Montana LTL Freight Rates & Quotes

Shipping less-than-truckload (LTL) freight to or from Montana? Rates depend on your specific route, freight class, and how close your pickup or delivery point is to the nearest LTL terminal. Montana has about 1.1 million residents spread over one of the largest states in the country, so distances are long and terminals are far apart. I-90 runs about 552 miles across the south of the state, I-94 about 250 miles along the Yellowstone River, I-15 about 396 miles from Idaho through Great Falls to Canada, and US 2, the “Hi-Line,” about 667 miles across the north. Here’s what actually affects your rate.

LTL trucking regulations in Montana

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

• Legal size limits are set in state law. Under the Montana Code, a vehicle may be up to 102 inches wide and 14 feet high, a semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination may be up to 53 feet long, and twin trailers may be up to 28½ feet each and 61 feet combined, with no overall combination length limit for those configurations.
• Permits are ordered online or by phone. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) says a permit is required for a load that exceeds the legal width, length, height or weight. Permits can be ordered through its MT eTRIPS system or by calling 406-444-7262, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and carriers not registered in Montana may also need a temporary fuel or licensing permit.
• Single-trip overweight fees depend on distance. Under state law, a single-trip permit for a load over the allowable gross weight but within axle limits costs $10 for up to 100 miles, $30 for 101 to 199 miles and $50 for 200 miles or more.
• Winter permits allow extra weight. A wintertime permit costs $50 per vehicle and is valid for 30 days or until March 7, and a durational permit costs $150 and is valid from December 1 to March 7, each allowing weights up to 10% above the normal limit.
• Trucks stop at open weigh stations. Under state rules, vehicles that meet the weight and size requirements must stop at weigh stations displaying an open sign unless they are authorized to bypass, so heavier LTL trucks should expect scale stops on the main interstates.

Current rules and fees are public record:

MDT permits for commercial motor carriers →   Montana permit fee law (61-10-125) →   Montana vehicle length law (61-10-104) →

What affects your Montana 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 — Montana is big: I-90 alone runs about 552 miles, and a lane from Billings to Kalispell or from Great Falls to Missoula crosses mountain passes and long stretches with few towns.
• Metro vs. rural — Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman and Helena are the main carrier markets, while the Hi-Line, the eastern plains and the mountain valleys typically see fewer terminals and options.
• Terminal proximity — the more carrier terminals near your pickup or delivery point, the more quotes you see, and in rural Montana that distance can be 100 miles or more.
• Accessorials — liftgate, residential, or inside delivery add to the base rate, same as anywhere else, and ranch, farm and resort-area deliveries often need a limited-access or liftgate service.

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

1. 6× the cost per mile

   The shorter haul cost far more per mile

   A 200 lb shipment moving 918 miles (Kalispell, MT to Gypsum, CO) had a lowest quote of $956, or $1.04 a mile. A 130 lb shipment moving 1,542 miles (Bozeman, MT to Solgohachia, AR) had a lowest quote of $290, or $0.19 a mile.

2. $274 to arrive one day sooner

   Saving a day is not free

   On Libby, MT to Gillette, WY (767 miles, 1,000 lb), the cheapest quote at $450 took 3 days. The fastest, at 2 days, cost $724. On Bozeman, MT to Solgohachia, AR, 4-day delivery cost $378 against $290 for 7 days.

3. 4 carriers had the lowest quote

   Four different carriers won six Montana lanes

   AAA Cooper and Estes each had the lowest quote on two lanes. Central Transport and Saia each had the lowest quote on one lane. Across the lowest quotes on every lane, 10 different carriers appeared.

4. $445 from lowest to fifth-lowest

   Same shipment, quotes $445 apart

   For 1,000 lb from Libby, MT to Gillette, WY (767 miles), the lowest quote was $450 and the fifth-lowest was $895, a 99% gap.

Get quotes for your lane →

Where freight moves in Montana

Montana freight follows its interstates, its river valleys and the Hi-Line:

• Billings & southeast Montana — the state’s largest city, where I-90 and I-94 meet the roads north to the Hi-Line, serving the Yellowstone Valley and the eastern plains.
• Western Montana — Missoula, Kalispell and the Flathead Valley along I-90 and US 93, the route to Idaho and Canada.
• Southwest Montana — Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, Butte and Helena, where I-90 and I-15 meet.
• Central Montana — Great Falls and I-15, the road north to the Canadian border at Sweetgrass.
• The Hi-Line — US 2 across northern Montana through Havre and Glasgow, with fewer carriers and longer delivery windows.

Weather and transit reliability

Montana freight is exposed to winter storms and high wind on its main interstate links. On February 13, 2025, drifting snow and strong winds closed I-90 in both directions at Livingston, and MDT closed I-90 East at Exit 330 and I-90 West at Exit 337, detouring traffic through town, with traffic backed up in both directions, according to Montana Right Now. Livingston’s open stretch of I-90 is a known wind corridor, and MDT can close it or detour certain vehicles when crosswinds are dangerous. For LTL shippers the practical advice is simple: during winter storms, build extra transit time into anything that crosses the passes or follows the Hi-Line, and check MDT 511 before a tight delivery.

Sample Montana LTL rates by route

Real quotes pulled from our platform for six different Montana lanes — same process, different carriers each time, all starting in Montana and 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, a 200 lb move from Kalispell to Gypsum, Colorado stands out from everything else in the data:

Route	Distance	Weight	Price range	Transit range	Price per mile
Billings, MT → Deer Park, WA	557 mi	580 lb	$275–$375	2–7 days	$0.49–$0.67
Libby, MT → Gillette, WY	767 mi	1,000 lb	$450–$895	2–9 days	$0.59–$1.17
Kalispell, MT → Gypsum, CO	918 mi	200 lb	$956–$1,250	3–8 days	$1.04–$1.36
Missoula, MT → Kiel, WI	1,498 mi	1,500 lb	$529–$711	4–5 days	$0.35–$0.47
Bozeman, MT → Solgohachia, AR	1,542 mi	130 lb	$290–$378	4–8 days	$0.19–$0.25
Billings, MT → Charlotte Court House, VA	1,991 mi	193 lb	$725–$1,131	5–7 days	$0.36–$0.57

Kalispell to Gypsum (918 miles, 200 lb) was the most expensive per mile, at $1.04–$1.36, and its lowest quote of $956.13 was higher than the lowest on Billings to Charlotte Court House, Virginia ($724.54), which is 1,073 miles longer. It was also higher than the lowest on Missoula to Kiel, Wisconsin ($529.26), a 1,500 lb shipment, by $426.87. Four of the five Kalispell quotes were within $71.41 of each other, and Forward Air’s 8-day $1,249.51 was $221.97 above XPO’s 4-day $1,027.54. At the other end, Bozeman to Solgohachia, Arkansas (1,542 miles, 130 lb) was the cheapest per mile at $0.19–$0.25, and XPO’s 5-day $364.37 cost just $0.93 more than FedEx Freight Economy’s 8-day $363.44 to save three days. Libby to Gillette, Wyoming (767 miles, 1,000 lb) had the widest spread, $444.92 or 99%: XPO’s 9-day $472.96 cost only $22.48 more than AAA Cooper’s 3-day $450.48, while Old Dominion Freight Line’s 2-day $724.29 was $211.17 above FedEx Freight Priority’s 4-day $513.12 and ABF Freight’s 7-day $895.40 was the slowest and the highest. On Billings to Deer Park, Washington, AAA Cooper’s 3-day $274.62 was $59.30 below Central Transport’s 2-day $333.92, and TForce Freight’s 7-day $375.24 was both the slowest and the highest. On Missoula to Kiel the top two quotes, Saia’s $529.26 and AAA Cooper’s $535.60, were both 4-day service and $6.34 apart. On Billings to Charlotte Court House, Estes’s 5-day $724.54 and XPO’s 5-day $1,131.20 had the same transit time, $406.66 apart. The lesson is the same on every lane: compare several carriers before you book.

Major shipping hubs in Montana

Montana’s freight moves through a handful of small metro areas and one main border crossing:

• Billings — the largest city, with about 121,000 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2024 estimate, and the main hub for the southeast and the Yellowstone Valley.
• Missoula — about 78,000 residents and the hub for western Montana.
• Great Falls — about 60,000 residents, on I-15 in central Montana.
• Bozeman — about 58,000 residents and one of the state’s fastest-growing markets, in the Gallatin Valley.
• Butte, Helena & Kalispell — about 35,000, 35,000 and 31,000 residents, serving southwest, central and northwest Montana.
• Sweetgrass — where I-15 crosses into Alberta and long the main truck crossing on the Montana-Canada border, which is Montana’s largest export market.

Highway corridors serving Montana

I-90 (about 552 miles in Montana) is the main east-west route, from Wyoming through Billings, Butte and Missoula to Idaho at Lookout Pass. I-94 (about 250 miles) runs from Billings northeast to North Dakota, and I-15 (about 396 miles) runs north from Idaho through Butte, Helena and Great Falls to Canada. US 2 (about 667 miles) is the Hi-Line across the north, US 87 (about 444 miles) links Billings to Great Falls and Havre, and US 93 (about 288 miles) runs through Missoula and the Flathead Valley.

Livingston wind and the I-90 detour

The stretch of I-90 around Livingston, between Exit 330 and Exit 337, is one of the state’s best-known wind corridors, and it is a recurring spot for wind closures between Bozeman and Billings. When it closes, traffic is routed through town, which can add hours to a lane. Check the MDT 511 map for closures, detours and chain requirements before a tight delivery.

What Montana shippers move

Montana’s freight is shaped by farming, energy and minerals. The state exported $2.1 billion of goods in 2025, the 46th most of any state and up 51% from 2015, led by $363 million of chemicals, $249 million of machinery, $177 million of transportation equipment and $158 million of petroleum and coal products. Canada took $958 million, or 45% of the total, followed by South Korea at $180 million, Japan at $148 million, Belgium at $98 million and Mexico at $74 million, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. Montana is also the 32nd largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $1.5 billion abroad in 2024, led by $597 million of wheat, $195 million of beef and veal and $138 million of other plant products. Much of this moves in full truckloads, by rail or by pipeline, but the parts, tools, supplies and finished goods around these industries are where LTL fits.

Montana LTL freight: frequently asked questions

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