Home CDL-A Jobs Job Form CDL News
CDL A Job Type
States
Top CDL-A Cities
Driver Hub

CDL A Job Type

×
OTR CDL-A Jobs USA Regional CDL-A Jobs USA Local CDL-A Jobs USA Owner Operator CDL-A Jobs USA

States

×
Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Idaho Indiana Kentucky Louisiana Missouri Minnesota Michigan North Carolina New Jersey New York New Mexico Oregon Ohio Pennsylvania Texas Tennessee Wisconsin Washington

Top CDL-A Cities

×
Atlanta Albuquerque Baton Rouge Birmingham Boise Buffalo Chicago Cleveland Charlotte Cincinnati Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Elizabeth Eugene Fort Smith Fort Worth Fort Wayne Fresno Greensboro Houston Harrisburg Indianapolis Idaho Falls Jacksonville Joliet Kansas City Lakeland Laredo Lexington Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Madison Miami Memphis Milwaukee Minneapolis Mobile Montgomery Nashville Newark New York New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Portland San Antonio San Bernardino San Diego Saint Paul Seattle Savannah Springfield Stockton St. Louis Tacoma Tampa Tucson

Driver Hub

×
CDL-A Trucking School & Job Placement CDL-A Pay Calculator
Dedicated CDL-A Position Regional Agricultural

CDL-A Dedicated Feed & Agricultural Transport Driver

Hiring Area: Ocala, FL and North/Central Florida • Base: Ocala-area terminal

Ocala, FL Dedicated Regional Volvo VNL fleet

Dedicated agricultural freight across North and Central Florida with selected Southern Georgia runs. Weekly range $1,300–$1,850, typical week around $1,700, most weekends home.

Weekly Range
$1,300–$1,850
Typical week ~$1,700 · Typical annualized ~$88,400
Sign-On / Retention Up to $2,000
Home Time Most weekends home
Driver Type Dedicated Regional
Weekly Miles 2,200–2,600
Freight Feed & Agricultural

Position Overview

This regional operation serves feed suppliers, livestock operations, horse farms, equine facilities and agricultural warehouses on a dedicated account basis.

  • Confirms commodity, trailer number, seals and shipping papers before departure.
  • Applies customer-specific procedures for both bagged and bulk feed handling.
  • Records shortages, damaged pallets or rejected product on the proper forms.
  • Reports any pneumatic, tire, brake or tractor defect before continuing.
  • Works with farm contacts to position the trailer in limited-space unloading areas.
  • Tracks HOS closely and alerts dispatch early when delays threaten the schedule.

Pay & Compensation Breakdown

Compensation follows a CPM model. Weekly gross includes mileage earnings plus qualifying agricultural activity pay and other applicable incentives when earned.

Mileage Rate $0.59–$0.67 CPM
Weekly Range $1,300–$1,850
Typical Week ~ $1,700 (approx. 2,400 mi at $0.65 + ~$140 activity)
Agricultural Activity Pay $35 per qualifying bulk or specialized delivery (roughly 4 per normal week)
Sign-On / Retention Up to $2,000 staged ($500 at 30 days, $750 at 90, $750 at 180)
Clean DOT Inspection $125 per qualifying event
Detention Paid per carrier policy once the waiting threshold is met

Schedule, Home Time & Operating Area

Home Time Most weekends home; occasional Saturday work in high-volume periods
Operating Area Primarily North and Central Florida with periodic Southern Georgia freight
Base Ocala, FL
Weekly Paid Miles Approximately 2,200–2,600 in normal-to-strong weeks
Typical Start 3:00–5:00 AM depending on first customer window

Equipment & Cabin Specs

Drivers may be assigned either palletized dry-van feed routes or pneumatic bulk-feed work depending on the customer account and equipment availability that day.

Tractors Volvo VNL sleepers, generally 2–5 years old; some older units remain in rotation
Transmission Automatic
Trailers 53-ft dry vans for palletized freight; mid-life pneumatic bulk-feed trailers
ELD & Safety Tech Geotab ELD; collision-warning on newer units; driver-facing or backup cameras on designated equipment
Assignment Assigned when practical; slip-seating may occur for maintenance, vacation coverage or seasonal needs

APU units appear on a portion of the fleet. Pneumatic unloading equipment is fitted to the bulk-feed trailers. Maintenance runs through the terminal network and approved roadside vendors.

Typical Regional Lanes

Commodities include bagged horse and livestock feed, grain-based products, mineral and nutritional supplements, palletized stable supplies and bulk feed moved in pneumatic trailers.

  • Ocala–Gainesville–Jacksonville loops linking mills, farms and distribution points
  • Ocala–Lake City–Valdosta, GA corridor for northbound livestock-supplement demand
  • Shorter same-day Ocala–Gainesville–Lake City farm and feed circuits
  • Ocala–Lakeland movements serving Central Florida agricultural customers
  • Longer Ocala–Jacksonville–Gainesville combinations when a reload is available
  • Palletized multi-stop days usually 2–5 deliveries; bulk assignments fewer stops with longer unload cycles

Typical Week & Daily Workflow

  • Monday often begins with a feed-mill appointment followed by Gainesville-area deliveries and return to Ocala.
  • Tuesday can stretch north through Lake City into Valdosta; overnight stays occur when the final stop sits too far for a same-day return.
  • Wednesday frequently shifts to palletized freight serving Jacksonville and North Florida farm customers.
  • Thursday mixes bulk and dry-van work on Gainesville–Lake City loops according to trailer availability.
  • Friday focuses on weekend-prep deliveries before the driver heads back toward the Ocala base.
  • Saturday runs appear only during seasonal feed or equine-event volume spikes.
  • Dispatch resequences stops whenever mill production, weather or customer windows change the original plan.

About the Regional Operation

Feed mills, livestock operations and equine facilities create a steady need for reliable regional capacity that can adjust to production schedules and farm receiving hours. This operation is structured around dedicated agricultural freight moving bagged, palletized and pneumatic bulk products across North and Central Florida. Drivers work a recurring network of mills, horse farms, ranches and agricultural warehouses rather than open-market loads. Day-to-day planning stays fluid so that commodity readiness, weather-affected access roads and seasonal demand can be matched while keeping the driver inside a defined territory.

Benefits & Healthcare Coverage

Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision options for eligible full-time employees
Retirement 401(k) with company contribution or match according to plan terms
Time Off Paid holidays plus PTO accrual
Training & Support Paid orientation, pneumatic unloading training, agricultural equipment orientation and PPE support
Additional Rider eligibility after 30 days, terminal parking where available, company ELD and fuel card, seasonal surge incentive when formally activated

Driver Qualification Requirements

  • Valid Class A CDL and current DOT medical qualification
  • Minimum 9 months CDL-A experience; feed, bulk, pneumatic or rural-delivery background preferred
  • Age 21 or older; stable MVR free of recent serious or major preventable violations
  • Successful pre-employment drug screen, Clearinghouse query and background checks
  • Ability to connect and disconnect unloading equipment, handle hoses, work outdoors in Florida heat and rain, and access uneven rural sites
  • No HazMat endorsement is expected; additional endorsement needs depend on the specific equipment and commodity assigned

Operational Delays

  • Feed-mill loading queues of 30–90 minutes during peak production windows
  • Unpaved farm entrances turn soft after heavy Florida rain
  • Afternoon thunderstorms can force last-minute alternate unloading points
  • Customer receiving windows shift with short notice
  • I-75 and US-301 traffic or construction can push appointment times later

Hiring Process

1
Application
Submit CDL-A application with license and work history
2
Recruiter & Safety Review
Phone screen, MVR check and qualification review
3
DOT Screening
Drug test, Clearinghouse query and employment verification
4
Offer & Orientation
Final offer, paid orientation, equipment walk-through and first dispatch

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will I stay out overnight? ▼
Occasional overnight stays happen when distance or customer timing makes a same-day return impractical. Most nights the driver returns to the Ocala area.
Q: How is product separation managed on bulk trailers? ▼
Account-specific cleaning or product-control steps are followed whenever a trailer switches from one feed formulation to another.
Q: What if a farm road is too soft after rain? ▼
The driver and customer agree on an alternate unloading location and dispatch is notified so the remaining sequence can be adjusted.
Q: Is drop-and-hook used? ▼
Some locations offer preloaded trailers for drop-and-hook. Many feed mills still rely on live loading straight from production.
Q: How long does the hiring process take? ▼
Most candidates complete the process in 5–10 business days, depending on verification speed, drug-screen results and orientation scheduling.
Q: Do seasonal surges pay extra? ▼
A temporary account premium can be activated during high equine, livestock or storm-preparation periods when the operation formally authorizes it.

CDL Job Market in Ocala

Ocala’s CDL-A market draws from regional distribution, LTL, foodservice, retail truckload and agricultural work. A new Averitt service center opened in early 2026 with substantial dock capacity, while McLane continues to recruit from its local distribution facility. Dedicated regional openings commonly post in the $1,200–$1,600 weekly band, with some dry-van accounts higher. Agricultural operations differentiate themselves with more predictable home time and repeat customers in exchange for rural access and early starts. Steady demand comes from the dual presence of equine and livestock freight alongside conventional consumer corridors along I-75. Drivers can weigh dedicated feed work against LTL linehaul, foodservice and OTR options without leaving the immediate area.

Location & Freight Market

Marion County ranks among Florida’s strongest equine and agricultural centers, producing continuous movement of feed, supplements and stable supplies between mills, farms and regional warehouses. Ocala sits on the I-75 corridor between Gainesville and the Orlando/Tampa markets; US-27, US-301 and US-441 feed the surrounding rural delivery points. Northbound freight reaches Lake City, Jacksonville and southern Georgia, while southbound lanes serve Lakeland and other Central Florida agricultural customers. Summer thunderstorms, wet farm roads and hurricane preparation generate short-term volume spikes and access challenges. Equine-event cycles and seasonal livestock demand further shape weekly tonnage. The dense farm network combined with expanding warehouse activity keeps agricultural and mixed freight moving through the Ocala area year-round.

Start Your Application