The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour officially kicked off this week, with a team of truck drivers behind the wheel of a custom Kenworth truck making sure that the “People’s Tree” arrives safely in Washington, D.C.
On October 29, the 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour kicked off in Grangeville, Idaho. A 76-foot Engelmann spruce will be hauled by truck 2,000 miles across the country before it arrives on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building on November 20.
In support of the tour, Kenworth provided a specially decaled Kenworth T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper and PACCAR Powertrain featuring a PACCAR MX-13 engine, PACCAR TX-12 automated transmission, and PACCAR DX-40 tandem rear axles.
Idaho-based building materials maker and distributor Boise Cascade has been chosen as this year’s hauler for the Capitol Christmas Tree. The company provided four veteran transportation industry professionals to make the journey to Washington:
- Monte Cook (Spokane, Washington) is a veteran truck driver and Boise Cascade operations leader with 33 years of experience and nearly 3 million miles on the road.
- Phil Cramer (Laurel, Montana) is a Boise Cascade operations manager whose 22-year career includes 1.5 million safe driving miles and a strong commitment to community service.
- Fred Holmes (Salmon, Idaho) is a former Boise Cascade driver and current product manager with more than 20 years of industry experience.
- Tianne Larrimer (Sugar Land, Texas) is a military-trained logistics professional with 30+ years of experience spanning Army service, heavy hauling, and flatbed transportation.
In the video below, you can see Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspectors checking the truck to make sure it is ready to hit the road for the journey to the U.S. Capitol.
See below for the Capitol Christmas Tree tour schedule.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Grangeville, Idaho
- Friday, Oct. 30: Lewiston, Idaho
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Moscow, Idaho
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Orofino, Idaho and Kamiah, Idaho
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Lolo, Montana
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: Salmon, Idaho
- Thursday, Nov. 5: Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho and Twin Falls, Idaho
- Friday, Nov. 6: Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Gardiner, Montana
- Monday, Nov. 9: Sheridan, Wyoming
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: Custer, South Dakota
- Thursday, Nov. 12: Mitchell, South Dakota and Albert Lea, Minnesota
- Friday, Nov. 13: Peoria, Illinois
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Richmond, Indiana
- Monday, Nov. 16: Morgantown, West Virginia
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: Hagerstown, Maryland and Littlestown, Pennsylvania
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Joint Base Andrews, Maryland (military ID access only)
