays well to enter and is far from the next load. The Rio Grande Valley is a reefer market in winter and spring.

The West Coast

California ships more truck freight to other states than it receives, which makes it one of the best outbound markets in the country. Imports from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and produce from the Central and Salinas valleys head east on I-10, I-15, I-40 and I-80. The catch is California's own rules, including CARB's Clean Truck Check and a 55 mph truck speed limit, and freight back into the state is thinner.

The Midwest and Great Lakes

Chicago is the center of the country's rail network, so containers from both coasts come off trains there and leave on trucks. Indiana, Ohio and Michigan trade steel and auto parts back and forth on short runs, which suits flatbedders and drivers who want to stay regional. Downstate Illinois, Indiana and Ohio add grain and food freight, much of it in harvest season.

The Southeast

Atlanta is the distribution hub for the region, with Savannah's port feeding it. Freight from Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee mostly crosses one state line, so runs are short to medium. Florida is the exception: it takes in far more truck freight than it ships out, so loads into Florida pay well and getting out takes planning.

The Northeast

The Northeast is the country's densest consumer market. Imports from the Port of New York and New Jersey and goods from Pennsylvania's I-81 and Lehigh Valley warehouses feed New York City, New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Runs are short and tolls are high, so the rate per hour often matters more than the rate per mile. New York City deliveries usually need a shorter trailer or a box truck.

What changes from state to state

The truck is the same in every state, but the cost of running it isn't. Three things change the most:

None of these are reasons to avoid a state. They're reasons to price loads in that state correctly. A load through Pennsylvania needs a higher rate than the same miles in Texas to leave you the same profit.

How to use these pages

• Before you run a new state, read its rules section. California, New York and Pennsylvania each have costs or permits that catch out-of-state drivers.
• Before you book into a state, check whether more freight leaves or arrives. A great rate into a state where more arrives can cost you on the way out.
• When you plan fuel, remember that IFTA taxes the miles you drive in each state. Our IFTA calculator lists every state's diesel rate for the current quarter.
• When rates look good, compare them with your costs using the load profit calculator, and check national trends on our monthly rates page.

How state-by-state dispatch works with us

You tell your dispatcher your home base, the states and lanes you like, the ones you avoid, and your home time. Your dispatcher books loads that fit, checks each broker, negotiates the rate and plans the reload before you deliver. If a state needs a permit you don't have, like a New York HUT decal, we'll tell you before we book a load there, not after.

The fee is the same everywhere: a flat 6% of weekly gross for dry van, reefer, flatbed and power only, and 8% for box truck and hotshot. Loads picked up in your first 3 days are free, with no setup fees and no long-term contract. See pricing, how we work with owner-operators, or truck dispatch by equipment type.