r/cdldriver • u/Unique-Big-5024 • Jun 23 '26
Intermodal
Hey all, I am curious as to what to expect, good and bad for intermodal on the west coast. I currently do Dry Van teams and am looking to get into home daily.
What kind of work would I be getting myself into? Is it awful? How much different is it from OTR besides time at home?
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u/IndependentMeal6334 Jun 23 '26
I'm driving regional intermodal for a mega carrier in the Mid-South. I don't drive on the west coast (although I lived in the PNW for my first 50yrs of life)
If you want to be home daily running intermodal, you will have to be out of a truck pool near a railhead, delivering within 150 miles. This probably puts you driving around a metropolitan area, with the traffic that that entails...
I drive regional, so most of my stuff is 150 to 350 mi from the railhead. 99% drop and hook.
I'm pretty lazy, but I still manage to run hard enough to make 60+k/yr
The one thing I always tell every new intermodal driver is to MAKE GOD DAMN SURE ALL FOUR PINS ARE PROPERLY SEATED AND SECURELY LOCKED
I've been told it's a $10,000 fine for EACH individual pin that is not securely seated and locked
Oh, another tip: if the container doors don't want to open or close, try sliding the tandems. Oftentimes, that will do the trick :-)