Idaho LTL Freight Rates & Quotes

Shipping LTL freight to or from Idaho? Rates depend on your specific route, freight class, and how close your pickup or delivery point is to the nearest LTL terminal. Idaho has about 2.0 million residents, most of them in the Treasure Valley around Boise, and it is long and narrow: I-84 crosses the southern half of the state from Oregon to Utah, while the northern panhandle is reached by I-90 and by US 95, which runs about 539 miles through Idaho from the Nevada line to Canada. Here’s what actually affects your rate.

LTL trucking regulations in Idaho

A standard LTL tractor-trailer within legal size and weight limits does not need a special permit in Idaho. Permits and weighing rules matter for oversize or overweight freight, and Idaho has a few that surprise shippers:

• Special permits are issued online. The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) issues oversize and overweight permits through its online system at Permits4Idaho, and a new customer account has to be created by calling the permit office. Fees and road-use charges depend on the load, so check the permit system before you move.
• Ports of entry are part of the route. ITD operates eleven ports of entry, including East Boise and Declo on I-84, Inkom and Sage Junction on I-15 and Huetter on I-90. ITD’s trucker guidance has said that trucks of 26,001 pounds or more must stop at an open port, and hazmat and livestock loads must stop at a lower weight, so confirm the current rule with ITD.
• One port is closed for construction. ITD says the Lewiston port of entry is closed for renovation, which will continue into early 2027, so confirm which port a driver will use on that corridor.
• Heavier trucks are allowed on designated routes. Idaho lets carriers run up to 129,000 pounds on routes the state has approved, with an annual permit, and the approved routes do not include the interstate system.

Current permit rules and port locations are public record:

ITD permits guide →   Permits4Idaho →   ITD ports of entry →

What affects your Idaho LTL rate

• Freight class — density, handling, and liability determine your NMFC class, the single biggest factor in your rate. See our freight class guide.
• Distance — I-84 runs about 276 miles across Idaho, I-15 about 196 miles and US 95 about 539 miles, so a lane from Boise to Coeur d’Alene or from Idaho Falls to Lewiston is a long haul, and the panhandle can feel like a different market from the Treasure Valley.
• Metro vs. rural — Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Twin Falls, Pocatello and Idaho Falls are well served by carriers, while the mountain towns of central Idaho and much of the panhandle typically see fewer terminals and options.
• Terminal proximity — the more carrier terminals near your pickup or delivery point, the more quotes you see.
• Accessorials — liftgate, residential, or inside delivery add to the base rate, same as anywhere else, and farm, ranch and resort-area deliveries often need a limited-access or liftgate service.

Did you know?From 6 real Idaho lanes and 30 quotes

1. 5× the cost per mile

   The shorter haul cost far more per mile

   A 350 lb shipment moving 475 miles (Salem, OR to Kuna, ID) had a lowest quote of $388, or $0.82 a mile. A 47 lb shipment moving 2,681 miles (Medley, FL to Heyburn, ID) had a lowest quote of $465, or $0.17 a mile.

2. $889 to arrive 3 days sooner

   Speed has a price

   On Lancaster, NY to Preston, ID (1,941 miles, 800 lb), the cheapest quote at $917 took 9 days. The fastest, at 6 days, cost $1,807. On Salem, OR to Kuna, ID, 1-day delivery cost $584 against $388 for 5 days.

3. 4 carriers had the lowest quote

   Four different carriers won six Idaho lanes

   AAA Cooper and Central Transport each had the lowest quote on two lanes. ABF Freight and Warp each had the lowest quote on one lane. Across the lowest quotes on every lane, 14 different carriers appeared.

4. $1,605 from lowest to fifth-lowest

   Same shipment, quotes $1,605 apart

   For 800 lb from Lancaster, NY to Preston, ID (1,941 miles), the lowest quote was $917 and the fifth-lowest was $2,522, a 175% gap.

Get quotes for your lane →

Where freight moves in Idaho

Idaho freight follows its interstates and the river valleys they use:

• The Treasure Valley — Boise, Meridian and Nampa along I-84, the state’s largest market, with Ada County alone at about 546,000 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
• The Magic Valley — Twin Falls and the Snake River Plain along I-84 and US 93, the center of Idaho’s dairy and food-processing economy.
• Eastern Idaho — Pocatello and Idaho Falls along I-15 and I-86, the route to Utah and Montana.
• North Idaho — Coeur d’Alene and the panhandle along I-90 and US 95, with the Bonners Ferry port of entry on the road to Canada.
• Lewiston and the Clearwater Valley — US 12 and US 95 around Lewiston, home to the state’s inland river port.

Weather and transit reliability

Idaho freight is exposed to mountain passes in winter and to wildfire in summer, and US 95 has few alternatives. On August 2, 2026, the lightning-sparked Tartar Fire near Weiser grew by 80,000 acres in a night to about 95,000 acres, and both lanes of US 95 were closed from Midvale Hill at milepost 94 to Park Street in Weiser, with traffic detoured onto Manns Creek Road, according to KIVI. The highway reopened later, but the closure showed how a single fire can cut the main north-south route through the state. For LTL shippers the practical advice is simple: during winter storms and wildfire season, build extra transit time into anything that crosses the mountains or follows US 95, and check Idaho 511 before a tight delivery.

Sample Idaho LTL rates by route

Real quotes pulled from our platform for six different Idaho lanes — same process, different carriers each time, spanning a range of weights and distances. Rates shift with capacity and fuel costs, so treat these as a snapshot rather than a guarantee for your shipment; get an instant quote for your exact route.

Rate, transit, and price-per-mile summary

Pulling the six lanes above together, an 800 lb move from Lancaster, New York to Preston, Idaho stands out from everything else in the data:

Route	Distance	Weight	Price range	Transit range	Price per mile
Salem, OR → Kuna, ID	475 mi	350 lb	$388–$752	1–5 days	$0.82–$1.58
Visalia, CA → Twin Falls, ID	786 mi	800 lb	$623–$978	2–3 days	$0.79–$1.24
Lancaster, NY → Preston, ID	1,941 mi	800 lb	$917–$2,522	6–9 days	$0.47–$1.30
Opelika, AL → Idaho Falls, ID	1,957 mi	225 lb	$436–$579	5–6 days	$0.22–$0.30
Weiser, ID → Roebuck, SC	2,348 mi	280 lb	$672–$840	4–9 days	$0.29–$0.36
Medley, FL → Heyburn, ID	2,681 mi	47 lb	$465–$578	5–8 days	$0.17–$0.22

Lancaster to Preston (1,941 miles, 800 lb) had the widest spread, $1,604.90 or 175%, and it split into two tiers: ABF Freight’s 9-day $917.45 was $884.22 below the next quote, and the other four ran $1,801.67–$2,522.35. On that lane R+L Carriers’ 6-day $1,806.91 cost just $5.24 more than Ward Transport & Logistics’ 8-day $1,801.67 to save two days. Distance did not set the price. Medley, Florida to Heyburn (2,681 miles, 47 lb) was the longest lane yet the cheapest per mile, at $0.17–$0.22, while Salem, Oregon to Kuna (475 miles, 350 lb) was the shortest and cost $0.82–$1.58 per mile. On Salem to Kuna, Warp’s 5-day $388.22 was $196.25 below the next quote, and AAA Cooper’s 1-day $584.47 cost $57.80 less than ABF Freight’s 5-day $642.27. Visalia, California to Twin Falls was tight, with all five quotes within $354.87 and every one 2 to 3 days, and TForce Freight’s 2-day $783.47 cost only $2.39 more than AAA Cooper’s 3-day $781.08. On Opelika, Alabama to Idaho Falls, four of the five quotes were 5-day service, and Central Transport’s $435.54 was $44.96 below the next. The only Idaho-origin lane, Weiser to Roebuck, South Carolina (2,348 miles, 280 lb), ran $672.44–$840.46, with Estes’s 4-day $770.42 costing $97.98 more than AAA Cooper’s 5-day $672.44, and XPO’s 9-day $773.69 was the slowest at just $3.27 more than Estes. The lesson is the same on every lane: compare several carriers before you book.

Major shipping hubs in Idaho

Idaho’s freight moves through a handful of metro areas and one unusual inland port:

• Boise & the Treasure Valley — the main carrier, warehouse and distribution market, with the East Boise port of entry 11 miles east of Boise on I-84.
• Twin Falls — the Magic Valley hub on I-84, with the Hollister port of entry 21 miles south on US 93.
• Pocatello & Idaho Falls — the eastern Idaho hubs on I-15, with the Inkom and Sage Junction ports of entry.
• Coeur d’Alene — the north Idaho hub on I-90, with the Huetter port of entry two miles west of the city.
• Port of Lewiston — situated 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the most inland port on the West Coast and the end of the Columbia-Snake River system, where an inland barge service moves bulk commodities. See the Port of Lewiston.

Highway corridors serving Idaho

I-84 (about 276 miles in Idaho) is the main east-west route, from the Oregon line through Boise, Twin Falls and Burley to the Utah border. I-15 (about 196 miles) runs north from Utah through Pocatello and Idaho Falls to Montana, and I-86 (about 63 miles) links Pocatello to I-84. I-90 (about 74 miles) crosses the panhandle through Coeur d’Alene, and US 95 (about 539 miles) is the long north-south road linking the south of the state to the panhandle and Canada.

Ports of entry on Idaho’s main routes

ITD lists eleven ports of entry: Bonners Ferry (US 95 and US 2), Huetter (I-90), Lewiston Hill and Lewiston (US 95 and US 12), Horseshoe Bend (SH 55), Marsing (US 95), East Boise (I-84), Hollister (US 93), Declo (I-84), Inkom and Sage Junction (I-15). Heavier trucks should plan for weigh-station stops on these routes, and the closed Lewiston port is expected to reopen in early 2027. See the ITD ports of entry page for locations and phone numbers.

What Idaho shippers move

Idaho’s freight is shaped by food, farming and technology. The state exported $4.6 billion of goods in 2025, the 43rd most of any state, led by $964 million of food products, $812 million of computer and electronic products, $654 million of chemicals, $323 million of primary metals and $261 million of machinery. Canada took $1.8 billion, or 39% of the total, followed by Taiwan at $417 million, Mexico and Singapore at $291 million each and Malaysia at $276 million, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. Idaho is also the 21st largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $2.8 billion abroad in 2024, led by $644 million of other plant products, $630 million of dairy products and $366 million of processed vegetables. Much of this moves in full truckloads, by container or by rail, but the parts, tools, supplies and finished goods around these industries are where LTL fits.

Idaho LTL freight: frequently asked questions

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