Local CDL-A Position Agricultural Bulk

CDL-A Local Agricultural Bulk Driver – Home Daily in Little Rock, AR

Hiring Radius: Central Arkansas • Terminal: Little Rock, AR

Little Rock, AR Local / Home Daily 2019–2024 Day Cabs

Haul rice, grain products, dry feed ingredients and fertilizer on hopper-bottom and dry-bulk trailers throughout Central Arkansas. Home every night with weekly gross of $1,300–$1,750.

Weekly Gross
$1,300–$1,750
Typical Week: ≈ $1,550
Annual at Typical: ≈ $80,600
Base Pay $30.00/hr
Overtime $45.00/hr after 40
Sign-On Bonus None listed
Home Time Daily
Weekly Miles 800–1,400
Freight Agricultural Bulk

What the Job Actually Involves

Drivers handle short-radius agricultural bulk work that changes daily with elevator activity, customer appointments and seasonal demand rather than following a fixed shuttle pattern.

  • Inspect hopper or dry-bulk trailer before dispatch and confirm it is clean for the assigned commodity.
  • Check weights at the scale house and correct axle distribution before leaving the loading site.
  • Pick up rice products, grain, dry feed ingredients, fertilizer or other approved bulk commodities.
  • Follow elevator, feed-mill and agricultural terminal procedures for loading and unloading.
  • Operate hopper gates, discharge equipment and pneumatic systems when the trailer requires it.
  • Complete BOLs, scale tickets, delivery receipts and electronic logs at each stop.
  • Notify local dispatch when elevator queues, weather or customer delays alter the planned sequence.

Pay Structure

Compensation is hourly because loading, scale-house and unloading time form a meaningful part of the workday.

Base Rate $30.00 per hour
Overtime $45.00 per hour after 40
Lower Week (42 hrs) ≈ $1,290 – $1,300
Typical Week (48 hrs) ≈ $1,550
Strong Week (52 hrs) ≈ $1,740 – $1,750
Pay Frequency Weekly

Schedule & Operating Pattern

Home Time Home every night
Typical Radius 75–150 miles from Little Rock
Weekly Hours 42–52
Weekly Miles 800–1,400
Start Window 5:00–7:00 AM
Weekend Work Occasional Saturdays in peak fertilizer or harvest periods

Tractors & Trailers

Tractor Age Primarily 2019–2024
Common Models Freightliner Cascadia and Kenworth T680 day cabs
Transmission Automatic on most units
Safety Features Collision mitigation, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise on equipped tractors
Assignment Assigned when available; slip-seating may occur during maintenance or peak volume

Most tractors carry ELDs, electronic DVIRs, forward-facing cameras, air-ride suspension and engine brakes. Trailer equipment varies by commodity: hopper-bottom units with gravity gates and tarps, plus selected pneumatic dry-bulk trailers with discharge hoses. PTO is available where the trailer configuration requires it. Maintenance is handled through the local shop or approved outside vendors.

Freight & Typical Corridors

Primary commodities are rice and grain products, dry feed ingredients, fertilizer and selected farm-supply bulk materials. Dispatch resequences loads daily according to elevator activity, customer needs and trailer availability.

  • Rice and grain movements between Little Rock-area facilities and Stuttgart elevators or processors
  • Farm-input and fertilizer runs toward Lonoke, England and surrounding agricultural customers
  • Bulk transfers linking Little Rock with Pine Bluff storage and processing points
  • North-side feed and ingredient hauls serving Conway and central Arkansas operations
  • Return or backhaul traffic from Stuttgart, Hazen and Pine Bluff into Little Rock or North Little Rock
  • Port of Little Rock connections for rice, fertilizer and related agri-products moving by truck, rail or barge

How a Normal Week Unfolds

  • Arrive at the terminal or overnight yard, complete pre-trip and verify trailer cleanliness for the first commodity.
  • Receive the opening load assignment from local dispatch between 5:00 and 7:00 AM.
  • Proceed through gate check-in, scale, loading, product verification, re-weigh and paperwork.
  • Deliver to the elevator, feed mill or farm-supply site; the next load is usually assigned while unloading.
  • Complete two to four bulk movements on a productive day; mid-week volume is typically strongest.
  • Return the empty or staged trailer to the terminal or an approved yard at the end of the shift.
  • Expect occasional Saturday work when fertilizer demand or harvest activity remains high.

About the Operation

Short-radius agricultural bulk work keeps rice, grain products, feed ingredients and fertilizer moving between elevators, feed mills, storage sites and the Port of Little Rock. This regional carrier concentrates on hopper-bottom and selected dry-bulk equipment rather than long-haul grain. Local dispatch matches trailers to commodity requirements and customer appointments while adjusting for seasonal volume swings. Drivers return to a Little Rock-area terminal each night instead of running multi-day agricultural routes.

Benefits Overview

Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision options may be available depending on eligibility
Retirement 401(k) plan with company match after eligibility requirements
Time Off Paid time off after the eligibility period; paid major holidays per company policy
Training & Support Paid orientation, hopper and pneumatic familiarization, PPE support, DOT physical renewal assistance
Other Safety incentive eligibility and driver referral program after meeting company requirements

Minimum Qualifications

  • Valid Class A CDL
  • At least 6 months recent tractor-trailer experience preferred
  • Hopper, pneumatic or dry-bulk experience helpful but not required
  • Acceptable MVR with no major recent preventable violations
  • Must pass DOT drug and alcohol testing plus Clearinghouse query
  • Current medical certification
  • Ability to climb trailer steps, inspect gates and air lines, and work outdoors in varied weather
  • No HazMat or tanker endorsement required for the standard assignment

What Can Slow the Day

  • Elevator and scale-house waits that range from a short check-in to 30–90 minutes during busy periods or harvest
  • Wet weather that softens rural yards and complicates trailer positioning
  • Congestion on I-30, I-40 and the Port industrial corridor, especially when rail activity is heavy
  • Seasonal spikes in fertilizer and harvest volume that stretch loading windows
  • Customer-required trailer clean-outs between incompatible commodities

Hiring Steps

1
Initial Screen
Recruiter reviews CDL history and local availability
2
Verification
CDL, MVR and employment history check
3
DOT Screening
Drug/alcohol test and Clearinghouse query
4
Orientation
Paid local training and equipment familiarization

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are the routes fixed each day? ▼
No. Local dispatch changes the sequence according to customer appointments, elevator activity, trailer availability and seasonal demand. Fixed daily shuttles are not used.
Q: How long do elevator waits usually last? ▼
Waits can range from a short check-in to 30–90 minutes during busy periods or harvest. Longer delays are possible when many trucks arrive at the same time.
Q: Is most of the work live load and live unload? ▼
Much of the work involves live loading or unloading because the trailer and commodity must match the customer’s equipment. Some locations may have preloaded or staged trailers, but this is not a conventional dry-van drop-and-hook operation.
Q: What if the trailer previously carried an incompatible product? ▼
A washout or documented clean-out is required before loading feed-grade or food-related agricultural material.
Q: Can recent CDL graduates be considered? ▼
Selectively, if they completed an accredited program and maintain a strong safety record. Equipment familiarization is provided before independent dispatch.
Q: Where do the trucks park overnight? ▼
Normally at the carrier terminal or a designated yard. Loaded bulk trailers are not taken home unless specifically authorized. Overflow staging may be used during high-volume periods.

CDL Job Market in Little Rock

Transportation and material-moving occupations represent about 9.8 % of metropolitan employment in the Little Rock area. Heavy and tractor-trailer driving remains one of the region’s established commercial occupations, with BLS data showing average hourly wages for these drivers near the national level in recent releases. Local competition comes from dry-van fleets, LTL terminals, tanker operations, construction-material carriers, private industrial fleets and larger national carriers. Specialized agricultural bulk and hopper work sits above basic local dry-bulk pay while remaining below HazMat tanker or heavy-haul rates. Home-daily schedules and equipment familiarity create a distinct niche. Seasonal agricultural volume and the presence of feed, fertilizer and rice-related freight help sustain year-round demand for drivers comfortable with bulk equipment.

Why Agricultural Bulk Moves Through Central Arkansas

Arkansas is the nation’s leading long-grain rice producer and a major soybean state, with substantial corn and poultry production as well. These crops, together with fertilizer and farm inputs, generate steady bulk traffic between elevators, feed mills, storage facilities and processing plants across the Delta and Central Arkansas. The Port of Little Rock handles rice, fertilizer and other agri-products by truck, rail and river and connects more than twenty manufacturing and distribution companies through its rail network. I-30, I-40 and I-440 provide direct access to Stuttgart, Hazen, Lonoke, England, Pine Bluff and Conway while keeping most trips inside a practical daily radius. Fertilizer movements intensify in the spring planting window; grain and rice volume rises sharply during harvest. Wet weather and rural road conditions can reshape daily sequencing, but the combination of agricultural density, food manufacturing and intermodal infrastructure keeps local bulk capacity in consistent demand.

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