Truck dispatch in Providence, RI

Providence road weather right now

Freight in Providence

Providence is Rhode Island's port city. ProvPort, the largest terminal on Providence Harbor, handled more than 2 million tons of cargo and over 400 vessel calls in 2024. It works bulk, break bulk and project cargo: salt, cement, energy products and offshore wind parts come in, scrap metal and equipment go out, and it has on-dock rail. Rhode Island's 2022 freight plan counts more than 78,000 trucks a year in and out of ProvPort, about 214 a day, and says used cars ship from ProvPort to West Africa (26,885 in 2021). Fuel terminals run by Sprague, Motiva, ExxonMobil and Capital line Allens Avenue and the East Providence shore.

ProvPort's tenants are distributors. Morton Salt supplies road salt to governments and companies in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut; Heidelberg Materials' dome holds more than 35,000 tons of cement shipped by truck and rail; Univar Solutions packages and distributes specialty chemicals; Sea-3 runs the second-largest propane terminal in the Northeast; and Radius Recycling exports scrap metal. Providence is also home to the headquarters of United Natural Foods (UNFI), the grocery wholesaler, and Textron. Rhode Island's Department of Labor and Training says transportation and warehousing jobs grew 33.2% in 2025, the fastest of any sector in the state.

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. Port tenants are from ProvPort's own tenant list; headquarters are from SEC filings.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Providence run on: I-95, I-195, I-295, RI 146, RI 10, US 6, RI 4, US 1.

I-95 runs through downtown Providence, north to Pawtucket and Boston and south past Warwick toward Connecticut and New York. I-195 heads east over the Washington Bridge to East Providence, Fall River, New Bedford and Cape Cod. I-295 is the western bypass from Warwick to Cumberland, RI 146 goes northwest to Worcester, RI 10 and US 6 run west and southwest out of the city, and RI 4 splits from I-95 south of Providence toward Quonset.

RIDOT's 2021 counts show about 15,200 trucks a day on I-95 at Detroit Avenue in Providence, out of about 127,600 vehicles, about 13,000 on I-295 north of RI 14 and about 10,800 on I-195 at the Massachusetts line. The westbound Washington Bridge on I-195 closed in December 2023 after a critical failure, and both directions now share the eastbound bridge with three lanes each way. RIDOT limits it to 48 tons (96,000 lb) with no oversize vehicles, expected until December 2028, and the new westbound lanes are set to open on November 3, 2028. Trucks leaving ProvPort for I-95 south have to use narrow local streets or a route about two miles longer to the Point Street on-ramp.

Lane planner: what a load out of Providence 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 Providence

About seven in ten for-hire carriers based in Providence 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 close to half one grocery wholesaler's fleet and also includes utility, hospital and transit fleets.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Providence

By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in Providence, RI, 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

Space counts are visual estimates from Rhode Island's 2022 freight plan and may have changed. The plan counts fewer than 350 truck spaces statewide, down from 687 in a 2002 FHWA and RIDOT inventory, and says the state is short of truck parking. The Rhode Island Visitor Center on I-95 in Richmond has been closed since 2011, and the pull-offs have no restrooms or other facilities. Source

The same plan counts about 320 more truck spaces at eight facilities just over the line in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Source

Weigh stations

Rhode Island's two permanent weigh stations are on I-95 northbound and southbound in Richmond, near mile 11. The 2022 freight plan says neither was in operation and that State Police use portable scales instead, including at the truck pull-offs on I-295, RI 146, US 6 and RI 24. Source

On I-195, RIDOT runs weigh-in-motion and structural monitoring on the eastbound Washington Bridge to track overweight trucks, and posts the data weekly. The bridge is limited to 48 tons (96,000 lb) with no oversize vehicles. Source

Freight calendar for Providence and Rhode Island

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

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

Grocery wholesale, retail distribution and freight to and from Boston and New York keep dry vans busy. We look for the reload before you deliver so you're not deadheading out of Rhode Island.

Reefer

Grocery and food distribution moves refrigerated freight through the Providence area. We confirm the temperature and the appointment before we book.

Flatbed

ProvPort ships steel products, heavy machinery, lumber, scrap and offshore wind parts. We check securement, tarps and the Washington Bridge limits before we book.

Power only

Port tenants and distribution centers along I-95 put preloaded trailers on the market. We confirm the trailer, the pickup number and the gate hours before you go.

Box truck

Grocery, retail and parcel delivery across Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket and Warwick means steady box truck work, including final-mile deliveries.

How we dispatch here

• Over 96,000 lb or oversize? You can't use I-195 over the Washington Bridge until about December 2028, so we route you another way
• Leaving ProvPort for I-95 south, we plan the Point Street on-ramp instead of the narrow local streets
• Construction narrows RI 10, the I-95 southbound CD road under RI 10 and parts of RI 37 in Cranston to 10 feet 6 inches through 2026, so we check width before we book
• Rhode Island has fewer than 350 truck parking spaces, so we line up your 10-hour break before you roll; the TA in West Greenwich has about 180
• The Richmond weigh stations on I-95 were not in operation as of 2022, but State Police use portable scales, so we keep your weights legal

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Rhode Island 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