Joliet, IL
Looking for dry van local CDL-A work around Joliet? Here's the pay, the home time, and a fast way to get matched with carriers hiring right now.
Joliet anchors the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, which together with the adjacent BNSF Logistics Park Chicago forms the largest inland intermodal complex in North America, with major distribution centers for Walmart and others.
Short-radius runs within a metro or nearby area, often paid hourly with daily home time, lower miles, and more frequent stops. For CDL-A drivers based in Joliet and nearby communities like Elwood, Romeoville, Crest Hill, that translates to steady freight and dry van local runs you can actually build a schedule around.
Local CDL-A pay in this market typically runs about $73k to $83k a year for company drivers, before sign-on bonuses, detention, and per diem. Dry van is the baseline for most freight and the easiest to get into, so it generally sits at the bottom of the specialized-freight pay scale. The number that matters most is weekly miles times your rate — a strong rate on thin miles loses to a steady seat every time.
Enclosed trailers carrying non-perishable boxed and palletized freight like retail goods, paper, and packaged products — the most common and accessible freight for CDL-A drivers.
Dry van is the baseline for most freight and the easiest to get into, so it generally sits at the bottom of the specialized-freight pay scale.
Illinois rates run about 4% above the national average for the same freight, which is baked into the numbers below. Local dry van work around Joliet is typically hourly with overtime after 40 — figures below assume a normal 48-hour week.
| Experience | Hourly rate | Weekly gross | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 years | $28/hr | $1,456 | $72,800 |
| 2–5 years | $30/hr | $1,560 | $78,000 |
| 5+ years | $32/hr | $1,664 | $83,200 |
From the CDL Lane pay model — cents-per-mile researched across 100+ carriers (how we calculate), adjusted for Illinois and dry van freight. Run your own numbers in the pay calculator.
Tell us your experience, freight, and schedule. We'll line up local carriers hiring near Joliet — free, fast, no obligation.
Get matched →Local CDL-A drivers in the Joliet market typically earn $73k–$83k a year, with the exact number driven by experience, weekly miles, and freight type — the table above breaks it down by experience band.
It's the most common first seat in trucking: the most openings, no-touch freight, and every schedule from local to OTR. Pay sits at the baseline of the freight scale, which is the trade-off for availability and simplicity.
Two levers: experience tiers (the 2-year and 5-year marks matter most) and switching freight — reefer adds ~$0.03/mi, flatbed ~$0.07/mi, tanker ~$0.09/mi. Endorsements are the fastest raise in trucking.
Yes — that's the defining feature. The trade-off is lower gross than OTR and more physical work (more stops, sometimes touch freight). Hourly pay with overtime protects your paycheck when docks run slow.
A valid CDL-A and a reasonably clean driving record cover most openings. Tell CDL Lane your experience, preferred freight, and home base and we'll match you with carriers hiring near Joliet — including Elwood, Romeoville, Crest Hill.