Dallas, TX → Houston, TX
Route Details
I-35 Central Corridor
I-35 · 1,568 total miles · north south
Texas Trucking
Texas is the largest trucking state in America, with over 190,000 for-hire carriers and major freight hubs in Dallas, Ho...
I-45
240 miles from Dallas, TX to Houston, TX
Freight on This Lane
The dominant freight categories moving between Dallas, TX and Houston, TX
Energy & Oil Field
Energy freight encompasses the transport of drilling equipment, pipe, frac sand, completion chemicals, and production materials to and from oil and ga...
Manufacturing & Industrial
Manufacturing freight moves $165 billion in raw materials, components, and finished goods between 320,000+ US factories each year, generating 9.5 mill...
Retail & Consumer Goods
Retail freight is the backbone of dry van trucking, representing $190+ billion in annual US transportation spend across 12 million truckloads per year...
Construction Materials
Construction freight represents a $78 billion annual market in US trucking, moving 2.8 billion tons of aggregates, steel, concrete, and building mater...
Rate Breakdown
Seasonal Patterns
This is the most heavily trafficked freight corridor in Texas with 15,000+ truck movements daily. Energy equipment loads track oil prices — above $70/barrel WTI, flatbed rates surge 20-25% to $3.00-$3.15/mile. Retail freight peaks 15-20% in August through November. Construction materials run strongest March through October. The lane rarely goes soft because of the sheer volume of manufacturing between the two cities.
Backhaul Guide
Return load strategy for the Houston, TX to Dallas, TX direction
Both Dallas and Houston are top-5 US freight markets. Backhaul in either direction averages $2.50-$2.80/mile on dry van. Houston sends petrochemical products, port imports, and energy equipment north. Dallas sends manufactured goods, retail distribution, and electronics south. Round-trip combinations are the most efficient strategy — two loads per day grossing $1,100-$1,400 is standard.
Compatible Truck Types
Equipment types that run profitably on this lane
Run round trips on this 240-mile lane for maximum daily revenue: deliver in Houston by 10 AM, reload by noon, back in Dallas by 5 PM. Avoid I-45 between Huntsville and Conroe (mile markers 100-85) during Friday afternoons — Houston weekend traffic causes 60-120 minute delays. For premium rates, target energy industry hotshot loads from the Permian Basin supply yards in Corsicana (just south of Dallas) headed to Houston refineries — they pay $3.50-$4.00/mile for expedited delivery.
Dallas, TX to Houston, TX FAQ
Common questions about this freight lane
What is the most profitable freight on the Dallas to Houston lane?+
How long does Dallas to Houston take by truck?+
Should I use I-45 or take an alternate route?+
Get Dispatched on the Dallas, TX to Houston, TX Lane
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