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
Regional Flatbed Position Company Driver

CDL-A Flatbed Driver — Structural Steel & Machinery Hauling

Hiring Area: St. Louis, Missouri • Terminal: St. Louis area

St. Louis, MO Regional Flatbed 3–6 Year-Old Sleeper Fleet

Structural steel, fabricated metal and machinery move on regional flatbed lanes out of the St. Louis industrial base into Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Weekly gross runs $1,600–$2,400 with home weekends and 2,100–2,800 typical paid miles.

Weekly Gross
$1,600–$2,400
Typical Annualized Gross: $104,000
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,500
Home Time Home Weekends
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Miles 2,100–2,800
Freight Type Structural Steel & Machinery

Position Overview

Fabrication yards and steel service centers around St. Louis feed a steady stream of industrial freight that requires flatbed equipment and active securement. The work centers on live loading, crane coordination and cargo protection rather than pure highway miles.

  • Checks trailer deck, winches, chains, binders and straps before every load.
  • Stays clear of the loading zone while crane or forklift places steel or machinery.
  • Confirms weight distribution, piece count and BOL accuracy before leaving the yard.
  • Performs required en-route securement inspections and corrects tension when needed.
  • Documents detention time and reports damaged securement gear immediately.
  • Works with yard personnel and receiving staff at outdoor industrial sites.

Pay & Compensation Breakdown

Pay is built on a mileage rate of $0.69–$0.78 plus separate tarp and securement compensation. A typical week at roughly $2,000 annualizes to $104,000; actual earnings move with paid miles, reloads and detention.

Weekly Gross Range $1,600–$2,400
Typical Annualized Gross $104,000 (based on ~$2,000 average week)
Mileage Rate $0.69–$0.78 per paid mile
Tarp / Securement Pay $50–$100 per qualifying load
Detention Paid after company waiting threshold; typical weekly impact ~$50
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,500 in three $500 installments at 30 / 60 / 90 days

Schedule, Home Time & Routes

Home Time Home weekends under the normal dispatch cycle
Operating Corridor Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma
Base Terminal St. Louis, Missouri
Typical Weekly Miles 2,100–2,800 paid miles
Dispatch Pattern Weekday regional cycles; early window 5:00–8:00 AM

Equipment & Cabin Specs

The fleet runs mixed late-model regional sleepers rather than an all-new program. Drivers are normally assigned a tractor when equipment availability allows; slip-seating occurs only during extended maintenance.

Tractor Age Generally 3–6 years old
Tractor Models Freightliner Cascadia and Kenworth T680 sleeper units
Transmission Automatic and limited manual depending on unit
Safety Features Forward-facing cameras, collision mitigation, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise on newer tractors
Trailers & Securement 53-ft steel-rated flatbeds with sliding winches, rub rails, chains, binders, ratchet straps, edge protectors, coil racks, tarp systems and headache racks

Real Routes

Most freight leaves steel service centers, fabrication yards and machinery plants. One-way distances usually fall between 250 and 520 miles. Daily sequences shift with customer release times and available reloads.

  • St. Louis → Kansas City on I-70 with fabricated steel and industrial products
  • Kansas City → St. Louis return on I-70 eastbound with machinery or components
  • St. Louis or Metro East → Indianapolis via the I-70 / I-64 corridor
  • St. Louis → Memphis on I-55 carrying machinery and construction-related freight
  • St. Louis → Tulsa on I-44 for industrial machinery or fabricated metal
  • Common mid-week reloads through Columbia, Terre Haute or Sikeston

Typical Week & Daily Workflow

  • Early ELD assignment arrives between 5:00 and 8:00 AM with pickup details.
  • Pre-trip completed, then trailer is positioned at the fabrication or industrial yard.
  • Crane or forklift places the load while the driver stays outside the danger zone.
  • Chains, binders or straps plus edge protectors go on before the truck leaves the yard.
  • Delivery completed, POD obtained, next compatible reload accepted when available.
  • Final regional delivery finishes late Friday or Saturday for the weekend reset.

About the Carrier

Industrial steel and machinery rarely fit cleanly into dry-van networks. Fabrication yards, steel service centers and machinery plants around St. Louis need flatbed capacity that can handle live loading, crane work and cargo securement on short-to-medium regional hauls. The operation concentrates on these industrial movements across the Midwest corridor, matching daily dispatches to actual fabrication release schedules and crane availability instead of rigid fixed lanes. Equipment stays positioned near manufacturing and construction-material customers so trucks remain productive while still returning most drivers to the St. Louis area for weekend home time.

Benefits & Healthcare Coverage

Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision options
Retirement 401(k) with company match subject to plan eligibility
Training Paid orientation and paid flatbed securement training
Incentives Safety-performance incentive and driver retention program
Operational Support Company ELD, electronic toll coverage, terminal parking, roadside assistance coordination, securement-equipment replacement, safety apparel support, DOT physical reimbursement

Driver Qualification Requirements

  • Valid Class A CDL
  • 1 year verifiable CDL-A experience (flatbed with steel or machinery preferred)
  • Acceptable MVR — no disqualifying major violations or recent serious preventable accidents
  • Physical ability to handle chains, binders, straps, winches, edge protectors and tarps outdoors
  • Compliance with company and DOT safety standards plus accurate HOS records

Operational Delays

  • Crane or forklift availability at fabrication yards
  • Fabrication not finished on the original schedule
  • Yard congestion and missing shipping paperwork
  • Customer appointment windows that shift during the day
  • High winds delaying tarp work or winter conditions affecting steel handling
  • Traffic on I-270, I-70, I-55 and Metro East corridors

Hiring Process

1
Recruiter Contact
Usually within one business day
2
Qualification Review
CDL, MVR and employment verification
3
DOT Screening
Drug screen and Clearinghouse query
4
Paid Orientation
St. Louis terminal — full process typically 5–10 business days

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much flatbed experience is required? ▼
One year of verifiable CDL-A experience is required. Previous flatbed work with steel, machinery or construction freight is strongly preferred. Drivers with solid CDL-A time and a clean safety record may still be considered after completing the carrier’s securement training.
Q: Are drivers home every weekend? ▼
Home weekends is the normal dispatch pattern. Most drivers return to the St. Louis area late Friday or Saturday. Occasional midweek returns happen when freight brings the truck back early, but they are not guaranteed. Weather, customer delays and HOS can shift the exact return time.
Q: Does the job include tarp and securement pay? ▼
Yes. Tarp and securement pay is typically $50–$100 per qualifying load and is paid separately from mileage.
Q: How long does a typical loading stop take? ▼
Most industrial loads take 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. Longer waits occur when fabrication is incomplete or a crane is occupied.
Q: Is drop-and-hook common? ▼
Live load and live unload make up roughly 65–75% of the work. Staged or preloaded trailers account for 15–25%. Drop-and-hook is limited.
Q: Where do drivers park overnight away from base? ▼
Overnight parking is planned along major corridors such as I-70, I-55 and I-44. Loaded high-value steel and machinery stay only in reasonably secure locations.
Q: Will weather cancel tarp work? ▼
High winds can delay tarp handling in open yards. Drivers are expected to avoid unsafe conditions and report equipment issues.
Q: Are routes fixed each week? ▼
No. Dispatch adjusts daily based on fabrication release times, crane availability and reload opportunities. A driver may start toward Kansas City and finish through a different market.
Q: Is HazMat required? ▼
No HazMat endorsement is required for the normal freight mix of structural steel, fabricated metal and machinery.

CDL Job Market

The St. Louis metro maintains steady demand for CDL-A drivers across local, regional and specialized fleets. Manufacturing, construction-material supply and industrial distribution create consistent openings for flatbed operators who can handle steel and machinery. Dry-van and reefer roles are also available, yet carriers continue to seek drivers comfortable with chains, tarps and outdoor yard work. Construction cycles and ongoing plant production keep hiring active throughout the year. Drivers with Midwest regional experience and clean safety records find multiple pathways—company, dedicated and occasional local steel runs—supported by the area’s interstate network and intermodal connections.

Location & Freight Market

St. Louis sits at a natural crossroads of Midwest manufacturing and construction supply chains. Steel service centers and fabrication yards on both sides of the Mississippi generate continuous outbound structural steel and fabricated components. Machinery and industrial equipment producers add complementary volume that flows toward Kansas City, Indianapolis, Memphis and Tulsa. Major interstates—I-44, I-55, I-64, I-70, I-255 and I-270—provide flexible routing while extensive rail terminals feed intermodal and bulk movements. Spring and summer construction seasons raise steel demand; year-round plant production keeps baseline industrial freight moving. The combination of production clusters, highway density and regional customer networks sustains regular flatbed activity through the St. Louis industrial market.

Start Your Application