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
Home Daily Intermodal Port & Rail Containers

CDL-A Home Daily Intermodal Driver — Fontana, CA

Operating Area: Southern California • Base: Fontana

Fontana, CA Home Daily 2022–2025 Day Cabs

Port-to-rail-to-warehouse container work out of Fontana pays $1,550–$2,250 weekly with home after every shift. Typical production lands near $1,900/week (~$98,800 annual); the full posted range annualizes to roughly $80,600–$117,000 depending on turns, mileage and detention.

Weekly Gross
$1,550–$2,250
Typical Annual: ~$98,800 (based on $1,900/wk)
Sign-On Up to $2,500
Home Time Daily
Driver Type Home Daily Intermodal
Weekly Miles 1,800–2,300
Freight Import Containers

What the Work Actually Involves

The job centers on chassis-mounted containers moving between marine terminals, rail ramps and Inland Empire yards under live appointment and cut-off pressure.

  • Match container numbers and seals to dispatch data at every interchange.
  • Complete full chassis inspections before leaving any terminal gate.
  • Process ingate and outgate documentation accurately and on time.
  • Flag defects, damage or unavailable equipment to dispatch immediately.
  • Capture precise timestamps for any qualifying detention claim.
  • Stay inside HOS limits while working dense Southern California traffic.

How Pay Is Built

Base earnings come from paid miles plus a flat $40 for every qualifying container turn. Detention adds only when documented waits exceed 90 minutes. Stronger weeks usually reflect higher mileage, extra turns during peak import flow, and occasional detention hours—pushing production toward the upper end of the posted range rather than relying on a single fixed rate.

Weekly Gross Range $1,550–$2,250
Typical Week ~$1,900 (≈ $98,800 annual)
Full Range Annualized ~$80,600–$117,000
Mileage $0.64–$0.77 CPM
Activity Pay $40 per qualifying container turn
Detention $25/hr after 90 minutes
Sign-On Up to $2,500 (paid at 45 & 120 days)
Payroll Weekly direct deposit

Schedule & Home Time

Home Time Home after every completed shift
Corridor Southern California port–rail–Inland Empire
Base Fontana, CA
Paid Miles 1,800–2,300 per week
Shift Pattern Primarily evening, overnight, early-morning
Week Structure 5–6 shifts; weekend coverage rotates

Tractors & Chassis

Tractors Freightliner Cascadia day cabs
Years Mostly 2022–2025; some older well-maintained units
Transmission Automated or automatic
Chassis Compatible with 20', 40' and 45' containers
Safety Gear Forward cameras, collision mitigation, lane departure, adaptive cruise (where equipped)
Assignment Assigned equipment or pool/slip-seat on high-volume nights
Technology ELD with mobile dispatch app

Equipment returns to the designated yard at the end of each shift. Mechanical issues are reported through dispatch or maintenance; roadside support is coordinated as needed.

Freight & Typical Moves

Import containers of retail merchandise, electronics, apparel, packaged consumer goods and e-commerce inventory dominate the flow. Empties and export boxes return toward terminals or designated depots once the loaded delivery is complete.

  • Long Beach or Los Angeles terminals into Fontana, Ontario, Rialto or San Bernardino via I-710 and I-10.
  • Carson pickups routed on CA-60 or I-10 into the western Inland Empire.
  • Commerce and local connectors linking Bloomington, Ontario and Fontana staging yards.
  • Rail-ramp work at San Bernardino facilities mixed with warehouse drops.
  • Empty or export repositioning back toward Long Beach or alternate depots.
  • Average shift yields 2–4 container turns; sequence changes with appointments and availability.

How a Normal Week Unfolds

  • First assignment arrives with container number, terminal, appointment window and delivery point.
  • Pre-trip finished, then roll to the marine terminal or rail ramp for outgate.
  • First turn often consumes the most time because of gate queues or chassis checks.
  • After delivery, dispatch may drop a second or third container if hours remain.
  • Most warehouse stops are drop-and-hook; a minority require live check-in and wait.
  • Monday and peak import days tend to produce more turns; mid-week is steadier.
  • Shift ends only when equipment is back at the approved yard and HOS is intact.

About This Operation

Import containers leaving the San Pedro Bay complex need short-to-medium-haul capacity that links marine terminals, Class I rail ramps and the warehouse grid of the western Inland Empire. This Fontana-based intermodal operation is built around that specific flow—moving retail and consumer merchandise inland while returning empties or export equipment. Night and early-morning windows are used to keep turns moving when daytime freeway volume is highest. Dispatch works live against appointment systems, rail cut-offs and chassis availability rather than locking a full week of fixed lanes in advance. The result is repeated container cycles inside one concentrated Southern California network instead of long-haul OTR mileage.

Benefits Package

Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision with employee contribution options
Retirement 401(k) with company contribution subject to eligibility
Time Off Paid time off based on tenure policy
Onboarding Paid orientation plus intermodal, chassis and terminal training
Additional Support TWIC renewal assistance, paid DOT physical renewal where policy applies, safety equipment, roadside coordination

Minimum Qualifications

  • Valid Class A CDL
  • 12 months verifiable tractor-trailer experience preferred
  • Active TWIC card required
  • Age 21+, acceptable MVR/PSP, current DOT medical card
  • Pass pre-employment drug screen and Clearinghouse query
  • Able to inspect chassis, climb in/out of the tractor and operate ELD/mobile apps

Real-World Delays

  • Marine or rail gate queues commonly run 30–60 minutes and can stretch longer.
  • Chassis shortages or defects force swaps before the unit can leave the terminal.
  • Assigned container not yet grounded or appointment window closed on arrival.
  • I-710 and I-10 slowdowns from construction, collisions or peak-hour volume.
  • Warehouse receiving backups during holiday, back-to-school and e-commerce surges.

Hiring Steps

1
Apply
CDL and employment history
2
Screen
Recruiter call, MVR/PSP check
3
Clear
TWIC, drug test, Clearinghouse
4
Start
Paid orientation then first dispatch

Questions Drivers Usually Ask

Q: How many turns should I expect on a normal night? ▼
Two to four is typical. Heavy terminal congestion can drop the count; clean appointments and available chassis can push it higher.
Q: Do I unload any freight? ▼
No. The work is no-touch. Responsibility stops at the container, chassis, seals and paperwork.
Q: What if the container is missing when I arrive? ▼
Call dispatch before making any unauthorized move. They track real-time terminal status and will resequence the next assignment.
Q: Is every weekend required? ▼
Coverage rotates with account volume. Not every driver works every weekend.
Q: Can I get hired without prior intermodal time? ▼
Twelve months of solid tractor-trailer experience is the preferred baseline. Port or rail background helps, but candidates who can learn terminal procedures may still be considered.
Q: Where does the truck stay between shifts? ▼
Equipment returns to the designated company yard or an approved parking location. Overnight parking at customer sites requires dispatch authorization.
Q: How do I get paid for detention? ▼
Record arrival, check-in, door assignment and release times. Operations reviews the documentation to confirm billable hours past the 90-minute mark.

CDL Job Market in the Fontana Area

Fontana sits inside one of Southern California’s tightest CDL-A labor pools. Ports, intermodal rail ramps, large distribution centers and thousands of warehouses all draw from the same group of experienced Class A drivers. Intermodal and port-drayage seats remain among the most consistently advertised because they demand chassis skill, terminal procedures and an active TWIC. Local dedicated retail, dry-van warehouse runs and regional distribution also generate steady openings. Night and early-morning shifts dominate the postings as carriers try to work around daytime freeway congestion. Drivers who already know Southern California gates and hold clean records typically see the strongest recruiting interest; carriers adjust activity pay, mileage rates and sign-on offers to attract that pool.

Fontana Freight Corridor

Fontana anchors the western edge of the Inland Empire’s warehouse belt, directly downstream from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Containerized retail goods, electronics, apparel and e-commerce inventory leave the San Pedro Bay complex and move inland by truck and rail into the industrial zones that stretch through Fontana, Bloomington, Rialto and Ontario. I-10 forms the primary east-west spine; I-15 and I-210 feed north-south movements while CA-60 and surface streets link the individual distribution campuses. Class I intermodal facilities in the San Bernardino area and the broader Ontario logistics cluster keep chassis and empty equipment circulating. Seasonal spikes around back-to-school, holiday merchandise and major e-commerce replenishment raise both container volume and terminal pressure, reinforcing the year-round need for home-daily intermodal capacity based in Fontana itself.

Start Your Application