Port Drayage Position Home Daily
CDL-A Local Export Container Driver – Houston, TX
Hiring Area: Southeast Houston & Ship Channel • Port Houston: Bayport & Barbours Cut
Houston, TX Export Drayage 2021–2025 Day Cabs
Move loaded export containers from industrial shippers and transload yards in Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte and Baytown into Port Houston terminals. Home daily, typically 18–22 loaded/empty moves per week, with company day-cab equipment and TWIC-required terminal access.
Typical Weekly Gross
$1,650
Estimated Annual: $85,800
Weekly Range $1,500–$1,800
Sign-On Bonus $1,500
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Moves 18–22
Freight Type Loaded Export Containers
This is a dedicated Houston export-drayage position connecting local industrial shippers with Port Houston's Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals. The work is short-haul but operationally busy because every move depends on container availability, chassis condition, terminal gates and vessel cutoff timing.
- Pick up loaded export containers from warehouses, packaging plants and transload locations.
- Verify container number, seal, booking information and shipping documents before leaving the shipper.
- Inspect chassis, locking pins, tires, lights, air lines and securement before entering the road network.
- Use Port Houston terminal procedures and available container information through the assigned dispatch workflow.
- Deliver export loads to Bayport or Barbours Cut before the applicable receiving or vessel cutoff.
- Return empty equipment or reposition the chassis for the next scheduled export move.
Pay is built around completed local container activity rather than conventional long-haul CPM. A productive week is generally 18–22 moves, with qualifying terminal or customer detention paid separately when a documented wait exceeds the company threshold.
Weekly Pay Range $1,500–$1,800
Typical Weekly Gross $1,650
Estimated Annual Gross $85,800
Container Activity Pay Approximately $1,500 at 20 productive moves
Typical Detention Compensation $50/hour after 2 qualifying hours
Typical Detention Earnings Approximately $150 in a normal qualifying week
Sign-On Bonus $1,500 paid $500 at 30, 90 and 180 days
Pay Frequency Weekly payroll
Home Time Home Daily
Operating Area Houston, Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte, Baytown, Channelview and Southeast Harris County
Primary Terminals Bayport Container Terminal and Barbours Cut Container Terminal
Weekly Moves 18–22 container moves, depending on customer volume and terminal conditions
Typical Workday 9–11 hours including shipper, terminal and chassis time
Dispatch Start Usually 5:00–6:30 AM for first export pickup
Normal Schedule Monday–Friday; occasional extended-gate work only when specifically scheduled
Terminal Gate Window Bayport and Barbours Cut generally operate Monday–Friday, 6:00 AM–7:00 PM; ingate closes at 6:00 PM
Tractor Models Freightliner Cascadia day cabs (2021–2025) and Kenworth T680 day cabs (2020–2024)
Transmission 10-speed automated manual or automatic transmission depending on assigned tractor
Chassis 20-, 40- and 45-foot container chassis from company-controlled and approved chassis pools
Container Types Primarily standard dry containers; occasional refrigerated or specialized equipment depending on customer account
Safety Systems Forward-facing dash camera, collision mitigation, lane-departure warning and adaptive cruise on newer units
Cabin & Dispatch ELD, electronic DVIR, air-ride suspension, fuel card, electronic dispatch communication and toll support
Truck Assignment Assigned tractor when available; limited slip-seat use during maintenance or equipment shortages
The fleet is maintained locally in the Houston area. Drivers report tire, brake, chassis and tractor defects through dispatch before entering a terminal rather than being expected to solve equipment issues independently.
Freight is primarily sealed export cargo prepared at Houston-area manufacturing, packaging and distribution facilities. Common loads include plastic resins, packaged chemicals, machinery, industrial components, food products and consumer goods moving to ocean export terminals.
- Pasadena, TX → Bayport Container Terminal
- Deer Park, TX → Bayport or Barbours Cut
- La Porte, TX → Barbours Cut Container Terminal
- Baytown, TX → Bayport or Barbours Cut
- Channelview, TX → Barbours Cut
- Southeast Houston warehouses → Bayport / Barbours Cut
- Industrial shipper → terminal → empty return or next export pickup
- Primary roads include SH-225, SH-146, I-610 East, I-10, I-45 and local Ship Channel industrial roads
- Dispatch sends the first export booking, pickup location, container reference and terminal destination before the shift.
- Driver arrives at the shipper, checks in and confirms the container is loaded, sealed and released.
- Container number, seal number, chassis condition and shipping paperwork are checked before departure.
- Driver runs the loaded container through Southeast Houston toward Bayport or Barbours Cut.
- After terminal delivery, the driver follows dispatch instructions for empty return, chassis repositioning or the next export pickup.
- A productive day normally consists of 3–5 moves; traffic, warehouse delays and terminal queues can reduce the number.
- Driver finishes at the company yard or approved local parking and returns home the same day.
About the Carrier
This is a mid-sized Houston-area carrier focused on short-haul container transportation rather than nationwide OTR freight. The operation supports manufacturers, packaging companies, distributors and freight forwarders that need dependable truck capacity between Southeast Houston facilities and Port Houston. Dispatch is built around daily container availability, chassis status and terminal cutoff times. Drivers normally work the same general Ship Channel territory each week, but the exact pickup sequence changes with export bookings and customer production schedules.
Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision insurance options
Retirement 401(k) with company contribution subject to plan eligibility
Paid Time Off Paid holidays after applicable waiting period
TWIC Support TWIC renewal assistance or reimbursement according to company policy
Training & Orientation Paid orientation covering chassis inspection, ELD, port procedures, export paperwork and terminal safety
Operational Support Company tractor, local maintenance, roadside assistance coordination, fuel card and toll support
Other Company terminal parking, required DOT physical support and basic safety PPE
- Valid Class A CDL and current DOT Medical Examiner's Certificate
- Active TWIC card required before independent restricted-terminal assignments
- Minimum 1 year of recent CDL-A tractor-trailer experience preferred
- Recent Houston port, drayage, intermodal or container-chassis experience strongly preferred
- Acceptable MVR and driving history meeting company insurance standards
- Pass DOT drug and alcohol testing and required FMCSA Clearinghouse query
- Ability to inspect chassis and containers, climb trailer steps and safely enter and exit terminal equipment areas
- Comfort using electronic dispatch, ELD and digital shipping documentation
- HazMat endorsement is not required for standard assignments
- Container shows available in the system but is not physically released at the shipper
- Warehouse loading or sealing takes longer than the scheduled pickup window
- Terminal queues increase near vessel receiving and cargo cutoff periods
- Chassis interchange problems or equipment defects require a replacement chassis
- Traffic backs up on SH-225, SH-146, I-610 East or local Ship Channel roads
- Heavy rain, flooding or tropical weather slows yard and terminal operations
- Container or booking information changes after the driver is already dispatched
1
Recruiter Call
Review CDL history, Houston port experience, TWIC status and recent employment
2
Qualification Review
CDL, MVR, employment verification, Clearinghouse query and required screening
3
Paid Orientation
Houston orientation covering ELD, chassis inspection, terminal procedures and export documentation
4
Port Assignment
Tractor assignment and supervised first moves before regular dispatch
Q: How many containers will I normally move each day? ▼
A productive day is usually 3–5 container moves. Four moves per day is a realistic target, but terminal queues, shipper readiness and traffic can reduce the total.
Q: What freight is inside the export containers? ▼
The account mix is primarily dry export freight such as plastic resins, packaged chemicals, machinery, industrial components, food products and consumer goods. The driver normally transports sealed containers rather than handling the cargo itself.
Q: Do I need a TWIC card? ▼
Yes. An active TWIC is required for independent access to the restricted port-terminal areas used for these assignments.
Q: Do drivers go to both Bayport and Barbours Cut? ▼
Yes. Dispatch assigns the terminal based on the export booking and customer account. Some drivers may work predominantly in one terminal area during a particular week.
Q: Is this a Monday–Friday job? ▼
The normal schedule is Monday through Friday. Weekend work is not the standard pattern because regular Bayport and Barbours Cut gate operations are primarily weekday-based, although special extended-gate arrangements can occur.
Q: What happens if the chassis is bad? ▼
The driver reports the defect to dispatch and follows the assigned chassis or terminal procedure. A defective chassis is not supposed to be taken onto the road simply to keep the move moving.
Q: Can a recent CDL graduate apply? ▼
The normal hiring target is an experienced Class A driver because the position combines port access, chassis inspection, electronic documentation and time-sensitive terminal work. Recent graduates are generally not the preferred profile.
Houston's CDL-A market is unusually segmented because the same metro area supports petrochemical, port, intermodal, construction, foodservice, LTL, tanker, flatbed and conventional dry-van operations. Port drayage is a separate niche: drivers need terminal access, TWIC, chassis familiarity and experience dealing with bookings, container releases and gate procedures. Current Houston listings show local container positions commonly advertising roughly $1,200–$1,800 per week, with some dedicated drayage roles around the upper end of that range for drivers who already have Houston port experience.
The job sits directly inside Houston's Ship Channel export corridor. Port Houston operates the Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals, and its current terminal schedule lists normal gate operations Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with ingate closing at 6:00 PM. Port Houston's Lynx system provides container availability, booking, bill-of-lading, gate transaction and vessel-cutoff information used by terminal customers and trucking operations.
The surrounding freight base is not just generic warehouse traffic. Southeast Houston, Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte and Baytown sit next to petrochemical plants, resin and plastics facilities, packaging operations, manufacturing sites and transload yards feeding ocean export cargo. Port Houston reported nearly 2.6 million TEUs through July 2026, with total Ship Channel trade tonnage up 16% year to date through June and exports up 22%. That creates a large local drayage market, but the driver's work remains highly dependent on individual bookings, terminal queues and customer production schedules.