Truck dispatch in Richmond, VA

Richmond road weather right now

Freight in Richmond

Richmond sits where I-95 meets I-64, with I-64 running straight to the Hampton Roads container terminals. Virginia's latest lists of the 50 largest employers (third quarter of 2025) show the freight side clearly: Amazon ranks No. 4 and No. 6 in Henrico County, No. 4 and No. 7 in Chesterfield County and No. 5 and No. 8 in Hanover County, Walmart is in the top 10 of all three counties, UPS is No. 5 in Chesterfield, and Kroger, Food Lion and Publix all make the lists.

Manufacturing adds outbound freight. Philip Morris USA is the No. 14 employer in the city of Richmond. In Chesterfield County, DuPont Specialty Products ranks No. 8, Hill Phoenix No. 13 (it builds refrigerated food display cases at plants in Richmond, South Chesterfield and Colonial Heights) and LEGO Manufacturing No. 30. Hanover County has a Supervalu wholesale grocery operation (No. 12) and Owens & Minor distribution (No. 31). The Port of Virginia's Richmond Marine Terminal, a 124-acre site on the James River, moves containers by barge to and from Hampton Roads.

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. Employer ranks are from Virginia Works' third-quarter 2025 lists.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Richmond run on: I-95, I-64, I-295, I-195, I-85, VA 288, VA 895 (Pocahontas Pkwy), US 1, US 360.

I-95 runs north to Washington, Baltimore and the Northeast and south to Petersburg, where I-85 splits off toward Raleigh and Charlotte. I-64 heads east to Hampton Roads and the port, and west to Charlottesville and I-81. I-295 loops around the east side of the city and lets through trucks skip downtown, and VA 288 circles the western suburbs.

VDOT's 2025 counts show about 21,300 trucks a day on I-95 in Henrico County between I-295 and the Hanover line (both directions), about 14% of all traffic, and about 14,500 a day on I-95 through downtown Richmond. On I-295 east of the city, between the Pocahontas Parkway and I-64, about one vehicle in four is a truck, about 12,200 a day.

Lane planner: what a load out of Richmond 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 Richmond

About two out of three for-hire carriers based in Richmond 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 a few big fleets, such as Estes Express Lines and Performance Transportation, plus private and leasing fleets.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Richmond

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

Space counts are from VDOT's rest area list as of October 2026. Some counts include RV and bus spaces in the same lot. All of these rest areas are open 24 hours. Source

Virginia's rest area rules say no overnight parking is permitted in rest areas, and no sleeping inside rest area buildings. Source

Farther north on I-95, the Dale City rest areas at mile 154 are truck-only, with 62 spaces southbound and 59 northbound. Source

The Richmond Marine Terminal has a secured drop lot where truckers can drop off after hours for next-day processing. Source

Weigh stations

The Virginia DMV runs 13 permanent weigh stations (Motor Carrier Service Centers) and 12 mobile crews with portable scales. The closest to Richmond are Carson on I-95 southbound at mile 39, south of Petersburg, and Sandston on I-64 westbound at mile 203, east of the city. Others in the region are Alberta on I-85 northbound at mile 22 and Dumfries on I-95 northbound at mile 154. Source

Carson and Sandston offer weigh-in-motion to participating trucks, so they can be weighed at highway speed. Virginia weigh stations also use license plate readers to screen trucks. Source

Freight calendar for Richmond and Virginia

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

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

E-commerce, big-box retail and grocery distribution around the I-95/I-295 ring keep dry vans busy all year. We look for reloads close to Richmond so you're not deadheading up to Washington or down to North Carolina.

Reefer

Grocery distribution for Kroger, Food Lion, Publix and wholesale suppliers keeps reefers moving. We confirm the temperature and the appointment before we book.

Flatbed

Plant equipment, building materials and machinery move in and out of the industrial parks in Chesterfield and Hanover. We check securement and tarp needs before we book.

Power only

Distribution centers and the barge terminal's drop lot put preloaded trailers and containers on the market. We confirm the trailer, the pickup number and the gate hours before you go.

Box truck

Retail, grocery and parcel distribution across Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover means steady box truck work, including final-mile deliveries.

How we dispatch here

• We use I-295 to get through trucks around Richmond when the I-95 downtown stretch is backed up
• For Richmond Marine Terminal loads, we plan around the gate hours (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and use the drop lot when it saves you a day
• Expect the Carson scale on I-95 south of Petersburg and the Sandston scale on I-64 east of the city, and keep your paperwork ready
• Virginia doesn't allow overnight parking at its rest areas, so we line up a truck stop or a shipper lot for your 10-hour break before you roll
• Interstate carriers need nothing extra from Virginia. For-hire loads that start and end in Virginia may need For-Hire Intrastate Operating Authority from the Virginia DMV

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Virginia 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 Virginia

Norfolk

Questions carriers ask