San Francisco to Seattle freight
Lifetime Logistics Services LLC moves San Francisco to Seattle freight from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma on our own 53 foot dry vans and through vetted partner carriers. The run is about 787 miles over Interstate 80, Interstate 505 and Interstate 5, and transit is two days. Send your pickup, delivery and weight through the quote form and we will come back with a rate.
From our dispatch records
- Distance
- About 787 miles
- Typical transit
- Two days
- How often we run it
- Booked as needed
- Trailer types
- Dry van, flatbed, power only
- Who hauls it
- Partner carriers we vet, dispatched by our own desk
The route
- Road miles
- Driving time
- Transit, one driver
- Main highways
- Interstate 80, Interstate 505, Interstate 5
| Trailer | Typical transit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dry van or power only | Two days | Dock to dock; a drop trailer saves the waiting time at either end. |
| Flatbed | Two days | Allow time to tarp and secure; oversize pieces travel in daylight only, which can add a day. |
| Box truck or cargo van | Two days | For a short shipment that should not wait for a full trailer. |
What heads north from the Bay to Puget Sound
This lane joins two of the major port regions on the Pacific coast, so a good share of what can load in the San Francisco Bay Area for Seattle and Tacoma is freight that has just crossed an ocean or is about to. A container unloaded at the Port of Oakland can become a full dry van bound for a warehouse near the Port of Tacoma, and goods made or packed around the Bay can feed distribution centers that serve Washington.
Because both ends sit in the Pacific time zone, a shipper in Oakland and a receiver in Tacoma work the same clock, which keeps appointment setting simple. A full truckload makes sense on this road when the freight fills or nearly fills a 53 foot trailer, or when it is too heavy, too tall or too time sensitive to sit through a consolidated move that touches several terminals on the way north.
Interstate 80, Interstate 505 and the long run up Interstate 5
The truck leaves the Bay on Interstate 80 heading northeast, then turns north onto Interstate 505, a short connector that lets a driver reach Interstate 5 without working through slower roads. From there it is Interstate 5 nearly the whole way: up the length of northern California, over Siskiyou Summit into Oregon, across Oregon and into Washington.
Northbound, Tacoma comes before Seattle, so a load delivering at the Port of Tacoma or a Tacoma warehouse finishes a little sooner than one going into Seattle itself. The whole trip is about 787 miles and roughly 15 hours of driving, which is more than one driver can legally put in during a single shift, so we plan it as two days with a rest break built into the schedule.
Siskiyou Summit and winter near the Oregon line
Siskiyou Summit is the highest point on all of Interstate 5 at about 4,300 feet, and it sits just north of the California and Oregon line. When winter storms come through, chain controls go up and the pass can close outright, which can hold a truck on either side until crews reopen the road.
For a load shipping between late fall and early spring, we check the summit forecast before the truck rolls and tell the shipper and receiver early if a storm looks likely to push the delivery back. A driver who chains up or waits out a closure loses hours, not cargo, and we would rather move an appointment by a day than send a truck over a pass that is not ready for it.
Port of Oakland at one end, Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma at the other
On the pickup side, the Port of Oakland and the rail ramps near it, UP Oakland intermodal and BNSF Oakland International Gateway, are where freight comes into the Bay Area by ship or train before it is reloaded into a truck. Freight landing there that needs to reach Washington more directly than another rail move can go straight into a 53 foot van and head north on the interstate.
At the delivery end the options widen: the Port of Seattle, the Port of Tacoma, BNSF Seattle International Gateway, UP Argo in Seattle, and the BNSF and UP intermodal yards in Tacoma. When the receiver is a port terminal or a rail facility, we confirm its gate hours and appointment rules ahead of time, because a truck that shows up after the gate closes waits until it opens again.
Choosing a trailer for a 787 mile run
Our own trucks are 53 foot dry vans, and for palletized or boxed freight that has to stay dry and covered, that is usually the trailer we suggest first. On the interstates in California, Oregon and Washington the gross limit is 80,000 pounds, which leaves room for about 44,000 to 45,000 pounds of freight in a 53 foot dry van, so a dense load should be weighed against that number before it is booked.
Through vetted partner carriers we also arrange flatbed for freight that loads from the side or top or will not fit through a van door, power only for shippers who already have a loaded trailer and need a tractor to pull it to Washington, and box trucks for smaller shipments or docks where a full tractor trailer cannot fit. Tell us the weight, the pallet count and the dimensions, and we will say which one suits the load.
How we cover the lane and book your load
Coverage on this run comes from two places: the 53 foot dry vans we dispatch ourselves and the partner carriers in our network that already run Interstate 5 between California and Washington. Our dispatch desk in Covina matches your pickup date to a truck headed north, checks that the carrier is one we have vetted, and sends you the driver and truck details before pickup.
To book, send the pickup and delivery addresses, the commodity, the weight and the trailer you want through the quote form, and we come back with a rate. I stay on the load from the first call until the signed delivery receipt is in hand, so if Siskiyou Summit closes or a gate in Tacoma runs behind, you hear it from me instead of finding out at the dock.
Questions shippers ask
- How much does a truckload from San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma cost?
- The rate depends on the trailer type, the weight, the pickup date and whether either end is a port terminal or rail yard with its own appointment rules. The run is about 787 miles over Interstate 80, Interstate 505 and Interstate 5, and a winter booking may need extra time for Siskiyou Summit. Send the details through the quote form and Lifetime Logistics Services LLC will reply with a number for your load.
- How long does San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma freight take?
- Plan on two days. The route is about 787 miles and roughly 15 hours of driving, which is longer than one driver can legally cover in a single shift, so the trip includes a rest break. The Bay Area and Seattle and Tacoma are both on Pacific time, so pickup and delivery appointments run on the same clock. Chain controls or a closure on Siskiyou Summit in winter can add time.
- Which trailer types run from San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma?
- We run our own 53 foot dry vans on this lane and arrange flatbed, power only and box truck loads through vetted partner carriers. A 53 foot dry van carries about 44,000 to 45,000 pounds of freight under the 80,000 pound gross limit on the interstates in California, Oregon and Washington. Tell us the weight, the dimensions and how the freight loads, and we will match the trailer to it.
- Do you carry freight from San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma if you have not run it before?
- Yes. Our dispatch desk covers this lane with the 53 foot dry vans we run ourselves or with vetted partner carriers that already work Interstate 5 between California and Washington. You get the driver and truck details before pickup, and I stay with the load from the first call through the signed delivery receipt in Seattle or Tacoma, including any port or rail yard appointment at the delivery end.
- Does weather on Siskiyou Summit delay San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and Tacoma freight?
- It can. Siskiyou Summit is the highest point on Interstate 5 at about 4,300 feet, and winter storms there bring chain controls and sometimes full closures. A truck that has to chain up or wait for the road to reopen loses hours. In the winter months we check the summit forecast before dispatch and tell both the shipper and the receiver early if a storm is likely to move the delivery.
Ready to price a load?
Send the quote form or call us. Quotes within 15 minutes, Monday to Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific; operations team available 24/7 for active loads.