CDL-A Local Yard Jockey / Shunt Driver – Publix Lakeland DC Night Operations

Accurate trailer placement keeps warehouse teams moving product instead of waiting on equipment during overnight grocery cycles.

• Spot 53-ft reefers and dry vans at assigned dock doors.
• Verify exact trailer numbers before every coupling.
• Maintain continuous radio contact with yard dispatch.
• Report damaged landing gear, air leaks or reefer alarms.
• Follow facility speed limits and pedestrian controls.
• Stage empty and loaded equipment for the next cycle.

Starting rate depends on CDL experience, yard background and safety record. Most full-time weeks land in the 50–55 hour range, so overtime after 40 hours accounts for the upper end of the weekly range.

Shared fleet across shifts. Equipment includes yard radios, speed governors and backup cameras on selected units. Trailers are 53-ft refrigerated and dry vans handled under cold-chain and grocery procedures.

The yard driver stays inside the facility. These corridors determine when trailers arrive and when outbound equipment must be staged.

• Lakeland–Orlando via I-4 high-frequency grocery replenishment.
• Lakeland–Tampa via I-4 / I-75 for Tampa Bay store support.
• Lakeland–Jacksonville via I-4 / I-95 North Florida distribution.
• Lakeland–Miami via Turnpike / I-95 South Florida freight.
• Lakeland–Fort Myers via I-4 / I-75 Gulf Coast markets.
• Lakeland–West Palm Beach via Turnpike / I-95 retail corridor.

• Valid Class A CDL
• 6+ months yard, local or shuttle experience preferred
• Confident backing of 53-ft trailers and solid coupling skills
• Ability to work consistent overnight shifts
• Minimum age 21, clean MVR, DOT drug screen & Clearinghouse

• Late inbound arrivals caused by I-4 or I-75 congestion.
• Occupied dock doors during simultaneous unloading and loading.
• Temporary trailer shortages or full staging rows.
• Heavy thunderstorms reducing visibility and traction on the apron.
• Holiday and promotional volume spikes creating yard congestion.

Lakeland sits within a major Central Florida logistics corridor, so CDL-A openings remain steady year-round. Local delivery, dedicated grocery and retail distribution, regional dry-van and reefer lanes, LTL, shuttle work and pure yard hostler roles all draw from the same pool of qualified drivers. Warehouse wages in the high teens to mid-twenties create upward pressure on CDL yard rates. The concentration of food-distribution centers, third-party logistics campuses and retail DCs keeps consistent demand for night-shift shunt drivers who prefer controlled environments over highway miles.

Positioned on the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando, Lakeland functions as a natural inland hub for grocery, retail and third-party logistics traffic across Central Florida. Packaged foods, refrigerated products, beverages, paper goods and general merchandise move through large distribution campuses that feed store networks on both coasts. I-75 provides access toward Southwest Florida while the broader network reaches Jacksonville and South Florida. Seasonal promotions, holiday replenishment and weather-driven buying patterns create volume spikes, yet the daily need for trailer repositioning inside distribution yards remains constant.