Houston Truck Dispatch

Houston freight starts at the water. Port Houston's container terminals, the refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel, and the warehouses that serve them make Houston one of the strongest outbound markets in the South. A truck that delivers here rarely waits long for the next load.

Much of what leaves Houston is plastic resin: small pellets made at the chemical plants, packed in bags on pallets or in boxes. It's heavy, it's steady, and it fills dry vans headed for factories all over the country. Add import containers, building materials and oilfield supplies, and you have a market that works for vans and flatbeds alike.

Port Houston's container terminals

Port Houston runs two container terminals, Barbours Cut and Bayport, both on the east side of the metro near La Porte and Pasadena. Truckers picking up or dropping containers there follow a few local rules, according to Port Houston:

• Gate hours. Gates are open Monday to Friday from 6 AM to 7 PM, with the ingate closing at 6 PM. Gates are closed on weekends unless an extended gate is requested.
• Appointments are mandatory. Port Houston requires an Express Pass appointment for truckers entering the container terminals.
• Holidays change the hours. Gates close or shorten hours on major holidays, so check the schedule before booking a pickup near one.

Hauling containers out of the terminals is drayage, and most over-the-road owner-operators don't do it. The over-the-road loads come from the warehouses where those containers get unloaded, and from the plants that ship resin out.

Houston's freight districts

Getting around Houston

• Toll roads ring the city. The Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), the Hardy Toll Road and others are run by the Harris County Toll Road Authority. A toll tag such as EZ TAG is the easy way to pay. Get toll coverage in writing.
• I-610 and I-45 near downtown jam up. Beltway 8 often saves time, even with the tolls.
• Plant gates have their own rules. Chemical plants and refineries often require safety gear and site check-in, and sometimes a safety video. Ask before you arrive.
• Rain floods streets fast. Even a summer storm can close underpasses. Watch the weather before heading into low areas.

Lanes out of Houston

Houston is a strong origin, so the outbound load is rarely the problem. The return can be. If you take a long run east or north, ask your dispatcher to look at the reload before you commit. A Dallas or San Antonio reload back toward Houston is often easier to find than a direct load from far away.

What a resin load looks like

Plastic resin is the freight that sets Houston apart. It ships in a few ways:

• Bags on pallets. The most common van load, stacked and shrink-wrapped.
• Large boxes or bulk bags. Heavy single units, loaded by forklift.
• Hopper trailers. Bulk resin in pneumatic trailers. That equipment isn't something we dispatch.

Shippers want a clean, dry trailer with no holes or loose floor boards, since spilled pellets ruin a load. Sweep out before you arrive.

Equipment that fits Houston

We don't book placarded hazmat, so loads of chemicals that need placards are out. Much plant freight, like packaged resin, isn't hazmat at all, and that's the freight we book.

Houston's seasons

• June to November: Hurricane season. A storm can close the port and flood roads, then bring a rush of relief and rebuilding freight.
• Summer: Heat and humidity, plus sudden storms that flood streets.
• Fall: The import peak through the port before the holidays.
• Winter: Mostly mild, though a rare freeze can close roads.

An east Houston van week on resin and retail

Here's a week a dispatcher might plan for a dry van based on the east side of Houston.

An example of how a week can be planned, not a promise of loads, rates or miles. Distances are rounded.

Houston checklist: gates, plants and resin weights

• For terminal pickups, confirm the Express Pass appointment and the gate hours.
• At chemical plants, ask about safety gear and check-in before you arrive.
• On resin loads, check the weight against your truck's legal limit.
• Confirm toll coverage on routes using Beltway 8 or other toll roads.
• In hurricane season, check the Gulf forecast before you book into Houston.

Booking Houston freight with us

Your dispatcher books Houston loads from the port-area warehouses, the Ship Channel plants and the north side distribution centers, and checks weight and toll terms before you say yes.

Statewide rules and lanes are on our Texas dispatch page, and the inland market is on the Dallas-Fort Worth page. Heading east on I-10? See Louisiana. To check the numbers on a heavy resin load, use the cost per mile calculator.