Home Daily CDL-A Position Industrial Shuttle
CDL-A Industrial Shuttle Driver — Factory Equipment & Machine Transfer Operations
Hiring Area: Greater St. Louis & Southwestern Illinois • Terminal: St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, MO Local / Short-Regional Industrial 2020–2024 Tractors
Short-cycle industrial equipment moves across the St. Louis–Metro East network pay $1,600–$2,450 weekly with typical annual gross around $104,000 and home most nights.
Weekly Gross
$1,600–$2,450
Typical Annual Gross: $104,000
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,000
Home Time Home Daily / Every Other Day
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Miles 900–1,500
Freight Type Industrial Machinery
High-value production machinery moves between plants, fabrication shops and installation sites on short regional cycles instead of conventional dry-van shuttle work.
- Positions trailer safely for crane or forklift loading.
- Applies chains, binders, straps, blocking and edge protection.
- Rechecks securement after departure and when conditions change.
- Keeps accurate ELD, BOL, POD and detention documentation.
- Reports delays, appointment shifts and HOS limits promptly.
- Works directly with plant receiving, crane crews and yard staff.
Pay is hourly and covers both highway time and on-duty periods spent waiting for crane slots, completing securement or moving through industrial yards. Overtime begins after 40 hours. Weekly gross of $1,600–$2,450 annualizes to roughly $83,200–$127,400 depending on hours, overtime and assignment volume. Typical weeks near $2,000 produce about $104,000 annual gross.
Hourly Rate $26–$33
Weekly Gross Range $1,600–$2,450
Typical Weekly Gross $2,000
Typical Annual Gross $104,000
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,000 ($300 after orientation; balance at 30/60/90 days)
Safety Performance Bonus $75–$300 monthly when earned
Pay Frequency Weekly
Home Time Home daily on most days; occasional overnight hold
Operating Area Greater St. Louis, MO and Southwestern Illinois
Typical Loaded Radius 50–180 miles (occasional 250–350+ repositioning)
Weekly Miles 900–1,500
Dispatch Window 5:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Typical Hours 54–63 on full-volume weeks
Tractors Freightliner Cascadia day cabs (2021–2024); Kenworth T680 regional sleepers (2020–2023)
Transmission Automatic
Trailers 48-ft flatbeds, 53-ft step-decks, selected enclosed industrial trailers, equipment trailers
Securement Equipment Chains, binders, heavy-duty straps, edge protectors, dunnage, blocking, load-rated tie-downs
Systems Electronic logging device (ELD), GPS tracking, air-ride suspension, collision mitigation, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise, forward-facing cameras
Day cabs handle the majority of shuttle assignments. Regional sleepers appear when longer repositioning cycles are planned. Trailers average 4–8 years old. Maintenance runs through the terminal network and approved outside vendors.
Typical freight may include CNC machines, machining centers, fabrication equipment, industrial presses, electrical cabinets, motors, compressors, machine bases, tooling and crated production components moving between manufacturing plants, suppliers and installation locations.
- St. Louis, MO to Sauget, IL using I-55 / I-64 / I-255
- Hazelwood, MO to Edwardsville, IL via I-270 / I-70
- St. Louis, MO to Granite City, IL industrial corridor
- Wentzville, MO to St. Louis, MO on I-64 / I-70
- St. Louis, MO to Washington, MO along I-44 / US-100
- Occasional longer moves toward Columbia or Cape Girardeau, MO
- Multi-leg cycles collecting equipment from one supplier before a second delivery
- Dispatch window opens between 5:30 and 7:00 AM with first industrial assignment.
- Pre-trip completed, then travel to manufacturing plant or machine supplier.
- Gate check-in, appointment confirmation and staging for crane or forklift.
- Trailer positioned, machine loaded, securement finished and paperwork cleared.
- Short regional delivery followed by reload search or empty trailer reposition.
- Second or third cycle possible depending on crane windows and plant readiness.
- Most days end at terminal, company yard or approved local parking.
About the Industrial Shuttle Operation
Manufacturing plants and fabrication shops create ongoing demand for short-cycle movement of production equipment and machine components. This operation links machine suppliers, industrial yards and installation sites across the greater St. Louis–Metro East network. Flexible shuttle cycles respond to plant schedules, crane availability and equipment-release timing rather than fixed long-haul lanes. Capacity is provided for high-value machinery transfers that keep regional production lines operating without requiring drivers to live on the road.
Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision options
Retirement 401(k) with company match
Training Support Paid orientation, industrial securement training, annual refresher
Securement Support Company-supplied chains, binders, straps and edge protectors; worn gear replaced
Additional Paid DOT physical renewal, terminal parking, roadside breakdown coordination, referral incentive
- Valid Class A CDL and current DOT medical card
- Minimum age 21; one year CDL-A experience preferred
- Acceptable MVR with no recent major preventable violations
- Willingness to learn chain, binder, strap, edge-protection and blocking methods
- Ability to climb, walk industrial yards and handle securement equipment
- Crane backlog or delayed machine release from production
- Heavy rain, lightning or winter ice stopping outdoor lifts
- Morning congestion and staging delays at industrial yards
- Construction and traffic on I-270, I-70, I-55 and Metro East crossings
- Empty trailer located at the wrong yard requiring an exchange
1
Application Review
CDL status, history and basic qualification check
2
Recruiter Call
Usually within one business day
3
Compliance & Safety
MVR, Clearinghouse, drug screen, securement discussion
4
Offer & Orientation
Paid orientation then first dispatch (typically 3–7 days)
Q: Does the driver operate the crane? ▼
No. Crane crews perform the lift. The driver positions the trailer and completes the required securement inspection.
Q: How long is typical facility time? ▼
Usually 45 minutes to more than two hours depending on crane scheduling, machine preparation and yard congestion.
Q: Are most loads drop-and-hook? ▼
Some staged equipment allows drop-and-hook. Most machinery moves require live crane loading and unloading.
Q: Is a HazMat endorsement needed? ▼
Not for the standard freight mix. Only specific loads would require it.
Q: What if the machine is not ready when the truck arrives? ▼
Stay in contact with dispatch. The load may be reassigned or a later pickup scheduled while protecting HOS.
Q: How many transfer cycles occur in a normal shift? ▼
Typically two or three meaningful cycles, heavily dependent on crane availability and loading time.
St. Louis supports a steady industrial CDL-A segment driven by manufacturing plants, machine shops, fabrication facilities and equipment suppliers on both sides of the Mississippi. Local and short-regional flatbed, step-deck and machinery-transfer work competes with LTL, foodservice and dedicated fleets for experienced drivers. Pay for hands-on industrial and heavy-touch Class A roles commonly sits in the mid-to-upper $20s per hour plus overtime. Home-daily schedules attract strong competition. Drivers comfortable with crane appointments, plant yards and variable loading windows find consistent openings among regional carriers, industrial suppliers and specialized equipment haulers serving the Metro East and western St. Louis corridors.
The St. Louis metro sits at the junction of major Midwest manufacturing and distribution corridors. I-70, I-55, I-64, I-44, I-270 and I-255 move freight between Missouri production centers and Illinois industrial zones around East St. Louis, Granite City and Madison County. Manufacturing, advanced fabrication and equipment-supply operations generate regular demand for short-haul machinery and component transfers. Plant expansions, installation projects and production schedules keep equipment-movement volume active year-round. Seasonal construction and winter weather shift rather than remove the underlying industrial freight flow that supports continuous local and short-regional shuttle work.
