LTL (Less Than Truckload) Trucking Jobs
LTL drivers handle freight that doesn't fill an entire trailer, making multiple stops per route to pick up and deliver shipments from different shippers. This segment is the highest-paying for company drivers because LTL carriers like Old Dominion, FedEx Freight, Estes, Saia, and ABF Freight offer top-tier wages, full benefits, and union opportunities. Unlike OTR trucking, most LTL positions are regional or local with excellent home time — many drivers are home every night. The trade-off is that LTL work is more physically demanding and operationally complex, requiring dock skills, tight backing maneuvers, and the ability to manage multiple shipments on a single trailer.
Average Pay
$55,000 - $95,000
CDL Class
CDL-A
Demand Level
Very High
What Is LTL (Less Than Truckload) Trucking?
LTL drivers handle freight that doesn't fill an entire trailer, making multiple stops per route to pick up and deliver shipments from different shippers. This segment is the highest-paying for company drivers because LTL carriers like Old Dominion, FedEx Freight, Estes, Saia, and ABF Freight offer top-tier wages, full benefits, and union opportunities. Unlike OTR trucking, most LTL positions are regional or local with excellent home time — many drivers are home every night. The trade-off is that LTL work is more physically demanding and operationally complex, requiring dock skills, tight backing maneuvers, and the ability to manage multiple shipments on a single trailer.
Requirements
- Valid CDL-A license
- Clean MVR (most LTL carriers check 3-5 years of history)
- Strong backing and docking skills — you'll be backing into tight terminal docks multiple times per shift
- Some carriers require forklift certification for loading/unloading palletized freight
- DOT medical card and ability to pass a DOT physical including drug screening
A Day in the Life
Your shift starts at 5 PM at the Old Dominion terminal in Charlotte, North Carolina. You're a linehaul driver tonight, running a relay between Charlotte and the Atlanta terminal — about 245 miles on I-85 South. The dock workers have already loaded your set of 28-foot pup trailers (doubles) with freight consolidated from pickups throughout the day. You do your pre-trip on both trailers and the converter dolly, checking every light, tire, and coupling device. Doubles require extra attention — that dolly connection is critical. By 5:45 PM you're pulling out of the yard. Running doubles feels different from a 53-footer — the rear trailer tracks wider in curves and you can feel it push in crosswinds. You settle into the right lane at 62 mph. Traffic on I-85 through Gastonia and Spartanburg is still heavy with commuters, but it thins out past Greenville. You stop at a fuel island in Commerce, Georgia to top off and grab a coffee. At the Atlanta terminal, you drop your set in the designated door and pick up a pre-loaded set going back to Charlotte. The return trip is quieter — it's 11 PM and the highway is mostly trucks. You pull back into the Charlotte terminal at 1:30 AM, drop your trailers at the assigned doors, and clock out. Total drive time: about 7.5 hours. Total miles: 490. You're home by 2 AM, sleeping in your own bed. Your paycheck this week will show $1,800 for five nights of this — no weekends, no holidays, full medical and dental, and a pension that's building toward a comfortable retirement. The night schedule takes getting used to, but the money and home time make it worth it. During the day shift, P&D drivers have a completely different experience — loading their truck at 6 AM, running 12-18 stops across the metro area, backing into loading docks at businesses and warehouses, collecting signatures, and handling the occasional difficult customer who isn't ready for their delivery. It's more physical and more stressful, but you're home every single night.
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- Best home time in CDL-A trucking — most LTL drivers are home daily or every other day
- Top-tier benefits including health insurance, pension plans, and 401(k) matching that rival white-collar jobs
- Highest company driver pay in the industry — experienced LTL linehaul drivers at top carriers clear $90K+
- Union opportunities at carriers like ABF and YRC provide strong job protections and guaranteed wage increases
Challenges
- Physically demanding — many LTL positions involve touch freight, meaning you're loading and unloading pallets, furniture, and odd-shaped shipments by hand
- Tight dock schedules create pressure — missing a dispatch window at the terminal can cascade into late deliveries across the network
- City P&D (pickup and delivery) routes involve heavy urban driving, constant backing into customer docks, and dealing with traffic congestion
- Night linehaul runs (terminal to terminal) mean working overnight shifts that can be hard on your sleep schedule and social life
Top States for LTL (Less Than Truckload) Jobs
These states have the highest demand for ltl (less than truckload) drivers based on freight volume, industry presence, and carrier activity.
Top Companies Hiring LTL (Less Than Truckload) Drivers
Old Dominion Freight Line
#1FedEx Freight
#2Estes Express Lines
#3Saia Inc.
#4ABF Freight (ArcBest)
#5Ready to Start Driving?
Submit your profile and we will match you with companies hiring ltl (less than truckload) drivers.
Frequently Asked Questions About LTL (Less Than Truckload) Trucking
How much do LTL drivers make compared to OTR?
LTL drivers consistently out-earn OTR drivers at the company driver level. Experienced linehaul drivers at top LTL carriers like Old Dominion, FedEx Freight, and Saia earn $80,000-$95,000+ annually, compared to $55,000-$78,000 for most OTR dry van drivers. P&D (city pickup and delivery) drivers earn slightly less — $60,000-$80,000 — but are home every night. The pay premium exists because LTL requires more skill (tight docking, multiple stops, freight handling), and the major LTL carriers are highly profitable companies that share revenue with drivers through competitive compensation packages.
What is the difference between LTL and FTL (full truckload)?
FTL (full truckload) means one shipper fills the entire trailer and it goes point-to-point from origin to destination. LTL means multiple shippers share trailer space, with each shipment typically weighing 150 to 15,000 pounds. LTL freight moves through a hub-and-spoke network — local P&D drivers pick up shipments from businesses, bring them to a terminal where they're consolidated onto linehaul trailers, then delivered by P&D drivers at the destination terminal. FTL drivers deal with one shipper and one receiver per load. LTL drivers may handle 10-20 different shipments per shift.
Is LTL driving physically demanding?
It depends on the role. P&D (pickup and delivery) drivers handle the most physical work — they often touch freight, use pallet jacks and hand trucks, and may need to load or unload shipments manually at customer locations. Some P&D routes involve heavy items like machinery parts, building materials, or furniture. Linehaul drivers have an easier physical workload since they primarily drive terminal-to-terminal and dock workers handle the loading. However, linehaul drivers still need to do thorough pre-trip inspections and may need to break down or build sets of doubles/triples at relay points.
Do LTL drivers need to know how to operate a forklift?
Many LTL carriers prefer or require forklift certification, especially for P&D drivers. At some smaller terminals, drivers may need to load their own trucks using a forklift before heading out on their route. Even at larger terminals with dedicated dock workers, knowing how to operate a forklift makes you more versatile and valuable. Most carriers provide free forklift training as part of their onboarding process. Some positions — particularly linehaul — rarely or never require forklift operation.
What are doubles and triples in LTL?
Doubles are two 28-foot trailers connected by a converter dolly, commonly used for LTL linehaul runs. Triples are three 28-foot trailers and are only legal in certain states (about 20 states allow triples on designated highways). Running doubles or triples requires a doubles/triples endorsement (T) on your CDL, which involves a written knowledge test. Doubles and triples are more challenging to drive than a single 53-foot trailer — they track differently in turns, are more sensitive to crosswinds, and require a specific coupling/uncoupling procedure at the converter dolly. However, they allow LTL carriers to move more freight per truck, which is why they're the standard for linehaul operations.