Truck dispatch in Springfield, MO

Springfield road weather right now

Freight in Springfield

Springfield is Missouri's third-largest city and sits on I-44 halfway between St. Louis and Tulsa, where US 65 crosses north to Sedalia and south to Branson and Arkansas. The Ozarks Transportation Organization, the area's planning agency, says more than 15,000 semis and 65,000 vehicles a day travel I-44 between Glenstone Avenue and Kansas Expressway. In MoDOT's 2026 freight plan draft, Greene County ranks 10th among Missouri counties for freight shipped out (about 5.8 million tons) and 5th for freight coming in (about 4.9 million tons), using 2023 Transearch data.

Food and metal plants drive the outbound freight. Kraft Heinz has made Kraft American Singles, natural cheese and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in Springfield since 1954. The Missouri Partnership calls Springfield the stainless steel capital of the world, and Paul Mueller Company builds stainless steel tanks and equipment here. John Deere Reman remanufactures engines, fuel and electronic components, and said in 2021 it would add drivetrain and hydraulic work. The state's list of key employers also includes 3M, Amazon, Bass Pro Shops, O'Reilly Auto Parts, French's Food Company, SRC Holdings, BNSF Railway and Prime, the Springfield carrier with the most trucks on file. Springfield Underground adds three million square feet of industrial space below ground.

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. Plant details come from announcements dated in the sources and may have changed since.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Springfield run on: I-44, US 65, US 60, US 160 (West Bypass), MO 13 (Kansas Expressway), MO 744 (Kearney St), James River Fwy.

I-44 runs northeast through Lebanon and Rolla to St. Louis and west to Joplin, where I-49 heads south toward Northwest Arkansas, and on to Tulsa as a toll road in Oklahoma. US 65 runs south to Branson and Harrison, Arkansas and north to Sedalia and I-70. US 60 heads east toward Willow Springs and Poplar Bluff and west to Monett. US 160 (West Bypass), Kansas Expressway, Glenstone Avenue and the James River Freeway tie the city's industrial parks to I-44.

Expect work zones on I-44 for years. MoDOT's Forward 44 project covers the corridor from US 160 (West Bypass) to Route 125 in Strafford, interchange improvements at Kansas Expressway and at the I-49 junction near Fidelity, pavement rehabilitation from east of Sarcoxie to west of Route 97, and ramp and pavement work from Strafford to east of Conway. Since June 2026, MoDOT has posted a 50-ton limit for tractor-trailers and a 35-ton limit for single-unit trucks on the Route 13 (Kansas Expressway) bridges over I-44, until they're replaced.

Lane planner: what a load out of Springfield 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 Springfield

More than half of the for-hire carriers based in Springfield 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 is mostly Prime's fleet, plus private dairy, bottling and grocery fleets.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Springfield

By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in Springfield, MO, as of October 31, 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 MoDOT's 2024 inventory from its 2026 State Freight & Rail Plan truck parking analysis, so they're about two years old. At the 6 to 7 a.m. peak, demand ran 141% and 173% of spaces at the Halltown lots, 138% and 170% at Conway and 293% at one Doolittle lot, while the Strafford lot was exactly full. Source

The same study counts private truck stops in Springfield and Strafford, several of them over capacity at the morning peak, and says Greene County has more than 1,000 truck stops a day outside formal parking within half a mile of its rural interstates. We plan your stop before you load. Source

Weigh stations

There's no permanent weigh station in the Springfield area. The Missouri State Highway Patrol lists the nearest on I-44 at mile 2 near Joplin, on US 60 at Willow Springs and on I-44 at St. Clair, west of St. Louis. The list doesn't give hours, so we don't promise them. Source

MoDOT posts a 50-ton limit for tractor-trailers and 35 tons for single-unit trucks on the Route 13 (Kansas Expressway) bridges over I-44 until they're replaced, between fall 2026 and fall 2031. Source

Freight calendar for Springfield and Missouri

When freight picks up in and around Springfield. Food and distribution freight runs all year; bars show the months for crops, and each line links its official source. Crop lines are Missouri statewide.

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

Packaged food, auto parts, outdoor gear and e-commerce freight leave Springfield every day. We look for the reload on I-44 so you're not deadheading to St. Louis or Tulsa.

Reefer

Cheese and dairy plants ship refrigerated loads. We confirm the temperature, the pulp and the appointment before we book.

Flatbed

Stainless steel tanks, process modules and remanufactured equipment parts keep flatbeds and step decks busy. We check securement, tarps and any oversize permit before you go.

Power only

Plants and distribution centers along I-44 put preloaded trailers on the market. We confirm the trailer, the pickup number and the dock hours before you go.

Box truck

Store, parcel and Branson-area deliveries suit 26-foot box trucks working the Ozarks.

How we dispatch here

• We route around the Route 13 (Kansas Expressway) bridges over I-44 when your gross is over their 50-ton tractor-trailer limit
• We check MoDOT's traveler map for Forward 44 lane closures before we set your pickup time
• We line up your overnight stop before you leave, because MoDOT counted more trucks than spaces at Halltown and Conway at the morning peak
• There's no weigh station in the Springfield area; the nearest Highway Patrol scales are on I-44 at Joplin and on US 60 at Willow Springs
• Interstate carriers need nothing extra from Missouri. For-hire loads that stay inside Missouri need authority from MoDOT Motor Carrier Services

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Missouri 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 Missouri

Kansas City · St. Louis

Questions carriers ask