Washington Truck Dispatch: Apples, Ports and Chain Rules

Washington has two freight economies split by the Cascade Mountains. West of them, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma move imports and exports through the Puget Sound. East of them, the orchards and farms of the Yakima, Wenatchee and Columbia valleys ship fruit, potatoes and grain. Getting between the two means crossing a mountain pass, and in winter that changes everything.

Washington takes in more truck freight than it sends out to other states. In 2022, about 48 million tons arrived by truck and about 36 million left, with Oregon by far the biggest partner both ways. Most loads leaving the state head south on I-5 or east on I-90 and I-84.

Chain rules come first

Washington's winter rules are strict. According to WSDOT's chain requirements for vehicles over 10,000 pounds:

• From November 1 to April 1, every vehicle over 10,000 lbs must carry chains over Washington's mountain passes, whether or not chains are required that day.
• You need at least two extra chains, in case conditions worsen or a chain breaks.
• Chains must be two-sided metal, not plastic, with at least one cross-chain on the road at all times.
• The rest of the year, chains are required only when posted.

Snoqualmie Pass on I-90, Stevens Pass on US-2 and White Pass on US-12 are where chain controls go up most often. If you can't chain up, you can't run Washington in winter. Our dispatchers ask before booking any winter load over the Cascades.

The Puget Sound ports

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma manage their container business together as the Northwest Seaport Alliance. The Port of Seattle reports that the alliance handled 3,156,598 TEUs in 2025, with 631,230 intermodal lifts. Many containers leave on trains for the Midwest, while the rest go by truck to warehouses in the Kent Valley, Fife, Sumner and DuPont.

East of the mountains: apples and more

The Washington Apple Commission says Washington growers produce 6 out of every 10 apples consumed in the United States. Apples are packed and stored in controlled-atmosphere warehouses, so they ship most of the year, not just at harvest. Add cherries in summer, pears, potatoes and onions from the Columbia Basin, and frozen potato products, and eastern Washington is a strong reefer origin.

In FAF6, the largest van, reefer and flatbed-type freight leaving Washington origins by truck in 2022 was nonmetal mineral products (about 21 million tons), other foodstuffs (about 17 million), other agricultural products (about 14 million) and wood products (about 12 million).

Lanes and reloads

Because more freight arrives than leaves, the outbound load out of the Seattle area is the one to plan first. Eastern Washington produce is often the better outbound option for reefers.

Washington freight by the numbers

Tonnage from the BTS Freight Analysis Framework (FAF6, base year 2022). Diesel tax from the IFTA, Inc. rate matrix.

Trailers that fit Washington freight

A Yakima reefer week in apple season

In apple season, a Yakima reefer can leave on a long load to Salt Lake City and come home on Idaho potato products.

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

Cherries, apples and mountain snow

• Winter: Chain season over the passes, and occasional closures of I-90 at Snoqualmie.
• Summer: Cherry season, which brings a short, busy run of reefer freight.
• Fall: Apple and pear harvest, plus potatoes, the strongest reefer season in the state.
• Year round: Port freight around Seattle and Tacoma, slower in years when imports dip.

Our seasonal freight calendar puts the Northwest harvest in national context.

What Washington miles cost

• Fuel tax. Washington diesel tax is 59.5 cents a gallon on the IFTA matrix for the 4th quarter of 2026, one of the higher rates in the West. The IFTA calculator shows the cost of your Washington miles.
• Chains. A good set of chains is a real cost. Count it in your cost per mile if you run the Northwest in winter.

Washington checklist: chains, passes and apple loads

• From November 1 to April 1, carry chains on every run over the passes.
• Check WSDOT pass reports before Snoqualmie, Stevens or White Pass in winter.
• On port-area pickups, confirm whether the load is at a warehouse or needs drayage.
• Line up the outbound load before delivering into the Seattle area.
• On apple and cherry loads, confirm temperature, pre-cooling and pallet counts.

Booking Washington freight with us

Washington freight splits at the Cascades. West of the mountains your dispatcher works the port-area warehouses, and east of them the apple, cherry and potato sheds. In winter, chains come first: no pass is booked until you confirm you carry them.

Oregon is Washington's biggest freight partner. See Oregon, plus California and Utah for the lanes south and east.