Local CDL-A Position Home Daily
CDL-A Local LTL City Driver – Cleveland, OH
Hiring Area: Cleveland, OH • Terminal: Cleveland Service Center
Cleveland, OH Local LTL P&D Day Cab
Terminal-based LTL pickup-and-delivery work moving palletized industrial, commercial and distribution freight around Cleveland and the inner Northeast Ohio market. Home daily, typically 45–50 hours per week, with 8–12 customer stops and a $32.75/hour base rate plus overtime after 40 hours.
Typical Weekly Gross
$1,700
Estimated Annual: $88,400
Base Pay $32.75/hr
OT After 40 $49.13/hr
Home Time Home Daily
Typical Stops 8–12/day
Sign-On Bonus $1,200
City P&D position based at a Cleveland-area LTL service center. The driver handles scheduled pickups, deliveries and terminal returns rather than long-haul linehaul.
- Run 8–12 stops on a normal city route across Cleveland and nearby industrial suburbs.
- Pick up and deliver palletized freight, cartons, machinery parts and commercial shipments.
- Use dock appointments, PRO numbers and bills of lading to verify each shipment.
- Operate in tight industrial yards, loading docks and older commercial streets.
- Use a pallet jack when customer freight requires positioning at the dock or curb.
- Report shortages, damage, refused freight and customer delays to city dispatch.
- Return to the terminal at the end of the shift for paperwork and equipment staging.
Hourly LTL compensation reflects the combination of driving, customer dock time, paperwork and terminal work. A normal 48-hour week produces approximately $1,716 before deductions, with actual weekly earnings varying by route length, overtime and freight volume.
Hourly Rate $32.75/hour
Overtime Rate $49.13/hour after 40
Typical Weekly Gross $1,700
Weekly Range $1,550–$1,850
Estimated Annual $88,400
Sign-On Bonus $1,200 (installments)
Detention Pay $32.75/hour after qualifying wait
Payroll Weekly direct deposit
Home Time Home Daily
Schedule Monday–Friday
Weekly Hours 45–50
Weekly Miles 750–1,150
Start Window Approx. 6:00–8:00 AM
Operating Area Cleveland and Northeast Ohio
Tractors Freightliner Cascadia 2021–2025 day cabs; Kenworth T680 2020–2024 day cabs
Transmission 10-speed or automated manual
Trailers 48' and 53' dry vans; liftgate units on selected routes
Safety Systems Forward-facing camera, collision mitigation and lane-departure warning on selected tractors
In-Cab ELD, electronic DVIR, GPS dispatch and air-ride suspension
Assignment Assigned equipment when available; slip-seat may be used
Equipment is serviced through the Cleveland-area terminal or approved maintenance vendors. Drivers report defects through the ELD/DVIR system and dispatch coordinates roadside service when required.
Routes are built around customer density and appointment times, with most work staying inside the Cleveland metropolitan freight belt.
- Cleveland, Brooklyn, Brook Park, Parma and Middleburg Heights for dense city P&D
- Independence, Bedford Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Garfield Heights industrial customers
- Euclid, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Mentor for eastern-suburb manufacturing and distribution stops
- North Olmsted, Westlake, Avon and Elyria for western-suburb commercial deliveries
- Primary corridors: I-71, I-77, I-90, I-271 and I-480
- Freight includes machinery parts, industrial supplies, palletized wholesale goods, packaged materials and commercial replenishment
- Clock in at the terminal, inspect the tractor and review the P&D manifest.
- Load or verify outbound freight and confirm first customer appointments.
- Run morning pickups or deliveries before the Cleveland traffic peak.
- Complete dock check-in, BOL/POD verification and freight exception notes at each stop.
- Typical customer stop takes about 20–45 minutes when the dock is ready.
- Dispatch may resequence later stops when customers miss appointments or freight changes.
- Return to the terminal for paperwork, equipment inspection and end-of-day staging.
About the Carrier
This operation represents the type of mid-sized LTL carrier serving Cleveland's dense manufacturing and distribution base with terminal-based city drivers. Freight is collected from industrial suppliers, wholesalers and commercial shippers, brought through the local service center and redistributed to customers throughout Northeast Ohio. The city driver's job is not simply highway driving: the work combines backing into customer docks, checking freight counts, handling shipping paperwork, communicating with dispatch and keeping scheduled pickups moving through the day. Routes are generally concentrated around Cleveland's I-480, I-271, I-77 and I-90 corridors, with occasional longer suburban runs toward Mentor, Elyria or Akron-area customers. Drivers should expect a practical mix of dock work, urban traffic, customer interaction and tractor-trailer maneuvering.
Medical Medical insurance with employee contribution
Dental & Vision Dental and vision coverage
Retirement 401(k) with company match after eligibility
Paid Time Off Paid vacation and company holidays after eligibility
Additional Paid orientation, required safety training and DOT physical assistance
- Valid Class A CDL and current DOT medical certification.
- At least 6 months of recent CDL-A experience preferred.
- LTL, P&D, city delivery or local dry-van experience is strongly useful.
- Acceptable MVR, safety record and Clearinghouse status.
- Ability to back 48'–53' trailers into customer docks and industrial yards.
- Ability to handle shipping paperwork, freight counts and delivery exceptions.
- HazMat or Tanker endorsement is not required for the core assignment.
- Rush-hour congestion on I-480, I-271, I-90 and Cleveland surface streets.
- Customer dock waits when forklifts, paperwork or receiving staff are unavailable.
- Winter snow and freezing conditions affecting eastern and southern routes.
- Construction and bridge restrictions changing normal city sequencing.
- Peak manufacturing and holiday freight creating heavier terminal volume.
1
Recruiter Call
Position and experience review
2
CDL / MVR / Screening
DOT and Clearinghouse review
3
Driver Evaluation
Road or backing evaluation if required
4
Paid Orientation
Terminal onboarding and route training
Q: How many stops does a normal city route have? ▼
Most routes run about 8–12 customer stops, although the exact number changes with freight volume, appointment times and the geographic area assigned that day.
Q: What type of freight will I handle? ▼
The operation primarily handles palletized commercial freight such as industrial components, machinery parts, packaged materials, wholesale goods and business-to-business shipments.
Q: Is this strictly local work? ▼
Yes. The core assignment is Cleveland-area P&D with daily returns to the terminal. Some routes can reach Mentor, Elyria or other Northeast Ohio suburbs.
Q: Do drivers unload the freight? ▼
Most dock loading and unloading is performed by customer or warehouse personnel. Drivers may use a pallet jack or assist with positioning freight when the delivery requires it.
Q: When does overtime start? ▼
Overtime is paid after 40 hours in the workweek. A typical 48-hour week produces approximately $1,716 in gross hourly earnings before any additional qualifying compensation.
Q: Is previous LTL experience required? ▼
LTL or P&D experience is strongly preferred, but experienced local dry-van or regional CDL-A drivers with solid backing and customer-service skills may also be considered.
Cleveland has a broad CDL-A market built around LTL, manufacturing, food distribution, dedicated freight, intermodal, steel-related transportation and regional dry van operations. Local city-driver pay varies considerably by carrier and operating model, with current Cleveland-area postings showing hourly rates from the upper $20s into the mid-$30s, while established LTL operators advertise rates around the low-to-mid $30s per hour. LTL work remains concentrated around the industrial corridors south and west of downtown, with additional freight activity in Euclid, Mentor, Bedford Heights, Independence, Brook Park and the surrounding warehouse markets. Drivers with P&D experience compete with candidates from local delivery, foodservice and regional dry-van operations. The strongest fit for this position is a driver comfortable with frequent backing, customer interaction, paperwork and variable stop counts rather than a driver looking exclusively for highway mileage.
Cleveland's freight base is closely tied to Northeast Ohio manufacturing, industrial distribution and commercial warehousing. Industrial and warehouse activity is concentrated around corridors such as I-480, I-271 and I-77, while I-90 provides the primary east-west connection through the region. The local LTL driver can encounter machinery components, automotive and industrial supplier freight, packaged materials, wholesale shipments and replenishment freight moving between plants, distributors and business customers. The eastern market extends through Euclid, Wickliffe and Mentor, while western routes commonly reach Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, North Olmsted, Westlake and Elyria. South-side freight centers around Independence, Bedford Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Garfield Heights. Cleveland's lake-effect winter weather, highway construction and dense morning traffic can materially change route timing, so dispatch sequencing and accurate customer communication are part of the normal job rather than exceptions.