Local CDL-A Position Dedicated Automotive
CDL-A Local Just-in-Time Parts Driver — Detroit, MI
Hiring Area: Southeast Michigan • Terminal: Detroit-area
Detroit, MI Local Dedicated 2020–2025 Day-Cab Fleet
Dedicated short-haul automotive JIT moves across Southeast Michigan between suppliers, sequencing warehouses and assembly plants. Earn $1,450–$1,850 per week based on hours worked, with a typical week around $1,650. Home daily on dedicated Southeast Michigan automotive routes.
Typical Weekly Gross
$1,450–$1,850
Estimated Annual: $85,800
Sign-On Bonus $1,250
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Local / Dedicated Automotive / JIT
Weekly Miles 800–1,300
Freight Type Automotive Components
This local CDL-A position supports time-sensitive automotive parts movements across Southeast Michigan. Drivers work from a Detroit-area terminal and make scheduled supplier-to-plant runs, with dispatch adjusting the sequence when production requirements change.
- Pick up palletized automotive components, returnable racks and boxed production parts from supplier or cross-dock locations.
- Deliver freight to sequencing facilities, assembly plants and designated automotive receiving docks within the Detroit metro.
- Follow appointment times and plant-specific gate, staging and trailer procedures while remaining within legal HOS limits.
- Complete 2–4 primary movements during a normal shift, with additional short moves possible when production volume increases.
- Check trailer numbers, seals, load condition and electronic paperwork before leaving each pickup location.
- Communicate trailer shortages, dock delays, parts-not-ready situations and route changes to local dispatch.
- Perform pre-trip and post-trip inspections and keep the assigned tractor and trailer ready for the next production run.
Pay starts at $31.00 per hour with overtime after 40 hours. Typical weeks run 44–52 hours. Occasional night differential and documented detention can raise the actual weekly total. The $1,450–$1,850 range reflects normal variation in hours and differentials; $1,650 represents a solid mid-range week.
Base Rate $31.00 / hour
Overtime $46.50 after 40 hours
Night Differential +$2.00 on qualifying night hours
Detention $31 / hour after 2 hours
Sign-On Bonus $1,250 ($500 / $375 / $375)
Pay Frequency Weekly direct deposit
Home Time Home Daily
Operating Area Southeast Michigan
Terminal Base Detroit-area terminal
Weekly Hours 44–52 hours
Shift Timing Early morning through overnight possible
Primary Tractors Freightliner Cascadia day cabs (2021–2025)
Additional Units Kenworth T680 day cabs (2020–2024)
Transmission 10-speed or automated manual
Safety Features Collision mitigation, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise on selected units
Trailers 53-ft dry vans (mostly 3–8 years old)
All units carry ELD, electronic DVIR and forward-facing cameras. Air-ride suspension and standard 5th-wheel equipment are fitted. Assigned tractors are preferred; slip-seating happens mainly during maintenance or equipment repositioning. Maintenance is coordinated through the Detroit-area network.
Palletized and rack-loaded automotive components move between Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, sequencing warehouses, cross-docks and OEM assembly plants. Freight includes stamped parts, interior modules, molded plastics, wire harnesses, seats, trim, powertrain components, boxed hardware and returnable racks or totes.
- Dearborn to Detroit and Taylor to Dearborn short hauls
- Romulus to Dearborn or Sterling Heights production runs
- Livonia to Warren and Warren to Sterling Heights lanes
- Sterling Heights to Detroit and Brownstown to Dearborn moves
- I-75 for north-south metro travel
- I-94 linking Detroit–Dearborn–Romulus traffic
- I-96, I-275, M-39 and M-10 for western and plant-access routes
- First assignment is normally known before the shift begins.
- Pickup occurs at a supplier yard or cross-dock, followed by delivery to a sequencing site or plant.
- Empty trailer exchange or returnable rack collection often follows the first drop.
- Dispatch may insert a second or third move as production needs shift during the day.
- Two to four primary movements make up a typical shift.
- A significant portion of the work is drop-and-hook, although live loading or unloading is required on some runs.
- Live load or unload time usually runs 30–90 minutes when staged freight is not ready.
- The shift ends at the terminal or an approved customer yard.
About This Automotive Operation
Just-in-time automotive production in Southeast Michigan depends on frequent, timed movements of components between suppliers and assembly plants. Carriers serving this network focus on short-haul freight that keeps production lines supplied without large on-site inventories. Local dispatch monitors appointment windows, trailer availability and plant schedule changes throughout the day. Maintenance support is positioned to handle day-cab equipment in the Detroit metro. The result is steady work for drivers who can manage changing sequences while staying inside a defined operating area and returning home each day.
Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision plans available
Retirement 401(k) with company contribution after eligibility
Paid Time Off Paid vacation after the applicable waiting period
Holidays Paid holidays according to company schedule
Other Paid orientation, weekly direct deposit, referral and safety recognition programs
- Valid Class A CDL
- 6 months CDL-A experience preferred
- Automotive or local shuttle experience is helpful but not required
- Acceptable MVR with no recent major preventable violations
- Must meet all applicable DOT requirements
- Ability to climb in and out of a day-cab repeatedly and work around industrial yards
- Willingness to work occasional nights, Saturdays or Sundays when production requires
- Peak-hour congestion on I-75, I-94, I-96 and I-275
- Customer gate procedures and occupied docks
- Parts not ready or last-minute production sequence changes
- Yard congestion during plant shift changes
- Winter weather and seasonal construction restrictions
1
Recruiter Contact
Usually within one business day
2
Record Review
CDL, MVR and employment verification
3
DOT Screening
Drug test and Clearinghouse query
4
Road Test & Orientation
Paid orientation at Detroit-area terminal
Q: How often does the daily sequence change? ▼
Production adjustments can alter the order of moves during the shift. Dispatch reviews HOS before assigning any additional work.
Q: Will I work nights or weekends? ▼
Night coverage is used when parts must move outside daytime traffic. Saturday or Sunday work can appear during heavier production weeks.
Q: What happens when a trailer is not ready? ▼
Drivers document arrival and check-in times. Dispatch determines whether detention applies and may resequence another available trailer.
Q: How common is slip-seating? ▼
Assigned tractors are used whenever possible. Slip-seating mainly occurs when a unit is in for maintenance or equipment must be moved for a customer account.
Q: Do drivers perform warehouse labor? ▼
Duties stay limited to trailer inspection, paperwork and equipment handling. Yard jockeys move trailers between staging areas and doors at many plants.
Q: Where do I park at the end of the shift? ▼
Tractors return to the terminal or an approved customer yard. Loaded trailers remain only in designated locations.
Detroit’s large automotive manufacturing and supplier network creates a steady market for local and dedicated CDL-A work. Short-haul, plant-support and JIT positions appear regularly because assembly lines require frequent, timed component deliveries. Day-cab roles dominate the local listings, while regional and specialized openings provide additional options. Many carriers train drivers on account-specific gate and yard procedures, so prior automotive experience is helpful but not always mandatory. Hiring remains active throughout the year, with noticeable increases during model-year changeovers and production volume spikes. Drivers looking for home-daily schedules generally find more openings in this corridor than in less industrialized markets.
Vehicle production and the dense web of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers continue to shape freight movement across Southeast Michigan. Stamped metal, interior modules, plastics, harnesses and subassemblies must reach assembly plants on precise schedules to avoid line stoppages. That requirement sustains a constant short-haul market linking facilities in Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Livonia, Romulus, Taylor and neighboring industrial zones. Interstate corridors I-75, I-94, I-96 and I-275 carry the bulk of these movements, while surface roads provide final plant access. Sequencing centers and cross-docks add intermediate stops that further concentrate volume inside the metro. Model launches and seasonal production shifts change daily demand, yet the underlying need for timed component delivery remains consistent year-round.