Interstate trucking is the hauling of bulk freight that includes pick-up or delivery drop-off in more than one state or province.
Example: A driver that picks up freight at the Port of Seattle and then delivers it to a location in California. L&I considers this interstate trucking.
Intrastate trucking is the hauling of bulk freight that includes all pick-up and delivery drop-offs within Washington State.
Example: A driver that picks up freight at the Port of Seattle and then delivers it to another location within Washington. L&I considers this intrastate trucking.
Intrastate or combined interstate and intrastate trucking
Every trucking business operating as an intrastate carrier or a combined interstate and intrastate carrier must either:
- Cover their Washington workers through Washington state industrial insurance and complete trucking reporting requirements.
- Self-insure with the state of Washington.
Quarterly reports
- You must keep all original books and time records, including supporting information from drivers' logs, for a period of 3 calendar years plus 3 months.
- Reports must be filed quarterly.
- Workers’ compensation is reported by the hour.
- Risk classes used for reporting trucking.
Common pitfalls
- Reporting hours – Report actual hours worked up to a maximum of 520 hours per quarter per worker for risk class 1102 (Trucking).
- If you cannot keep actual hours you must report 520 hours per quarter per worker.
- This DOES include time spent loading, unloading, and waiting for loads.
- This does NOT include lunch, sleep, and rest periods.
- Freight handling – Workers reported under 2002 (Freight handling Services) must not have any driving responsibilities and you may not split their hours between 2002 and 1102 (Trucking).
- Washington Warehouses – Businesses with risk classification 2102 (Warehouses General Merchandise) must report delivery drivers in risk class 1102 (Trucking).
If your business does any intrastate trucking see the Intrastate Trucking Requirements tab.
Interstate only trucking
Trucking businesses operating solely as an interstate carrier must:
- Provide workers’ compensation coverage either through Washington or another state.
- Have documentation to show where their workers are covered.
Washington employer
If you are a Washington employer exclusively in interstate trucking or foreign trucking you must do one of the following:
- Cover your Washington drivers through Washington State industrial insurance.
- Self-insure with the state of Washington.
- Have coverage from another state providing workers’ compensation for your Washington drivers, if:
- Your insurance provider’s workers’ compensation policy covers your drivers in Washington state.
- You provide L&I with copies of your current workers’ compensation policy upon request
Out-of-state employer
If you are an out-of-state employer, you must provide workers’ compensation coverage for your workers coming into Washington even if your home state doesn’t require it. You must do one of the following:
- Cover your Washington drivers through Washington State industrial insurance.
- Self-insure with the state of Washington.
- Have coverage from another state providing workers’ compensation for your Washington drivers, if:
- Your insurance provider’s workers’ compensation policy covers your drivers in Washington State; and
- You provide L&I with copies of your current workers’ compensation policy upon request
Quarterly reports
The basics
- You must keep all original books and time records, including supporting information from drivers' logs, for a period of 3 calendar years plus 3 months
- Reports must be filed quarterly. File online at File Quarterly Reports
- Workers’ compensation is reported by the hour
- Risk classes used for reporting trucking
Common pitfalls
- Reporting hours – Report actual hours worked up to a maximum of 520 hours per quarter per worker for risk class 1102 (Trucking)
- If you cannot keep actual hours you must report 520 hours per quarter per worker
- This DOES include time spent loading, unloading, and waiting for loads
- This does NOT include lunch, sleep, and rest periods
- Freight handling – Workers reported under 2002 (Freight handling Services) must not have any driving responsibilities and you may not split their hours between 2002 and 1102 (Trucking)
- Washington Warehouses – Businesses with risk classification 2102 (Warehouses General Merchandise) must report delivery drivers in risk class 1102 (Trucking)
Your contractors must either own and operate their truck, or meet these criteria in order to pass the Personal Labor Test as outlined further in the Independent Contractors section:
- Be in a leased agreement to purchase the truck.
- Make regular and scheduled payments for the truck.
- Be responsible for all maintenance, insurance, fuel costs without reimbursement.
- Be able to purchase the truck at the end of the lease.
- Be responsible for all licensing and taxes.
- Be able to hire any driver the lessee chooses.