Port Drayage Position Owner Operator
CDL-A Owner Operator Port Drayage Driver — New Orleans, LA
Hiring Area: Greater New Orleans • Base: Port NOLA / Napoleon Avenue
New Orleans, LA Local Port Drayage 2019–2025 Tractors
Home-daily container turns between Port NOLA terminals, rail ramps, and metro warehouses. Typical weekly gross $2,550–$3,450; a $3,000 week produces roughly $156,000 annual gross before fuel, insurance, maintenance, truck payment, and taxes.
Typical Weekly Gross
$2,550–$3,450
Typical week for annual estimate: ~$3,000 → ~$156,000
Sign-On Not listed
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Owner Operator
Weekly Miles 800–1,400
Freight Type Port Containers
Most days revolve around controlled equipment handoffs at marine gates and rail yards rather than long highway runs. The independent contractor stays responsible for chassis condition, documentation, and appointment windows while dispatch adjusts the next move around container availability.
- Inspect chassis tires, lights, brakes, air lines, and locking pins before leaving any facility.
- Complete terminal ingate and outgate steps with correct container and booking data.
- Confirm container numbers, seals, and dispatch instructions before departure.
- Notify operations immediately of damaged equipment, gate holds, or missed appointments.
- Keep accurate ELD logs and protect remaining hours of service for later turns.
- Document arrival and release times whenever detention may apply under the customer agreement.
Gross settlement is calculated from completed container moves. A typical week of 10–12 turns at $225–$250 base produces most of the $3,000 target; higher weeks reach the upper end of the range through fuel surcharge, qualifying detention, extra moves, or account-specific accessorials. All figures are gross revenue before fuel, insurance, maintenance, truck payment, and taxes.
Weekly Gross Range $2,550–$3,450
Typical Week Target ~$3,000
Annual Gross (at $3,000/wk) ~$156,000
Base Settlement per Move $225–$250
Detention $50/hour after free time
Settlement Method Weekly electronic / direct deposit
Home Time Home daily
Operating Area Greater New Orleans and nearby Gulf Coast
Workweek Monday–Friday; occasional weekend freight
Weekly Miles 800–1,400 (upper end from longer turns/repositioning)
Dispatch Window Approximately 4:30–7:30 AM
Tractor Model Years 2019–2025
Common Makes Freightliner Cascadia or Kenworth T680
Transmission 10-speed or automated manual
Cab Preference Day cab preferred; sleeper accepted if it meets length, weight, insurance, and terminal rules
Required Systems ELD, electronic DVIR, mobile dispatch/document apps
Outward-facing dash camera may be required by the carrier’s insurance program. Collision mitigation and lane-departure systems are preferred on newer units. Chassis are normally assigned through the port, terminal, steamship line, rail, or customer. Drivers encounter 20-ft, 40-ft, and 45-ft containers and must verify axle weights on overweight boxes.
Most freight is containerized import/export cargo moving through Port NOLA facilities. Common commodities include packaged consumer goods, retail merchandise, food-related products, machinery, industrial components, and building materials.
- Short turns into Kenner, Metairie, Harahan, and Elmwood warehouses
- River-corridor deliveries to St. Rose, Destrehan, LaPlace, and Boutte
- Occasional longer repositioning to Baton Rouge or Gulfport, MS
- Primary corridors: I-10, I-610, US-90, US-90 Business, and I-310
- Standard sequence: terminal pickup → customer delivery → empty return
- Empty-return terminal is set by steamship line or customer account and may differ from the original pickup
- First container or appointment is confirmed before the driver leaves home base.
- Pre-trip inspection completed, then movement to the assigned terminal or pickup point.
- Gate process, equipment verification, and chassis lock check before leaving the facility.
- Delivery to the warehouse or consignee; POD or release documentation obtained.
- Empty return or chassis reposition directed by dispatch.
- Next assignment issued as containers clear and appointments open; three productive turns are common on clean days.
- Dispatch drops a late move if remaining HOS would be jeopardized.
About the Carrier
Container volume at Port NOLA and the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal creates a continuous need for short-haul power that can move boxes between marine gates, rail ramps, and local warehouses within the same day. The carrier operates as a regional intermodal specialist focused on those handoffs rather than long-haul OTR. Dispatch works from vessel discharge schedules, chassis status, and customer appointment windows, assigning moves as equipment becomes available. Most activity stays inside the New Orleans metro and river corridor, with only occasional longer repositioning when contracted freight requires it. Owner-operators supply their own tractors while the carrier provides the operational framework for terminal access, appointment coordination, and settlement of completed moves.
Settlements Weekly electronic with direct-deposit option
Fuel Support Fuel card or negotiated discount access where available
Fuel Surcharge Applied according to customer/load terms
Operational Support Dispatch assistance on terminal delays, container status, and appointments
Onboarding Port-gate procedures, chassis inspection, detention documentation
- Valid Class A CDL
- 12 months verifiable tractor-trailer experience preferred; recent commercial driving required
- Prior port, rail, container, or intermodal experience strongly preferred
- Current TWIC card for facilities that require it
- Owner-supplied tractor that meets carrier, insurance, and DOT standards
- Acceptable MVR and safety history; current DOT medical certification
- Pass required drug/alcohol screening and Clearinghouse query
- Terminal gate congestion after vessel discharge or morning surges
- Chassis shortages or damaged units found during pre-departure inspection
- Customer warehouse door delays or receiving crew not ready
- Peak-hour traffic on I-10, I-610, and major bridge approaches
- Heavy rain or tropical weather that extends turn times
1
Application
Submit CDL, equipment details, employment history
2
Phone Screen
Review account, TWIC status, tractor specs
3
Qualification
MVR, safety, Clearinghouse, drug screen
4
Orientation & First Dispatch
Local terminal procedures, then first available move
Q: How many completed moves are typical in a normal week? ▼
Most weeks produce 10–12 local container moves. Congestion or weaker container availability can reduce the total.
Q: Who provides the chassis? ▼
Chassis are normally assigned through the port, terminal, steamship line, rail, or customer operation. Drivers inspect condition before leaving the facility.
Q: What happens if the container is released but no chassis is available? ▼
The driver reports the hold to dispatch. Operations may reassign another available move or wait for chassis release depending on the account and terminal status.
Q: Can a sleeper tractor be used for this local account? ▼
Day cabs are preferred. Sleepers may be accepted when they meet the carrier’s length, weight, insurance, and terminal access requirements.
Q: How are chassis defects handled after the gate inspection? ▼
Visible damage, tire issues, or locking problems are reported before the truck leaves the facility whenever possible so the equipment can be corrected or swapped.
Q: Are empty returns always to the same terminal where the load originated? ▼
No. The empty-return location is directed by the steamship line or customer account and can differ from the original pickup terminal.
Q: Is overnight parking available at the port or customer yards? ▼
Terminal and customer parking is limited to authorized short operational periods. Overnight storage is at the owner-operator’s approved home base or an authorized carrier/customer yard.
The New Orleans CDL-A market is shaped by the port and intermodal sector more than by pure long-haul OTR. Port container and rail-drayage carriers compete with regional dry-van, food distribution, construction-materials, tanker, fuel, and LTL operators for experienced drivers. Positions that require TWIC cards and comfort with terminal gates, chassis, and appointment systems form a distinct segment. Local and home-daily work is common because the freight density around Port NOLA and the river corridor supports short-haul operations. National intermodal companies and smaller regional contractors both post regularly. Drivers with prior container or port experience generally move more quickly through qualification than recent graduates. Seasonal import peaks and vessel schedules create fluctuations in volume, but the underlying need for chassis-capable power units remains present year-round.
Port NOLA’s Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal Complex and the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal anchor container traffic for the region. On-dock rail connections give import and export boxes access beyond the immediate metro. Consumer goods, retail merchandise, food-related cargo, industrial materials, and machinery move from the marine terminals into warehouses and distribution points in Jefferson, St. Bernard, and St. Charles Parishes. The industrial corridor along the Mississippi River and the I-10 axis link the port to facilities in Kenner, Harahan, Elmwood, St. Rose, and farther points toward Baton Rouge. Vessel arrival patterns, import cycles, holiday retail demand, and river conditions determine daily volume. Short-haul container turns between marine gates, rail ramps, and local receivers form the practical backbone of the market, keeping demand for chassis-equipped tractors consistent even when individual turn times vary with congestion and weather.