Freight shipping in Boise

Boise as a freight market

Boise is the capital of Idaho and the center of the Treasure Valley, the farm and city country along the Boise and Snake rivers that runs west through Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell to the Oregon line. Interstate 84 runs the length of the valley, from Oregon in the west to Twin Falls, Utah and Salt Lake City in the east, and it is the only interstate; US 20 and US 26 continue east across the Snake River Plain, and State Route 55 climbs north into the mountains. The Union Pacific main line follows the interstate with its valley yard in Nampa, and the airport on the south side of Boise handles cargo.

The valley's freight is food and technology. Idaho's potato, sugar beet and dairy industries have their processing plants in Nampa, Caldwell and the towns around them, and a large food company and a large memory chip maker both have their headquarters in Boise, the chip maker with a major fabrication plant under construction. Distribution has followed the population: Meridian is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and fulfillment and distribution buildings have gone up in Nampa and along the interstate.

What our records show here

Boise is the plainest case of a lane our own drivers run. This year we have delivered into the Treasure Valley several times, mostly 53 foot dry vans with a few power only moves, all from the Inland Empire, and every one of those loads was hauled by our own trucks. They delivered in Boise itself most often, and in Meridian, Nampa and the towns south of the city.

In our records it is a round trip: a truck carries a load north to Boise, then picks up a return load in the Magic Valley near Twin Falls, about 130 miles east, for the trip home to Los Angeles. That return is covered on the Idaho page. We did not pick up in the Boise area itself in the period, but a truck fresh off a delivery is two hours from where our return loads start, which is why we can cover this lane with our own fleet.

Two days from Southern California

Boise is about 840 miles from central Los Angeles and about 830 from the Inland Empire by the shortest road, US 395 up the Owens Valley and US 95 north across Nevada; Interstate 15 to Las Vegas and US 93 north through the Nevada desert to Twin Falls runs about 860 from the Inland Empire, and the all interstate way, Interstate 15 the length of Utah to Interstate 84 near Ogden, is closer to 1,000. Each of the three takes one driver two days under federal hours of service rules, and our loads took about 36 hours from pickup to delivery. US 93 is shorter and emptier, with long stretches between services; the Utah route has more truck stops and more snow.

From Salt Lake City it is about 340 miles on Interstate 84, a same day move; from Portland about 430 miles east on Interstate 84 through the Columbia Gorge and the Blue Mountains, a next day delivery; from Spokane about 400 miles down US 95.

Equipment we run to Boise

Dry vans mostly and power only sometimes, on our own trucks. The dry van trucking and power only trucking pages describe both. Because the lane is our own fleet, capacity is limited to our trucks on some weeks; if they are committed we will say so and line up a partner carrier checked through Highway. Flatbeds for the construction trades, the food plants and the chip plant build are arranged through partner carriers on request. We run no refrigerated trailers, so the potatoes and dairy that leave the valley in reefers are not freight we quote; the dry goods and packaging around them are.

Seasonal and local notes

Winter is the main risk on a Boise trip. Snow and wind shut Interstate 84 across southern Idaho now and then, Interstate 15 through Utah has the same problem, US 93 runs through long empty stretches of Nevada, and between November and March an extra half day is wise whenever storms are forecast. Boise itself gets snow from December into February. Summer brings wildfire smoke and occasional highway closures in the mountains north of the valley. Boise and the Treasure Valley keep Mountain Time, an hour ahead of California, so quote appointment times in local time.

Every Idaho load is dispatched from Covina, California, the only place we have an office.

Data center and heavy equipment freight

The semiconductor plant under construction in Boise and the valley's food plants and utilities bring transformers, switchgear, chillers and process equipment up Interstate 84 on flatbeds and lowboys. See the data center freight section for how we move that equipment and the permits an oversize piece needs through Nevada, Utah and Idaho.