Truck dispatch in New Orleans, LA
Loads in and out of New Orleans on I-10, I-610, I-12 and I-55, for dry vans, reefers, flatbeds and box trucks. We find and negotiate them, and you approve every one.
First load free · then a % of each load · no contractAt a glance
- 296 active interstate trucking companies list a New Orleans address with FMCSA, and 224 of them haul for hire
- I-610 in New Orleans has the highest truck volume of any route in Louisiana: about 10,700 trucks a day
- Port NOLA is the only deep-draft port with access to six Class I railroads
- Six of Louisiana's 10 worst truck bottlenecks are on I-10 in New Orleans
New Orleans road weather right now
Live from the National Weather Service · weather.gov · Road closures and crashes: 511 Louisiana (DOTD)
Freight in New Orleans
Port NOLA is a general cargo port. It handles containers of coffee, retail goods, auto parts, apparel, furniture and fresh and frozen food, plus breakbulk such as steel, metals, rubber, plywood, paper and farm products. Its container terminals can handle 1 million TEUs a year, and its dockside cold storage, including the Henry Clay Avenue and Jourdan Road refrigerated terminals, totals 450,000 square feet. The port's railroad, the New Orleans Public Belt, connects to BNSF, CN, CSX, CPKC, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
Plants nearby ship food and heavy freight. J.M. Smucker says substantially all of its coffee production is in New Orleans, at four facilities. Domino Sugar's Chalmette refinery in Arabi, just downriver, is described by Louisiana Economic Development as the largest in the Western Hemisphere and is in the middle of a $785 million modernization. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans has 43 acres of manufacturing space under one roof. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International handles more than 60% of Louisiana's domestic air cargo.
Major shippers and freight hubs
| Company | What's there |
|---|---|
| Port NOLA (Port of New Orleans) | Containers of coffee, retail goods, auto parts and food; breakbulk steel, metals, rubber, plywood and paper; 1 million TEU container capacity Source |
| Henry Clay Avenue and Jourdan Road refrigerated terminals | Part of Port NOLA's 450,000 sq ft of dockside cold storage Source |
| New Orleans Public Belt Railroad | Port switching railroad connected to BNSF, CN, CSX, CPKC, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific Source |
| J.M. Smucker (Folgers, Café Bustelo) | Four coffee facilities in New Orleans, where substantially all of its coffee is produced Source |
| Domino Sugar Chalmette Refinery | Sugar refinery in Arabi, St. Bernard Parish; $785 million modernization under way Source |
| NASA Michoud Assembly Facility | 43 acres of manufacturing space under one roof in eastern New Orleans; builds SLS core stages Source |
| Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport | More than 60% of Louisiana's domestic air cargo; on-airport cargo center with 15 buildings Source |
| Louisiana International Terminal (planned) | $1.8 billion Port NOLA container terminal project; in environmental review per the 2024 state freight plan Source |
Listed for context from official sources. Fleetorica isn't affiliated with these companies, and we don't claim them as customers.
Main routes and truck traffic
The highways most loads in and out of New Orleans run on: I-10, I-610, I-12, I-55, I-59, I-310, US 90.
I-10 runs west through Kenner and LaPlace to Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Houston, and east across New Orleans East and Slidell toward Mississippi. I-610 bypasses downtown on the I-10 corridor. I-55 heads north from LaPlace toward Jackson and Memphis, I-12 runs along the north side of Lake Pontchartrain from Slidell to Baton Rouge, and I-59 starts at Slidell for Hattiesburg and Birmingham. Most loads we book out of New Orleans run on I-10.
DOTD's 2024 freight plan says I-610 carries a length-weighted average of about 10,700 trucks a day, the most of any route in Louisiana, and I-10 statewide about 8,300. Nine of the state's 10 worst truck bottlenecks are on I-10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and six of them are in New Orleans, where truck counts run about 9,500 to 11,600 a day.
Lane planner: what a load out of New Orleans 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 New Orleans
Most for-hire carriers based in New Orleans are small: about seven in ten 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.
| FMCSA records | New Orleans, LA |
|---|---|
| Active interstate trucking companies based here | 296 |
| Of those, for-hire carriers | 224 |
| For-hire carriers with one truck or fewer | 156 (70%) |
| For-hire carriers with 2–5 trucks | 43 |
| For-hire carriers registered in the last 12 months | 50 |
| Trucks (power units) they report | 1,941 |
Largest for-hire carriers based in New Orleans
| Company | Trucks | Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| HOTARD COACHES INC | 334 | 582 |
| TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS INC | 80 | 91 |
| MEYERS WAREHOUSE INC | 77 | 55 |
| SAMSYDOW CORPORATION | 75 | 110 |
| LARSEN INTERMODAL SERVICES INC | 63 | 63 |
| PERKINS ENTERPRISES INC | 38 | 4 |
| CLIMATE CARE CORPORATION | 30 | 30 |
| U-HAUL COMPANY OF LOUISIANA | 28 | 54 |
| HAYNES MOTOR LINES LLC | 21 | 27 |
| RAVEN PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT GROUP | 19 | 15 |
By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in New Orleans, LA, as of October 10, 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
| Rest area | Where | Truck spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Slidell I-10 Rest Area & Visitor Center | I-10, milepost 270, westbound, St. Tammany Parish | 34 truck spaces (DOTD) |
| Slidell I-59 (Pearl River) Rest Area | I-59, milepost 1, southbound, St. Tammany Parish | 6 truck spaces (DOTD) |
| Kentwood Rest Area & Visitor Center | I-55, milepost 65, southbound, Tangipahoa Parish | 30 truck spaces (DOTD) |
Space counts are from DOTD's rest area page, checked October 2026; DOTD doesn't date the counts. There's no public rest area inside the city, and eastbound I-10 and northbound I-59 traffic have no DOTD rest area before the Mississippi line. Source
A July 2026 study for DOTD found drivers call I-10 and I-12 near New Orleans very hard places to park, with big truck stops often full after 5 p.m., and local residents report illegal truck parking in New Orleans East. City zoning bars commercial vehicles from parking on streets in residential districts. Source
Weigh stations
DOTD has run Louisiana's fixed weigh stations since the 2022 transfer from State Police. The Legislative Auditor's August 2026 report shows the I-10 station at LaPlace, west of New Orleans, open in both directions and the I-12 station at Baptist open as of March 2026, while Kentwood on I-55 and the LaPlace Airline Highway station were closed. No station is shown on I-10 east of the city or on I-59. Source
The same audit found DOTD's open stations ran about nine hours a day in October 2025, and that Louisiana State Police weigh trucks on all state and interstate highways with portable scales. Source
Freight calendar for New Orleans and Louisiana
When freight and traffic change in and around New Orleans. Bars show the months; each line links its official source.
What we book, by truck type
Dry van
Coffee, retail goods, apparel and furniture move out of the port and local warehouses. We line up reloads so you're not deadheading out of the city.
Reefer
Port cold storage and frozen and fresh food imports give reefers work. We check temperatures and appointment times on every load, and hurricane forecasts in season.
Flatbed
Steel, metals, plywood and project cargo come off ships at Port NOLA's breakbulk terminals. We check securement, tarp needs and permits before we book.
Box truck
Final-mile and restaurant and hotel supply freight around the metro suits 26-foot box trucks.
Power only
Preloaded trailers and drop-and-hook freight out of port-area warehouses work well for power only units.
How we dispatch here
- We plan around rush hour on I-10 between Kenner and New Orleans East, where six of Louisiana's 10 worst truck bottlenecks sit
- Drivers in a 2026 DOTD-funded study called parking on I-10 and I-12 near New Orleans very hard to find, so we plan your stop before you roll
- We never send you to park on city streets: New Orleans bars commercial vehicles from parking on streets in residential districts
- During Carnival season we route deliveries around parade closures, and in hurricane season we watch the Gulf and plan around port closures
- Louisiana doesn't require state authority for general freight; interstate carriers only need their USDOT number and MC
State rules, permits and taxes are on our Louisiana 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.
Other cities we cover in Louisiana
- FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov)
- Louisiana DOTD: 2024 Louisiana State Freight Plan
- Louisiana DOTD: rest areas
- LTRC Report 728: Truck Parking Shortage (UNO Transportation Institute for DOTD, July 2026)
- Louisiana Legislative Auditor: size and weight enforcement programs (August 2026)
- Port NOLA: cargo fact sheet (2022)
- Port NOLA: rail fact sheet (2023)
- J.M. Smucker: 2026 annual report (Form 10-K), properties
- Louisiana Economic Development: Domino Sugar Chalmette refinery (May 2026)
- NASA: Michoud Assembly Facility overview
- Louisiana Public Service Commission: carriers
- USDA NASS: Usual Planting and Harvesting Dates (2010)
- New Orleans & Company: Mardi Gras guide
- NOAA Climate Prediction Center: hurricane season background
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with FMCSA, the IRS or your state before you file.
Questions carriers ask
Are there loads out of New Orleans?
Yes. Port NOLA's container, breakbulk and cold storage terminals, coffee roasting, sugar refining and the warehouses along I-10 keep freight moving. We search the major load boards and our broker contacts for loads that fit your lanes and minimum rate.
How many trucking companies are based in New Orleans?
FMCSA's company census lists 296 active interstate trucking companies with a New Orleans address as of October 2026. 224 of them haul for hire, and about seven in ten of those run one truck or less. Carriers in Metairie, Kenner and the rest of Jefferson Parish are counted separately.
Where can I park a truck overnight near New Orleans?
DOTD lists 34 truck spaces at the Slidell I-10 rest area (milepost 270, westbound), 6 at the Pearl River rest area on I-59 (milepost 1, southbound) and 30 at the Kentwood rest area on I-55 (milepost 65, southbound). Drivers in a 2026 DOTD-funded study called parking on I-10 and I-12 near New Orleans very hard to find, so we plan your stop before you roll.
Is there a weigh station near New Orleans?
Yes, west of town. Louisiana's Legislative Auditor reported that DOTD's I-10 weigh station at LaPlace was open in both directions as of March 2026, as was the I-12 station at Baptist; the Kentwood station on I-55 was closed. The open stations were running about nine hours a day in October 2025, and State Police also weigh trucks with portable scales.
Which roads are worst for trucks in New Orleans?
DOTD's 2024 freight plan says I-610 carries the most trucks of any route in Louisiana, and six of the state's 10 worst truck bottlenecks are on I-10 in New Orleans, including the eastbound stretch from Airline Drive to Exit 234.
What freight is seasonal around New Orleans?
Carnival season starts January 6 and builds to Mardi Gras on February 9, 2027, with parade road closures. The sugarcane harvest usually runs October to December. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and can close the port and interstates for days.
Do I need Louisiana authority?
Not for general freight. The Louisiana Public Service Commission only regulates household goods, passengers, waste and non-consent towing. Interstate carriers use their USDOT and MC.