Dedicated Local Shuttle Home Daily
CDL-A Dedicated Shuttle Driver — Chattanooga, Tennessee
Hiring Area: Chattanooga, TN • Terminal: Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN Industrial Shuttle 2021–2025 Day Cabs
Keep manufacturing and supplier plants supplied on dedicated Chattanooga shuttle cycles. Home every night. Typical weekly gross $1,400–$1,650 with annual earnings near $80,600.
Weekly Gross
$1,400–$1,650
Typical Annual: ~$80,600
Sign-On Bonus $1,500
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Dedicated Local
Typical Weekly Miles 900–1,400
Freight Type Palletized Industrial
Production timing drives every trailer move. The driver keeps empty and loaded equipment flowing so manufacturing lines and distribution points stay supplied without unnecessary gaps.
- Hook or drop trailers exactly as yard personnel instruct.
- Confirm trailer numbers, seals and dispatch details before leaving.
- Observe each facility’s gate, security and dock rules.
- Notify dispatch immediately of delays, shortages or defects.
- Perform full pre-trip and post-trip inspections every shift.
- Log all duty time accurately on the ELD.
- Stage equipment only in approved terminal or customer areas.
Drivers are paid $28 per hour. Overtime at time-and-a-half begins after 40 hours. A normal 50.2-hour week yields approximately $1,548, rounded to about $1,550 in planning figures. Customer wait time is simply paid at the hourly rate—no separate detention line. The $1,500 sign-on arrives in three equal installments at 30, 90 and 180 days of active, safe employment.
Weekly Gross Range $1,400–$1,650
Typical Weekly / Annual $1,550 / ~$80,600
Annual Range $72,800–$85,800
Sign-On Bonus $1,500
Detention Covered by hourly rate
Base Rate $28/hour + OT
Home Time Home every night
Primary Area Chattanooga Metro & Southeast TN
Extended Reach Limited North GA & North AL
Terminal Parking Chattanooga
Typical Weekly Miles 900–1,400
Usual Start Window 5:00–7:00 AM
Model Years 2021–2025
Day Cabs Freightliner Cascadia / Kenworth T680
Transmission Automatic
Safety Systems ELD, forward camera, collision mitigation, lane departure, adaptive cruise
Tractor Use Primarily assigned; occasional slip-seat for shop time
53-ft dry vans average three to seven years old. Standard tandem axles, air-ride and sliding fifth wheels. Local shops and approved vendors handle all maintenance.
Loads are palletized automotive parts, returnable production containers, packaging and finished industrial goods. Almost everything is no-touch.
- Chattanooga–Cleveland, TN on I-75
- Chattanooga–Dalton, GA on I-75
- Chattanooga–Athens, TN via regional roads
- Chattanooga–Knoxville, TN on I-75
- Chattanooga–Huntsville, AL via I-24 / US-72
- Chattanooga–Atlanta, GA on I-75
- Chattanooga–Birmingham, AL on I-59
- Arrive in the early window, complete pre-trip and pull the first assignment.
- Gate check-in, number verification, then drop-and-hook or live load.
- Run the assigned corridor—short shuttle or longer out-and-back.
- Deliver, exchange equipment and accept the next production priority.
- Finish remaining cycles while HOS and appointments allow.
- Park at the terminal or approved yard and close the post-trip.
About the Carrier
Automotive and industrial plants across the Southeast require continuous trailer flow between production lines, suppliers and nearby warehouses. A mid-sized regional operator meets that demand with dedicated shuttle fleets built around customer production calendars rather than open-board freight. Local dispatch tracks plant output, empty positions and appointment windows so equipment is repositioned before gaps appear. The result is high utilization inside a practical daily radius while drivers return home each night.
Medical Medical, dental and vision options
401(k) Company contribution or match per plan
Time Off PTO by tenure; holiday pay when applicable
Training Paid orientation, PPE, defensive driving, account routes
Support Terminal parking, breakdown coordination, DOT physical renewal
- Valid Class A CDL and current DOT medical certificate
- Six months CDL-A preferred; clean recent graduates considered
- Acceptable MVR, background and Clearinghouse results
- Pass DOT drug screen and customer security/PPE standards
- Available for day, evening or night coverage as needed
- Peak traffic and construction on I-75 and I-24
- Last-minute production changes at customer plants
- Congested yards with limited trailer spots
- Rain, fog or light winter weather
- Empty-trailer shortages during high-volume periods
1
First Contact
Recruiter call within one business day
2
Verification
CDL, MVR, employment, Clearinghouse
3
Orientation
1–2 paid days at local terminal
4
Start
Equipment check then first dispatch
Q: Does the sequence stay the same every day? ▼
No. Plant output, trailer availability and inbound priorities can rearrange stops during the shift. The next assignment usually appears before the current one ends.
Q: What share of work is drop-and-hook? ▼
About 55–65 % drop-and-hook, 20–30 % live load and 10–20 % live unload or simple exchanges. Numbers shift with production.
Q: Any lumper work? ▼
None. The freight is industrial, not grocery or foodservice.
Q: Can I take a loaded trailer home? ▼
No. Tractors stay at the Chattanooga terminal or an approved yard. Loaded trailers remain at the customer unless specifically authorized.
Q: How are returnable racks handled? ▼
A trailer may arrive full of components and leave with empty containers. Confirm the assignment matches the dispatch order before departure.
Q: What if a live load runs long? ▼
Dispatch re-routes the next move, alerts the receiving facility and records the delay so HOS and appointments stay coordinated.
Intersection of three interstates keeps demand steady for local dedicated, regional dry-van, LTL, intermodal, foodservice, automotive and parcel drivers. The pool is competitive, not flooded. Operators who handle fixed appointments and yard work stay in demand. Local dedicated offers often sit in the mid-$1,100s weekly; hourly shuttle roles commonly open near $26. National fleets, regional carriers and private manufacturing fleets all recruit here, giving experienced drivers multiple home-daily and short-haul paths inside the same metro. Night work and specialized accounts lift pay for those who accept less predictable hours.
Automotive assembly, industrial manufacturing, consumer distribution, food and beverage, packaging and building materials create the core freight base. Enterprise South and surrounding industrial corridors concentrate suppliers and plants. Highway links reach Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham and Huntsville within practical day-trip distance, favoring dense shuttle patterns over long overnight hauls. Rail connections reinforce the area’s role as a Southeast distribution node. Automotive and retail peaks raise trailer demand and can tighten empties, yet the underlying manufacturing volume keeps overall freight relatively stable year-round. Plant density plus interstate access is what continually generates dedicated shuttle work in the market.
