Truck dispatch in Billings, MT

Billings road weather right now

Freight in Billings

Billings is a refinery town. MDT's 2026 State Freight Plan says three of Montana's four oil refineries are in the Billings area, running mostly Canadian and Wyoming crude and shipping fuel across Montana and nearby states by pipeline and rail. Par Montana can process 63,000 barrels of crude a day and makes gasoline, distillate and asphalt for a region that runs from the Dakotas to eastern Washington. Phillips 66's refinery on the southeast side of town has run since 1949 on about 200 acres. Montana's Department of Labor lists Par Petroleum and Phillips 66 at 250 to 499 workers each in Yellowstone County (2024), with CHS Inc at 500 to 999.

Billings is also the supply point for eastern Montana. The same 2024 list shows Billings Clinic, Intermountain Health and Walmart at 1,000 or more workers, Albertsons, UPS and First Interstate Bank at 500 to 999, and Costco, FedEx, Sysco Montana, Scheels and Town Pump at 250 to 499. MDT says new warehouse and fulfillment centers have opened in six of Montana's seven largest cities, and Billings Logan and Great Falls airports handled 90% of the state's air cargo in 2024. Farms add seasonal freight: Yellowstone County grows hay, wheat, barley, sugar beets and corn, and Western Sugar Cooperative has a factory in Billings.

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 ranges are from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's 2024 top employers list for Yellowstone County.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Billings run on: I-90, I-94, US 87, US 212, US 310, MT 3.

I-90 runs west through Laurel, Columbus and Livingston to Bozeman, Butte and Missoula, and southeast past Hardin toward Sheridan, Wyoming. I-94 leaves I-90 just east of Billings and heads northeast through Miles City and Glendive to North Dakota. US 87 runs north from Billings Heights, US 310 goes south from Laurel toward Wyoming, and US 212 crosses the southeast corner of the state toward the Black Hills.

MDT expects I-90 to stay Montana's main truck route and to see the biggest growth in truck trips through 2050. It calls US 212 one of the state's busiest non-interstate truck routes and plans a virtual weigh station on it near Busby. In Billings, the Billings Bypass is building a new link from I-90 at Lockwood to US 87 in Billings Heights, with full completion set for 2028, and a 2016 state study found most of Montana's most congested rail crossings in Billings, Bozeman, Belgrade and Helena.

Lane planner: what a load out of Billings 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 Billings

About half of the for-hire carriers based in Billings 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 fleets, led by construction-materials company JTL Group with 896 trucks.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Billings

By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in Billings, MT, as of October 19, 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 counts are commercial-vehicle spaces from MDT's inventory in the 2026 State Freight Plan, which lists 822 such spaces at 64 MDT sites statewide, open 24 hours with a 12-hour limit for trucks. Truck stop counts are estimates from American Truck Parking that MDT reprints in the same plan. Source

MDT says it puts rest area money first on the interstates with the most commercial traffic, I-15, I-90 and I-94, and plans to update its Rest Area Plan within two to three years. Source

Weigh stations

MDT's Motor Carrier Services Division staffs Billings westbound and eastbound weigh stations and a Billings inspection facility, and its District 5 office in Billings covers the lower eastern part of the state. Its 2026 handbook lists the Billings station on I-90 near Laurel as a PrePass and Drivewyze site in both directions. Other staffed stations in eastern Montana include Broadus on US 212 and Wibaux on I-94. Trucks of 26,000 lb or more must stop at open stations, and portable-scale crews may weigh trucks over 10,000 lb. Source

MDT plans a virtual weigh station on US 212 near Busby with a scale deck, weigh-in-motion, license plate and USDOT number cameras, and a tire anomaly system, like the equipment already at several staffed Montana stations. Source

Freight calendar for Billings and Montana

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

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

Walmart, Albertsons, Costco and parcel carriers supply eastern Montana from Billings, so dry vans find work all year. Lanes out here are long, so we line up the reload before you deliver.

Reefer

Food distributors like Sysco Montana ship refrigerated freight out of Billings. We confirm the temperature and the appointment before we book.

Flatbed

Refinery projects, construction and farm equipment keep flatbeds moving. We check securement, tarps and Montana's bypass limits for wide or tall loads before we book.

Power only

Distribution centers along I-90 put preloaded trailers on the market. We confirm the trailer, the pickup number and the dock hours before you go.

Box truck

Retail, grocery and parcel deliveries across Billings, Laurel and Lockwood mean steady box truck work, including final-mile deliveries.

How we dispatch here

• Montana requires every truck of 26,000 lb or more to stop at open weigh stations, and the Billings station on I-90 near Laurel checks both directions
• Even with a bypass signal, you must pull in if you're overweight, wider than 10 feet, taller than 15 feet 6 inches or longer than 110 feet, permitted or not
• For your break we look at the Columbus rest areas on I-90 (29 and 35 truck spaces) and the Pilot and Town Pump truck stops in Billings
• MDT rest areas list a 12-hour limit for trucks, so we plan your 10-hour break inside it
• MDT says harvest brings extra trucks around grain elevators and loading facilities, so we leave slack in fall appointments

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Montana 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