Regional Intermodal Driver Jobs in Iowa — Now Hiring

What does a intermodal driver actually haul?

Intermodal drivers (also called drayage drivers) transport shipping containers between ports, rail yards, and warehouse facilities using specialized chassis trailers. The containers — typically 20-foot or 40-foot steel boxes — arrive on cargo ships or trains and need to be moved the 'last mile' to their final destination. Intermodal is overwhelmingly a local or regional gig, making it one of the best home-daily CDL-A jobs available.

Your alarm goes off at 2:45 AM. You live in Elizabeth, New Jersey, 15 minutes from the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal — one of the busiest container ports on the East Coast. By 3:30 AM you're in line at the gate. The terminal opens at 6 AM, but drivers start lining up hours early because once 500 trucks are inside, they close the gate and everyone else waits. At 6:05 AM you scan your TWIC card at the gate reader, hand your interchange ticket to the clerk, and pull into the yard. A yard hustler directs you to Row J where your container is sitting on a chassis. You hook up, check the chassis tires and lights (two of the eight tires look low but they're above minimum — typical port chassis condition), and pull out of the terminal. Total time inside: 40 minutes on a good day. Your delivery is a warehousing facility in Edison, about 25 miles west on the Turnpike. You drop the loaded container at their dock, and a warehouse crew uses a forklift to strip the container. While they unload, you grab a coffee from the driver lounge. An hour later they hand you the signed delivery receipt and you pull the empty chassis back to the port. Back at Port Newark, you drop the empty, pick up another loaded container, and repeat the cycle. On a productive day you'll make 3-4 round trips. On a bad day when the port is backed up, you might only get 2. You're paid per container move — $85-$125 per move depending on distance — so port delays directly impact your earnings. By 4 PM you're done, back home, and sitting down to dinner. No sleeper cab, no weeks on the road, no truck stop showers. That's the intermodal life.

Full intermodal driver guide — top carriers, endorsements and career path

Where in Iowa would you actually be running?

Freight here moves on a handful of named lanes. These are the ones a intermodal seat domiciled in Des Moines is most likely to see.

• Des Moines: I-80, I-35, I-235 — Insurance & Financial Services and Agriculture & Grain freight.
• Cedar Rapids: I-380, US-30, US-151 — Food Processing (Cereal, Corn) and Aerospace (Collins Aerospace) freight.
• Waterloo: US-20, US-63, US-218 — Agricultural Equipment (John Deere) and Meatpacking (Tyson) freight.
• Sioux City: I-29, US-20, US-75 — Meatpacking (Beef, Pork) and Agriculture freight.

What does this intermodal seat pay in Iowa?

The band on this posting is $52,000 - $73,000/year. Where you land inside it comes down to verifiable experience, the lane you take, and your safety record.

For context, the statewide CDL-A average is $55,200. Wages here are stable — Iowa trucking wages are steady, anchored by agricultural commodities (corn, soybeans, pork) and I-80 corridor traffic. The state's central location supports cross-country freight lanes.

Iowa runs a cost-of-living index of 89, so this band is worth roughly $62,022 once living costs are taken out. That number is what to compare against an offer in another state.

• Strongest-paying metros in Iowa:
• Des Moines — about $59,800
• Cedar Rapids — about $56,400
• Davenport — about $55,200

Iowa CDL pay breakdown by experience level and equipment

What do you need to qualify?

• Valid CDL-A license
• DOT medical card
• TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) card for port access — required at all major seaports
• Ability to navigate congested port and rail yard environments safely
• Clean MVR — port authorities and terminals run background checks on all drivers

Is intermodal work worth it?

What drivers who stay in this segment say they like about it:

• Home daily — most intermodal/drayage runs are under 200 miles round trip
• No loading or unloading — you simply hook to a loaded chassis at the port and drop it at the warehouse
• Consistent, high-volume freight driven by global trade — containers don't stop coming
• Many positions are hourly ($22-$32/hr), providing stable income regardless of miles

What is the hardest part of this job?

We would rather you know now than quit in week three.

• Port congestion can have you sitting in line for 2-4 hours waiting to pick up or drop off a container
• Chassis equipment at ports is often old and poorly maintained — flat tires and light issues are common
• Early morning starts (3-5 AM) are standard to beat port congestion and make delivery appointments
• Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regulations in California and other states require newer, more expensive trucks

What should a intermodal driver know before running Iowa?

Speed limits for trucks in Iowa run 70 mph (same as cars), with 70 mph on rural interstates. Tolls: No toll roads in the state.

Fuel tax in Iowa is $0.324 per gallon diesel + federal, which matters if you are comparing per-mile offers across state lines. Inspection climate: Moderate. Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement conducts inspections at weigh stations and via mobile units. Focus on agricultural and livestock haulers during harvest.

Which Iowa rules catch intermodal drivers out?

• Gross weight limit: 80,000 lbs (special permits for ag loads up to 96,000 lbs on state routes)
• Axle weight: 20,000 lbs single axle, 34,000 lbs tandem
• Truck speed limits: 70 mph rural, 55 mph urban
• Diesel fuel tax: $0.324 per gallon diesel + federal
• Tolls: No toll roads in the state.
• Inspection posture: Moderate. Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement conducts inspections at weigh stations and via mobile units. Focus on agricultural and livestock haulers during harvest.
• Agricultural loads get weight exemptions up to 96,000 lbs on state routes during harvest
• Iowa has no toll roads, making it cost-effective for through-traffic
• Severe winter blizzards can shut down I-80 and I-35 for hours or days

All Iowa driving jobs and state regulations

How does applying through us work?

1. 1You send the short form on this page. It takes under a minute and needs no resume.
2. 2A recruiter reads it and calls you — a real person, not an automated screen.
3. 3We match you against the regional intermodal openings our client carriers have right now, including ones never posted publicly.
4. 4You choose which to interview for. Nothing is submitted anywhere without you saying yes.
5. 5There is no cost to you at any point. Carriers pay us, drivers never do.

Are these jobs actually live?

Yes — and it is a fair thing to ask, because plenty of driver postings are not.

Ahmad Qazi, sales representative at TruckingJobsInUSA: “Carriers have filled seats through this platform. The owners we place drivers with are straightforward to deal with, and drivers get paid on time. If a seat is gone, we take the posting down rather than leave it up to collect applications.”

Every posting on this site is republished on the date shown, so what you are reading is current recruitment, not an archive.