"The truck shortage is a lot more acute these days than past years.

Ten million tons of cargo, worth an estimated $2 billion, moves through the system annually, much of it agricultural products. Potato growers will feel less of an impact, because most of the crop is trucked to the Port of Seattle, although they will see increased competition for trucks. Rail companies will be increasing cars to compensate, but the cargo space will be shared by everyone affected by the closure, potentially creating problems.

"A lot of wheat has to go by truck, so it's going to make it tough to find trucks if the trucks are tied-up taking wheat to market," said Chris Voight, executive director of the Washington Potato Commission.

"This is going to be more of a problem for packing sheds and processors. They're the ones who have to be a little nervous, because they're the ones who have to compete with the wheat industry."

Growers across the United States are finding it increasingly difficult to find trucks to move their product. L&M Transportation Services (LMTS) in Raleigh, N.C., has seen a big loss of trucking opportunities for the past several years.

"The truck shortage is a lot more acute these days than past years. A lot of truck companies went out of business when fuel prices spiked and the economy went south, so now it's getting difficult to find a truck to ship produce, when a few years ago it wouldn't have been a problem," said Rock Woodlief, potato and onion transportation manager for LMTS.