Is it possible to make good money hauling containers (intermodal)?

I do it as a company driver. It all depends on hours and efficiency of the driver. If you time it right you can make great money. Last year I grossed A little over 82k. But I live in the inland Empire. So I get 12 or 13 hour shifts and weekends off. It depends on the company and the freight. I pull a lot of hazmat so the pay is better.

 

Rollin....that is excellent! Of course, if you are talking about either California or Ontario, $82K doesn't go as far as say Little Rock AK. Then again, I doubt there is a lot of local intermodal in the middle of boo-foo. You have to be in a major metro area, which means unpredictable traffic (or sometimes, very predictable...like, its ALWAYS there) and high rent districts. I'm in Chicago. Lot's of intermodal work. I doubt many "company drivers" in Chicago get paid over $80k, or even close. I think the "going rate" for a company driver here is about $40-$60K, maybe. Frankly, if I were to go work local for a company in Chicago, it'd be one of the big union ones hauling general freight, Holland, UPS, someone like that. FedEx Freight is big, not union, but, hard to break in with. But, if your young, and willing to work your way up, that'd be the way to go here, again, assuming you wanted to work for someone else.

 

Even though this is an old thread I'm gonna reply to this clueless fellow or possibly an agent posing as an o/o driver. Containers used to pay good money back in the 80's and 90's but those days are long gone now. Some of the drivers that pull out of the port do make better money than drivers running railyards and Cy's. But thanks to Hub and JB Hunt and companies that pay with the ridiculous flat rate system have reeeealy ##'d up the industry! Also with no regulation, every agent is taking waaay more than their fair share. Keep in mind this is 3rd party freight and it has been pinched off at least 3 times before it get to you. And you never get to see the original numbers from the shippers invoice and so your screwed from the jump! They say we pay 70%. Yeah but 70% of what? Trust me the numbers are waaay off! And as far as the equipment? Containers are the most brutal on a truck because there is no air ride suspension first of all and the tires are recaps with innertubes. And the tires wobble and the trunnion are always aligned and so all off that pulls and vibrates your truck to pieces. You cant slide the axles on 40's and 45 footers and so all that dead weight is sitting right on top of your drives and bushings and shocks and torque rods and that weighs down on your frontend too. King pins and tierods and leaf springs and bushings and three axle alignments! I have a 1996 W900L 3496e Cat 500 hp and containers will wear out every thing i just mentioned. Oh did i forget clutches and rear ends and transmissions? I run all after market products when i can. Oils, coolant additives, neoprene bushings ( AG100 suspension), dynoflex exhaust, Truck Master shocks. I've been driving since 1989 and so i know my truck is my money maker and 2nd home and so i dont take my maintenance lightly. Plus its a W9 dude! Having said all of that, when someone reads this thread, all i want them to do is talk to all the container haulers that are leased on with the company your interested in. Remember that alotta these drivers cant count and don't mind running for $1.20cpm. I know drivers that say, they keep you moving when everyone else is slow or they let me run all i want! Remember your truck and time are precious and so you have to look at the whole picture and most definitely the numbers. You want a organized operation that wont have you sitting at the rail or Cy (container yard) or port, waiting for billing or pick up #'s. It happens to the best of outfits but you dont wanna have to go through that all the time. It takes up your time that you don't get paid for! Once you add up your dead head ( bobtailing miles) and the rate to the truck for the load? If your not getting at least $1.50 all miles at least from the rail to the customer and back to the rail, it aint worth it! Plus i didn't mention that you'll be fixing lights and airing up tires on those chassis. If you have a run flat you will have to pay for that tire. If you lock up the brakes and slide'n flat spot those chassis tires, you'll have to pay for them. I could go on and on with this believe me! I pull in Atlanta and its horrible! I know some drivers that are pulling outta Savannah and are doing alot better than we are. They operate differently down there though. So thats my two cents✌

 

MrBigR - you have, as they say, hit the nail square on the head.

You summed up 5 years and hundreds of responses, at least those of us who agree with your opinions on the (poor quality) status of a majority of intermodal work.

Thank you!

 

I am recent graduate out of Atlanta and I am trying to find a company to haul containers ...can someone suggest a good company to work for

 

Schneider intermodal or jb hunt those are the main ones any other company you need your own truck or experience

 

The big question is, why would you want to run rail containers? Are you trying to stay local?

 

Hello. Im doing otr for schneider out of Chicago. Intermodal. I have 14 mo. Saving to buy a used truck. Thinking of going with MHC. They have a long term warranty.
Is there any work from us into mexico and back?

 

Not a usual lane.