Regional CDL-A Position Dry Van / Reefer
CDL-A Regional Dry Van Reefer Driver – Tucson, AZ
Hiring Area: Tucson, AZ • Terminal: Tucson
Tucson, AZ Regional 2021–2025
Move mixed dry van and refrigerated freight across Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Southern California and West Texas on 2–4 day runs, earning $1,350–$1,800 weekly with home every 7–10 days.
Weekly Gross
$1,350–$1,800
Estimated Annual: $70,200–$93,600
Sign-On Bonus Up to $3,000
Home Time Every 7–10 days
Driver Type Regional
Weekly Miles 1,800–2,300
Freight Type Dry Van / Reefer
Southwest regional operation based in Tucson combines general dry-van freight with temperature-controlled loads for retail, packaged food, industrial products and selected agricultural freight.
- Completes accurate pre-trip and post-trip inspections on assigned equipment.
- Verifies trailer numbers, seals, BOL quantities and pallet counts before departure.
- Monitors reefer set points and reports any temperature alarms immediately.
- Documents detention, breakdowns and customer delays with arrival and release times.
- Communicates appointment changes and updated ETAs to dispatch by phone or ELD.
- Plans fuel stops and legal parking within available HOS on Southwest routes.
Mileage rate is set by experience, lane assignment and company scale. A typical week runs about 2,200 paid miles near $0.66 CPM for roughly $1,450 base mileage pay; stronger weeks near 2,300 miles at $0.72 CPM can reach the top of the range once documented detention is added.
Weekly Pay $1,350–$1,800
Estimated Annual $70,200–$93,600
Mileage Rate $0.58–$0.72 CPM
Sign-On Bonus Up to $3,000 (milestone payments)
Detention After qualifying wait; customer documentation required
Pay Frequency Weekly
Home Time Every 7–10 days (34–48 hr reset)
Operating Area AZ, NM, NV, Southern CA, West Texas
Base Terminal Tucson, AZ
Weekly Miles 1,800–2,300
Typical Run 2–4 days; dispatch window 4–8 AM
Model Years Mostly 2021–2025
Tractors Freightliner Cascadia & Kenworth T680 sleepers
Transmission Automatic
Safety & Tech Collision mitigation, lane-departure, adaptive cruise, ELD, GPS, forward dash cam, electronic DVIR
Assignment Assigned when available; occasional slip-seat
Trailer pool includes 53-ft dry vans and 53-ft reefers with sliding tandems, E-track where equipped, load bars on selected vans, and Thermo King or Carrier units with electronic temperature monitoring. Average fleet age stays under four years. Company maintenance shops and approved outside vendors handle preventive service and roadside repairs.
Freight is a mix of palletized retail merchandise, packaged and shelf-stable food, refrigerated and frozen products, consumer goods, industrial supplies, agricultural-related commodities and imported freight moving through Southwest channels. Most loads are no-touch; occasional customer-assisted unloading or pallet handling occurs. Roughly 45–55 % of moves are drop-and-hook; the rest are live load or live unload.
- Tucson–Phoenix and return on I-10 for distribution and reload opportunities.
- Tucson–Nogales on I-19 supporting border and agricultural freight.
- Tucson–El Paso and return on I-10 for industrial and distribution loads.
- Tucson–Ontario / Inland Empire on I-10 with eastbound backhauls.
- Selective runs to Las Vegas via I-10 / US-93 or Yuma via I-8 / I-10.
- Dispatch may reposition through Phoenix, Casa Grande or other nearby points for better reloads.
- Morning or previous-evening dispatch from Tucson area for early appointments.
- First leg often Arizona freight (Tucson, Nogales or Phoenix market).
- Next load usually pre-planned before delivery; changes possible for warehouse readiness or HOS.
- After delivery, reload sought near current location rather than forced empty return.
- Week may include Southern California or El Paso before return toward Tucson.
- Reset normally 34–48 hours in Tucson; occasional Phoenix reset if freight sequence requires.
- Weekend or overnight dispatches increase during retail peaks and produce seasons.
About the Carrier
Mixed dry-van and temperature-controlled freight moving through the Southern Arizona and Southwest network requires carriers that can balance retail replenishment, packaged food, industrial products and agricultural-related loads without locking drivers into single-commodity dedicated runs. This mid-sized regional operation uses Tucson as its home base while drawing on larger freight pools in Phoenix and Southern California, plus Nogales border activity and El Paso eastern reloads. The result is flexible multi-state work that stays within a defined Southwest corridor rather than nationwide OTR, giving drivers consistent regional cycles while dispatch adjusts for daily freight imbalances and seasonal volume swings.
Health Coverage Medical, dental and vision
Retirement 401(k) with company match
Paid Time Paid holidays and PTO
Orientation Paid
Additional Driver referral program, monthly safety incentive, reefer training, terminal parking
- Valid Class A CDL and current medical qualification.
- Approximately 6 months recent CDL-A experience preferred; dry van or reefer helpful.
- Minimum age 21; acceptable MVR with no recent major preventable violations.
- Pass drug screen, DOT qualification and company standards; no HazMat required.
- Able to enter/exit sleeper, connect trailers, inspect seals and work in Arizona heat.
- Phoenix and Southern California DCs congested during retail peaks and morning windows.
- Live loads or unloads may wait 1–2 hours; longer during produce season or dock shortages.
- I-10 construction, monsoon storms, high winds and summer heat affect ETAs.
- Reefer temperature alarms, fuel levels or receiver requirements can force service stops.
- Empty trailer shortages during high volume may require repositioning before preferred reload.
1
Application
Submit CDL-A application with history
2
Recruiter Screen
Call within one business day
3
Qualification
MVR, background, Clearinghouse, drug test
4
Orientation & Dispatch
Paid Tucson orientation, truck assignment, first load
Q: Is previous reefer experience required? ▼
Preferred but not mandatory. Drivers who can learn temperature-control procedures are considered.
Q: How are reefer units monitored on the road? ▼
Drivers verify set point and temperature before departure, monitor fuel on longer stretches, and contact dispatch on any alarm for troubleshooting or service.
Q: Where can I park overnight away from Tucson? ▼
Plan around major corridors and established truck stops on I-10, I-19 and the Phoenix/California network. Loaded trailers may only be left where parking is explicitly permitted.
Q: Does every week return exactly on the same day? ▼
Home time is planned around freight and HOS rather than a fixed calendar day each week. Resets are usually 34–48 hours.
Q: Are there dedicated or fixed lanes? ▼
No. Assignments change based on available reloads; a week may mix Arizona, California and El Paso freight.
Q: How long does the full hiring process take? ▼
Typically 5–10 business days for a qualified applicant, depending on verification turnaround.
Tucson maintains a steady CDL-A market, though smaller than Phoenix in total carrier and warehouse concentration. Experienced regional drivers find openings in dry van, reefer, LTL, dedicated distribution and specialized local work. Smaller carriers compete with practical home-time schedules and consistent Southwest freight rather than pure high-mileage OTR. Strongest demand follows the I-10 and I-19 corridors, with additional opportunities tied to Nogales cross-border activity, Southern California reloads, Phoenix distribution and El Paso industrial freight. Food distribution, retail replenishment, construction-related hauling and Port of Tucson rail-served warehousing all support ongoing hiring. Drivers with clean records and regional experience remain in demand year-round, while seasonal produce and retail peaks create temporary volume spikes that increase short-term openings.
Tucson sits directly on the I-10 east-west corridor linking Southern California, Phoenix, El Paso and Texas markets, while I-19 provides the north-south connection to Nogales and the Mexico trade lane. This geography creates continuous movement of retail merchandise, packaged and refrigerated food, industrial supplies, building materials and agricultural commodities. The Port of Tucson adds more than 2.2 million square feet of warehousing, distribution, manufacturing and refrigerated storage capacity, supporting both domestic and imported freight. Larger freight pools in Phoenix and the Inland Empire regularly feed backhauls into Southern Arizona, while Nogales agricultural and cross-border volume and El Paso industrial traffic supply directional balance. Seasonal produce harvests and retail peak periods increase appointment density and trailer demand, producing more overnight and weekend activity. The combination of interstate access, border proximity and rail-served facilities keeps temperature-controlled and dry-van capacity in consistent demand throughout the year.
