Texas Trucking Company

Texas has every kind of trucking company. Asset-based carriers run their own trucks on regular lanes, often with 53 ft trailers. LTL networks combine smaller shipments through terminals in the major cities. Oilfield carriers move pipe, equipment and materials in the Permian Basin and along the Gulf Coast. Border carriers handle freight crossing at Laredo and El Paso. Expedited and hot shot carriers send one truck for one urgent load. Freight brokers book any of these for a shipper, which helps when you need a particular truck or a backup.

Ask the company for its USDOT number and, for interstate for-hire freight, its MC number. Look both up in FMCSA's public records. The listing shows the legal name, address, whether operating authority is active, the type of authority held and the insurance on file. Compare the name and phone number with the company you are speaking to, since fraudsters sometimes borrow a real carrier's identity. Then read its safety data and inspection history. A few minutes of checking before you book a Texas trucking company shows whether it is registered and whether it is the carrier or a broker.

Carriers that haul freight for hire only within Texas register with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and must carry the insurance the state requires. Carriers that cross state lines register with FMCSA and hold federal operating authority, shown by an MC number, along with a USDOT number. Many Texas carriers do both. When you check a company before booking, look at the records that match the trip. A load from Houston to Dallas may be intrastate, while a load from Dallas to Oklahoma City is interstate and falls under federal authority.

Transit depends on distance, the type of truck and federal limits on driver hours. Houston to Dallas or San Antonio to Austin is usually a same-day drive for a dedicated truck. Houston to El Paso is much longer and can take more than a day with one driver. Traffic in the major cities, weather and dock appointments also affect timing. A dedicated truck drives straight from pickup to delivery, so it avoids the terminal stops that slow shared LTL shipments. Ask for a transit estimate with your quote rather than relying on distance alone.

Yes. Loads that exceed Texas legal limits for width, height, length or weight need an oversize or overweight permit from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before they move. Depending on the load, the permit can set the route, the hours the truck may travel and whether escort vehicles are required. Very large loads may need a route survey. Loads that leave Texas need permits from each state on the route as well. Shippers should give exact dimensions and weight when booking, so the truck and the permit can be planned together.

Yes. Containers at Port Houston are moved by drayage trucks to warehouses and yards around the Ship Channel, and drivers working inside port terminals generally need a TWIC card. Once freight is unloaded from a container, it can move onward in a dedicated truck such as a box truck, flatbed or dry van to anywhere in Texas or beyond. Steel and project cargo coming through the port often move on flatbeds. When you request a quote, share the pickup location, the freight's dimensions and weight, and any appointment times so the right truck can be booked.

Most freight crossing between Mexico and Texas at Laredo changes hands at the border. A Mexican carrier brings the trailer to the crossing, a short-haul transfer carrier moves it across, and a US carrier picks it up on the Texas side for the rest of the trip. Customs brokers on both sides clear the paperwork. The process adds steps and timing that shippers should plan for. Once the freight is cleared on the US side, it can move in a dedicated truck from Laredo to anywhere in Texas or the lower 48 states.

Start with the weight, dimensions and number of pieces, then think about how the freight is loaded and unloaded. A Sprinter van carries up to 3,000 lbs of small freight. A box truck carries up to 5,000 lbs, and a straight truck up to 9,000 lbs, often with a liftgate. A hot shot carries up to 16,000 lbs on an open deck and is common for oilfield loads. A 53 ft dry van takes up to 42,000 lbs, and a full flatbed up to 48,000 lbs. Giving exact numbers when you request a quote lets the right truck be booked the first time.

A trucking company, or motor carrier, owns or leases trucks and employs or contracts the drivers who haul freight. It holds motor carrier operating authority from FMCSA. A freight broker does not haul freight. It arranges the move by booking a licensed carrier for your load, then manages the shipment through delivery under its own broker authority. Many Texas shippers use both. They call a carrier they know for regular freight and use a broker when they need a truck found quickly, a different truck size, or a backup when their usual carrier is full.

This page is written for shippers, but many people searching for Texas trucking companies are drivers. Drivers can start with the careers pages of carriers with terminals in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso, CDL training schools and the Texas Workforce Commission. Oilfield and hot shot work is common in West Texas. Job boards list local, regional and over-the-road openings, and FMCSA records show a carrier's safety history before you apply. For shippers, the rest of this page covers how to choose a trucking company and book a truck.