Texas Interstate Corridor Guide for Truckers

I-35: The NAFTA Corridor (504 Miles)

I-35 is the busiest commercial corridor in the United States, running 504 miles from the Laredo border crossing to the Oklahoma state line.

Mile-by-Mile Breakdown

Laredo (MM 0-3): The World Trade Bridge processes 6,000+ trucks daily. Expect 30-90 minutes in standard lanes.

Laredo to San Antonio (MM 0-154): The Devine weigh station is one of the busiest in Texas. Long rural stretches with limited services.

San Antonio (MM 154-163): Massive I-35 expansion construction through 2030. Use I-410 or Loop 1604 to bypass.

San Antonio to Austin (MM 163-230): SH-130 bypass starts near New Braunfels. Take it.

Austin (MM 230-255): The 4.5B Capital Express Central project is actively disruptive through 2028+. I-35 through Austin is free-flowing only 18 percent of the time.

Hillsboro to Waco (MM 280-340): Flooding zone. I-35 floods 2-3 times per year during spring storms. Budget 4 extra hours.

DFW (MM 400-460): I-35 splits into I-35E (Dallas) and I-35W (Fort Worth). Use I-635 or I-820 to bypass the metro core.

I-35 Weigh Stations

I-10: The Long Haul (880 Miles)

I-10 across Texas is the longest interstate segment in any single state — 880 miles from the Louisiana border to El Paso.

Louisiana Border to Houston (MM 880-770): Beaumont and Port Arthur refineries generate heavy tanker traffic. Watch for fog on the Neches River Bridge.

Houston (MM 770-740): The Katy Freeway is the widest freeway in the world and still congested at all hours. Use Beltway 8 to bypass. Houston tolls require an electronic tag.

Houston to Junction (MM 740-460): Hill Country. October through January brings deer crossings — more wrecks here from animal strikes than any other Texas corridor.

Junction to Fort Stockton (MM 460-260): Fuel desert. 200 miles with limited services. Stock fuel before Junction. Cell coverage is spotty to nonexistent.

Fort Stockton to Van Horn (MM 260-140): High wind warnings are frequent. Empty trailers tip in this corridor.

Van Horn to El Paso (MM 140-0): Mountain grades. Sierra Blanca (MM ~85) has a combined weigh station and Border Patrol checkpoint — expect double delays.

I-10 Cell Dead Zones

I-20: Permian Basin Country (635 Miles)

I-20 crosses Texas from Louisiana to New Mexico, passing through the most active oilfield in the Western Hemisphere.

East Texas to Dallas (MM 635-450): Moderate traffic. Pine forests and rolling terrain.

Abilene to Midland-Odessa (MM 280-130): Entering oil country. Truck traffic increases dramatically. Oilfield vehicles do not always follow traffic laws.

West of Odessa to NM (MM 110-0): Sparse services. The Penwell weigh station handles both directions.

I-45: Houston to Dallas (285 Miles)

The busiest intra-Texas corridor connecting the two largest cities. New Waverly weigh station is active between Houston and Huntsville.

:::tip During hurricane season (June-November), I-45 can be commandeered for evacuation. All lanes become one-way outbound from Houston. Monitor DriveTexas.org during tropical weather. :::

I-40: The Panhandle (177 Miles)

The shortest Texas interstate segment crosses the Panhandle from New Mexico to Oklahoma. Ice storms and blizzards November through March. High wind warnings are frequent year-round. The Shamrock weigh station near the Oklahoma border is the last checkpoint.

Major Weigh Station Summary

Texas deploys 406 CVE troopers, 225 NAS-certified Highway Patrol troopers, and 144 civilian inspectors. Drivewyze covers the 6 busiest stations plus 51 fixed and 17 mobile sites at 15.75 per vehicle per month. PrePass is also available.

Weather Hazards by Season

For Texas trucking insurance that reflects the corridors you actually run, call RMS at (208) 800-0640.