Dedicated CDL-A Position Local Automotive Shuttle
CDL-A Automotive Shuttle Driver - JIT Home Daily
Hiring Area: Birmingham, AL metro • Terminal: Birmingham-area terminal
Birmingham, AL Local Dedicated 2023–2025 Day Cabs
Dedicated automotive JIT shuttle work moves production components between Birmingham suppliers and Central Alabama plants, with weekly pay $1,400–$1,800, estimated annual around $88,400, and home daily returns after each shift.
Weekly Gross
$1,400–$1,800
Estimated Annual: $88,400
Sign-On Bonus $1,000 after 90 days
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Hours 48–58 hours
Freight Type Automotive Components
This role supports continuous automotive production through timed component movements under strict plant schedules.
- Complete pre-trip and post-trip inspections on assigned day cab equipment.
- Transport automotive components while meeting strict appointment windows.
- Follow customer plant entry procedures and security requirements.
- Verify trailer numbers, paperwork, and load information before departure.
- Coordinate with dispatch on route changes and production adjustments.
- Maintain accurate electronic logs and Hours-of-Service compliance.
- Communicate professionally with warehouse, plant, and security personnel.
Hourly production support forms the base, with overtime after 40 hours and a small weekly performance element tied to on-time delivery.
Weekly Gross $1,400–$1,800
Estimated Annual $88,400
Hourly Rate $29.50–$33.00/hr
Overtime 1.5× after 40 hours
JIT Performance Incentive Up to $50/week
Sign-On Bonus $1,000 after 90 days
Pay Frequency Weekly payroll
Home Time Home Daily
Operating Corridor Birmingham metro & Central Alabama
Terminal Birmingham-area terminal or approved parking
Weekly Hours 48–58 hours (10–12 hr shifts)
Core Schedule Monday–Friday; occasional weekend support
Shift Start Early morning or afternoon/evening by plant windows
Tractor Freightliner Cascadia day cabs 2023–2025
Transmission Automatic
Trailers 53' dry van & automotive-specific
Safety Systems Forward-facing cameras, collision mitigation, lane departure, adaptive cruise
ELD & Comm Electronic Logging Devices + digital dispatch systems
Assignment Dedicated equipment when available
Trailers receive regular checks on doors, flooring, securement points, lighting, cleanliness, and documentation. Maintenance runs through company service locations and approved vendors with roadside assistance available.
Production components move on timed shuttle cycles rather than open freight lanes.
- Automotive interior components, plastic assemblies, bumpers, electronic modules, engine components, and sub-assemblies.
- Birmingham, AL to Vance, AL via I-20 supporting Mercedes-Benz supply chain.
- Birmingham, AL to Lincoln, AL via I-65 supporting Honda manufacturing.
- Bessemer, AL to Vance, AL using I-20 and local industrial routes.
- Birmingham, AL to Talladega, AL via US-280 and regional highways.
- Birmingham, AL to Tuscaloosa, AL via I-20/59 connections.
- Birmingham metro supplier parks to Central Alabama automotive facilities on local industrial corridors.
- Receive first assignment before shift with supplier location, trailer number, plant destination, and appointment time.
- Arrive at supplier facility, complete inspection, pick up loaded trailer, and verify paperwork.
- Travel to manufacturing plant, clear security gate, and receive dock or yard instructions.
- Coordinate live unload performed by plant teams, then manage empty trailer or next assignment.
- Complete multiple shuttle cycles per shift based on production volume and dock availability.
- Return to Birmingham-area terminal or approved parking after assigned cycles.
About the Carrier
Automotive manufacturing in Central Alabama depends on precise, timed movement of components from supplier parks and warehouses into assembly plants. Just-in-time production leaves little margin for late arrivals, so dedicated shuttle capacity becomes a critical link in the supply chain. A regional transportation company fills that role by concentrating late-model day-cab fleets on short, high-frequency runs that keep plants stocked according to daily production sequences. The operation prioritizes appointment compliance, plant security protocols, and real-time communication with logistics teams over long-haul mileage accumulation. By focusing exclusively on manufacturing support rather than general freight, the carrier maintains the reliability required when a delayed trailer can interrupt continuous assembly lines.
Health Coverage Medical, dental, vision after 30 days
Retirement Company-sponsored 401(k) with employer match
Paid Time Off Paid vacation program
Uniforms & Support Company uniforms after qualification; safety equipment
Additional Paid orientation, safety recognition, referral program, paid DOT physical support, terminal parking
- Valid CDL Class A and current DOT medical certification
- Minimum 2 years verifiable CDL-A experience
- Clean MVR, no serious safety violations
- Strong attendance record and ability to maintain scheduled deliveries
- Pass company background review and customer security requirements
- Preferred: automotive shuttle or dedicated manufacturing experience
- Supplier delays and plant gate congestion during shift changes
- Dock availability limits and trailer staging waits
- Production schedule changes or model changeovers
- Birmingham-area traffic and interstate construction near I-20/I-65
- Security processing and plant traffic during peak windows
1
Recruiter Screen
Phone review of CDL history and experience
2
Verification
CDL, employment, MVR, Clearinghouse
3
Background & Offer
Customer security check and final offer
4
Orientation
Terminal training then first dispatch
Q: How many shuttle cycles happen in a typical shift? ▼
Multiple timed movements are common. Exact count depends on distance between supplier and plant, production volume, traffic, and dock availability that day.
Q: Who handles unloading at the plants? ▼
Customer plant employees or material handling teams perform most unloading. Drivers coordinate at the dock but do not unload freight themselves.
Q: Are routes fixed every day? ▼
Dispatch plans change with production schedules, supplier inventory, and plant priorities. Some days repeat the same supplier-plant cycle; others add movements.
Q: Is drop-and-hook used? ▼
Drop-and-hook may occur depending on customer procedures. Live unload remains common at assembly facilities.
Q: How are delays documented? ▼
Drivers report delays accurately so operations can track detention with customers and adjust remaining assignments within HOS limits.
Q: What happens during production ramp-ups? ▼
Occasional weekend support and additional shuttle cycles may be required when plants increase volume or change models.
Birmingham supports a steady CDL-A market through manufacturing plants, supplier parks, warehouses, and regional distribution centers rather than large port or intermodal volume. Drivers find openings with national carriers, regional fleets, private industrial transporters, and dedicated logistics contractors. Demand remains strongest for professionals who handle appointment-based deliveries, industrial facility procedures, and consistent attendance. Automotive shuttle, dry van dedicated, LTL, food distribution, flatbed construction materials, and local distribution roles appear regularly. Companies compete for clean-record drivers who understand production schedules, making hourly and dedicated packages more common than pure mileage pay in the manufacturing corridor. The combination of industrial density and Southeast highway access keeps year-round opportunities available for experienced CDL-A operators who prefer structured local or short-regional work.
Central Alabama’s freight flow centers on automotive manufacturing and the supplier network that feeds it. Major assembly plants near Vance and Lincoln draw continuous component movements from warehouses and industrial parks clustered around Birmingham. Interior parts, electronics, stamped metal, bumpers, and engine assemblies travel short, time-sensitive distances along I-20, I-65, and connecting industrial corridors. The same geography also supports broader industrial distribution, construction materials, and regional dry van freight linking Alabama with Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, and Gulf Coast markets. Because production schedules dictate daily volume, shuttle and dedicated capacity remains essential even when general freight softens. Industrial parks, supplier yards, and logistics warehouses create a dense local network that keeps short-haul and manufacturing-support drivers active throughout the year.
