Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 16, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	WERNER ENTERPRISES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000793074
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		72,452,452
Entity Public Float			$ 1,385
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Trading Symbol	wern