Truck dispatch in Wichita, KS

Wichita road weather right now

Freight in Wichita

The Greater Wichita Partnership's major employer list (September 2026) puts The Boeing Company (aircraft assemblies, 13,000 local workers) and Textron Aviation (Beechcraft and Cessna, 11,000) at the top. Koch, with its global headquarters here, has 3,000. Bosch (tools and appliances) and Johnson Controls (air conditioning) have 1,500 each, Bombardier 1,400, AGCO/Massey Ferguson (farm equipment) 1,100 and Cargill Meat Solutions 1,000, with Newell Brands' Coleman and Rubbermaid and Stanley Black & Decker at 800 each. KDOT's freight plan says the Wichita region builds more than 30% of the world's general aviation aircraft.

The Wichita Area MPO's 2020 freight plan says about 90% of freight in, out and through the region moves by truck. By weight, most outbound freight stays in Kansas (58%), followed by Texas (10%) and Oklahoma (6%). By value, Washington state leads (28%) because aircraft components built in Wichita ship to Boeing's final assembly plant in Renton by truck and rail. BNSF runs more than 30 trains a day through the region and Union Pacific about 5, carrying grain, coal, intermodal, autos and merchandise.

Major shippers and freight hubs

Listed for context from official sources. Fleetorica isn't affiliated with these companies, and we don't claim them as customers. Worker counts are from the Greater Wichita Partnership's list, updated September 2026.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Wichita run on: I-35 / Kansas Turnpike, I-135, I-235, US-54/400 (Kellogg), K-96, K-254, K-15, K-42.

I-35, the Kansas Turnpike, runs northeast to Emporia and Kansas City and south to the Oklahoma line toward Oklahoma City. I-135 heads north to Newton and Salina, where it meets I-70, and I-235 loops around the west and north sides of the city. US-54/400 (Kellogg) crosses Wichita east to west and runs past Eisenhower airport, K-96 heads northwest toward Hutchinson, and K-254 runs northeast toward El Dorado.

KDOT's 2017 freight plan counts about 6,510 trucks a day on I-135 between the K-254/K-96 interchange and I-35 (7% of traffic) and 3,920 on US-54/400 between Rock Road and Maize Road, both congested at certain times of day. WAMPO's 2020 plan lists ten bottlenecks, mostly interchanges such as I-235/US-54, I-235/K-42, I-35/K-96/I-235, I-135/US-54 and I-135/K-254, and says I-35 carries more than 3,000 trucks a day through the region.

Lane planner: what a load out of Wichita really pays

Pick a lane, type the broker's offer, and see your miles, driving time, fuel and what's left after dispatch.

Miles are estimates (straight-line distance × 1.13). Check your truck GPS before you accept a load. Driving days assume the 11-hour driving limit.

Who hauls out of Wichita

More than half of the for-hire carriers based in Wichita run a single truck or less. That's who we work for: owner-operators and small fleets who want a dispatcher handling the load boards, broker calls and paperwork. The truck count above also includes private fuel, construction and equipment fleets.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Wichita

By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in Wichita, KS, as of October 11, 2026. Listed for reference only; Fleetorica isn't affiliated with these companies. Check any carrier or broker with our carrier and broker lookup.

Truck parking and weigh stations

Truck space counts are from WAMPO's 2020 freight plan, so some may have changed. It says the four Kansas Turnpike sites weren't part of the TPIMS live parking system at the time, and that the Harvey County rest area on I-135 was the closest TPIMS lot to Wichita. Source

KDOT's 2017 freight plan says drivers often spend more than 30 minutes looking for parking, and that the Kansas Turnpike Authority built 37 new truck spaces at the Towanda rest area on I-35. Source

Weigh stations

The Kansas Highway Patrol lists no fixed scale in Sedgwick County. The closest is the South Haven scale at the south end of the Kansas Turnpike on I-35 northbound, near the Oklahoma line, open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Others are at Belleville (US-81 southbound), Liberal (US-56 eastbound), Olathe (I-35), Wabaunsee (I-70) and Kanorado (I-70). Source

Kansas allows twin 53-foot trailers only on the Kansas Turnpike and its access routes; elsewhere each trailer in a double must be 28.5 feet or less. Source

Freight calendar for Wichita and Kansas

When freight picks up in and around Wichita. Bars show the months; each line links its official source.

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

Appliances, tools, camping gear and aircraft parts keep dry vans moving out of Wichita. We look for reloads close to the city so you're not deadheading to Oklahoma City or Kansas City.

Reefer

Beef from Cargill Meat Solutions and grocery distribution ship refrigerated freight all year. We confirm the temperature and the appointment before we book.

Flatbed

Farm equipment, aircraft tooling, building materials and oil field gear make Wichita a steady flatbed market. We check securement, tarps and permits before we book.

Hotshot

Aerospace parts and oil field equipment around south-central Kansas suit hotshots. We confirm weight and dimensions before you hook up.

Box truck

Retail, parcel and final-mile freight across Wichita, Derby and the suburbs suits 26-foot box trucks.

How we dispatch here

• I-35 north and south of Wichita is the Kansas Turnpike, a toll road, so we count tolls and compare free routes before we book. A PIKEPASS works there too
• We avoid tight appointments that run you through the I-235/US-54 and I-135/K-254 interchanges at rush hour
• Wheat harvest runs mostly from late June into early July, and fall harvest from September through November, so we plan around grain traffic and look for ag loads that pay
• Twin 53-foot trailers are legal in Kansas only on the Kansas Turnpike, so we check the route before booking a doubles load
• Interstate carriers need nothing extra from Kansas. For-hire loads that stay inside Kansas need Kansas Corporation Commission authority

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Kansas dispatch page.

Pricing

a percentage of the load's gross, quoted for your truck and lanes, charged only on loads we book. No contract, and your first load is free.

Questions carriers ask