The Epic Trucking Journey Behind America’s Capitol Christmas Tree
Behind the Capitol Christmas Tree: A Kenworth, Four Drivers and a 2,000-Mile Haul
Before the U.S. Capitol’s annual Christmas tree is decorated and lit on the West Lawn, it must complete a demanding over-the-road move from a remote national forest to Washington, D.C.
The 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is a 76-foot Engelmann spruce harvested in the Lochsa-Powell Ranger District of Idaho’s Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. The tree is traveling more than 2,000 miles to the Capitol, making stops in 23 communities across 10 states during a tour that began Oct. 29 and is scheduled to conclude with delivery in Washington on Nov. 20.
For the people who see the tree at public events, the journey may look like a holiday parade. For the trucking team, it is an oversize flatbed operation with a fixed schedule, multiple public appearances and little room for error.
A rotating national tradition
The USDA Forest Service has provided a Christmas tree from one of the nation’s national forests for the Capitol since 1970. The selected forest changes from year to year, creating a different origin point, route and set of logistical challenges for each shipment.
Idaho has supplied the tree twice before, from the Boise National Forest in 2003 and the Payette National Forest in 2016. The 2026 tree represents the third selection from the state.
Once harvested, the spruce becomes part of a public tour intended to connect communities along the route with the forest and people responsible for providing it. The tree is accompanied by banners that residents can sign, while community events provide opportunities to view the load and meet members of the transport team.
Four experienced drivers share the move
Boise Cascade was selected to transport the tree on the recommendation of Kenworth. Four drivers are sharing the driving and operational responsibilities.
Monte Cook, of Spokane, Washington, is a Boise Cascade operations leader with 33 years of experience and nearly 3 million miles driven. Phil Cramer, of Laurel, Montana, is a Boise Cascade operations manager who has accumulated approximately 1.5 million safe driving miles during a 22-year career.
Fred Holmes, of Salmon, Idaho, previously drove for Boise Cascade and now works as a product manager. He has more than two decades in the transportation industry. Tianne Larrimer, of Sugar Land, Texas, brings more than 30 years of experience that includes military logistics, heavy hauling and flatbed work.
The experience is important because the load is unlike a typical flatbed shipment. The tree is long, fragile and highly visible. The truck must negotiate changing terrain and weather while maintaining a schedule built around public events in towns along the route.
Kenworth equipment and live tracking
The tree is being hauled by a specially decaled Kenworth T680. The truck’s design follows the 2026 theme, “Over the River and Through the Woods,” and depicts a snow-covered river winding through Idaho’s national forests.
Kenworth has provided the truck for the Capitol Christmas Tree journey for the 13th year. The tractor is equipped with a PACCAR MX-13 engine, a TX-12 automated transmission and DX-40 tandem rear axles. Driver-assistance features include DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, and lane-keeping assist with torque-assisted steering.
The truck also includes a 76-inch sleeper with heated and cooled leather seats, a refrigerator and a rotating work table. Those features provide working and resting space for a crew spending several weeks on the road.
Kenworth is providing real-time GPS tracking through PACCAR Connect for the third consecutive year. The public tree tracker allows the route to be followed as the truck moves east from Idaho.
A route built around communities
The tour began in Grangeville, Idaho, followed by stops in Lewiston, Moscow, Orofino, Kamiah and Salmon. The tree then continued through Lolo, Montana, and stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls.
From there, the route includes Gardiner, Montana; Sheridan, Wyoming; Custer and Mitchell, South Dakota; Albert Lea, Minnesota; Peoria, Illinois; Richmond, Indiana; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Hagerstown, Maryland. Littlestown, Pennsylvania, is scheduled as the final community stop before the tree reaches Joint Base Andrews and then the Capitol.
The tree is expected to arrive at the West Lawn on Nov. 20. Employees from the Architect of the Capitol will secure and decorate it before the official lighting ceremony in early December.
The operation illustrates a side of trucking that is often invisible to the public. Moving a 76-foot tree across the country requires careful route planning, experienced drivers, specialized equipment and steady coordination with communities along the way. For a few weeks each year, a flatbed load becomes a national symbol—and the professional drivers responsible for delivering it become part of the story.
