Peninsula freight, year-round hiring

Owner-Operator CDL-A OTR Jobs in Florida

Almost everything sold in Florida rolls in on a truck, and much of it lands first at a dock in Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Tampa. Add a population that keeps growing, seasonal produce and a steady stream of building materials, and you get a state that always needs loads moved north. That is why OTR runs out of Florida make sense for a driver with a Class A.

See if you qualify Start full application

Questions? Talk to a recruiter: 1-888-283-6958

At a glance

Position

Owner-operator, independent contractor

Equipment

Rental. No lease-purchase

Runs

OTR. 2 to 3 weeks out, then a few days at home

Requirements

Class A CDL, 2+ years OTR, no DUI, no SAP

Endorsements

None needed

Potential take-home

$2,500+ per week after all expenses. Many drivers earn more.

MB Global Logistics brings on owner-operators who live in Florida, every month of the year, as independent contractors on rental trucks. If you have been hunting for owner operator jobs in Florida and you carry a CDL A with two years of OTR behind you, the six question form below is the quickest first step.

Potential take-home pay

Ask any recruiter about money and you should get a straight answer. Here it is: take-home on this program starts at $2,500+ per week after all expenses come out. It varies with your experience and other factors, and many Florida drivers earn more.

Who qualifies for owner-operator jobs in Florida

A valid Class A CDL, endorsements not needed

Two years or more of CDL A OTR experience

No DUI or DWI on your driving record

No history in a SAP program

A DOT medical card that is current

A home address in Florida

How our owner-operator program works

Contractor, not driver

You sign on as an independent contractor. Nobody at MB Global puts you on a payroll, and you run your own business. The relationship is business to business, and it stays that way for as long as you are contracted.

Rental trucks only

The equipment you pull with is rented. MB Global does not sell trucks and does not run a lease-purchase plan, so there is no balloon payment or buyout waiting at the end. You use the tractor, you never buy it.

Weeks out, days home

Every run is OTR. The rhythm we suggest is 2 to 3 weeks on the road, then a few days back home, whether that home is in the Panhandle or down near Naples. Miles and home time are never promised.

Freight corridors OTR drivers run from Florida

Florida is a peninsula, which means a ship or a truck brings in almost everything people buy here. Four big cargo ports do the heavy lifting: JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, PortMiami and Port Tampa Bay. Containers from those docks feed the warehouse belt in central Florida around Orlando and Lakeland, where I-4 cuts across the state. Produce in season, lumber and drywall for new construction and consumer goods for a growing population keep the volume up. The state expects truck driving jobs to grow about 12.6 percent between 2024 and 2034, well ahead of the national pace.

Think of the map as a long spine with a few ribs. I-95 is the spine, Jacksonville down the Atlantic coast to Miami. I-75 drops in from Georgia through Ocala and Tampa, continues to Naples, then turns east across Alligator Alley toward Fort Lauderdale. I-4 ties Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando and Daytona Beach together. I-10 leaves Jacksonville and heads west past Tallahassee to Pensacola and the Alabama line. Florida's Turnpike is the main toll route through the middle of the state.

Driving conditions across Florida

FL511 is the place to check road conditions statewide before you roll. Florida's Turnpike charges tolls and runs on SunPass, so sort out your transponder before your first trip through Orlando. Keep the calendar in mind too: Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and a storm can close bridges and ports for days.

Trucking jobs in Florida by the numbers

112,920

Truck drivers employed

$50,640

Median annual wage

13,490

Openings a year

In May 2025, BLS counted 112,920 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers working in Florida. Their median wage was $50,640 a year, which sits under the U.S. median of $58,640. The state's own projections run from 2024 to 2034, with employment climbing from 113,170 to 127,420, and once turnover and growth are added together that works out to roughly 13,490 openings a year. One caution: these figures cover wage and salary drivers, not owner-operator earnings, so they describe the market, not what you will clear as a contractor.

Orientation, travel and lodging

Orientation

Part of it happens online from home, the rest in person at our terminal.

Lodging

Your lodging during the in-person days is paid in full by MB Global.

Travel

MB Global books and pays for your trip to the terminal, then recovers the cost at $50 per week on your settlements.

Orientation is split. You cover the first portion remotely, then travel to our terminal for the in-person part, and MB Global pays the lodging outright. The trip itself, whether you fly out of Orlando or Miami or drive up, is booked and paid up front by MB Global and charged back at $50 per week. Ask your recruiter how many weeks that runs and where it shows on the settlement.

See if you pre-qualify

Before the full federal application, there is a short check. Six questions, about a minute, and it goes only to the recruiting team, never to an ad platform or analytics tool.

Six questions, about one minute

Seen only by recruiting, not advertising

Not the full application

Your answers go only to our recruiting team. We never share them with advertising or analytics tools.

What happens next

Three steps from here to the road

Send the pre-qualifying form from your phone or laptop today.

A recruiter calls Florida drivers who meet the requirements to talk details.

Then comes the full FMCSA application, followed by remote and in-person orientation.

Prefer to talk first?

1-888-283-6958

Mon to Sun, 7 AM to 5 PM

What you'll need for the full application

The full application is the federal driver application under 49 CFR 391.21. Gather these before you start so you can finish it in one sitting.

Your Class A CDL: issuing state, license number, expiration date, plus any other CDL or learner permit you hold.

Every address where you have lived during the past 3 years.

Employers from the past 3 years, and any outfit you drove a commercial vehicle for in the 7 years before that, with names, addresses, dates and why you left.

A rundown of your driving experience by equipment type, such as dry van, reefer or flatbed.

Accidents and traffic convictions from the past 3 years, and any license suspension, revocation or denial, ever.

A current DOT medical card.

Your consent for MB Global to pull your MVR, contact past employers about safety and drug and alcohol testing records, and query the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse under 49 CFR 391.23.

Florida owner-operator FAQs

What happens to OTR runs when a hurricane is coming?

Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 on the Atlantic side, and Florida ports and bridges can close ahead of a storm. Since every run is OTR, you are often already north of the weather when it hits. Your own judgment and the freight decide the rest. Check FL511 and the port websites before heading back into the state.

Do I need SunPass to run out of Florida?

Florida's Turnpike is a toll road that uses SunPass, and it is the main route through the middle of the state. You are not required to use the Turnpike, but many loads between Miami and Orlando move on it. Ask your recruiter how tolls are handled on this program before your first trip.

Which Florida ports drive the most truck freight?

Four of them: JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, PortMiami and Port Tampa Bay. Containers from those docks fan out to warehouses around Orlando and Lakeland and then north on I-95 and I-75. If you live near any of these hubs, you are close to where OTR loads originate.

How is the Florida job market for truck drivers?

Strong on paper. The state projects about 12.6 percent growth for truck driving jobs between 2024 and 2034, and roughly 13,490 openings a year. Keep in mind those projections count wage and salary drivers. As an owner-operator you are selling capacity into that market, not filling one of those jobs.

I live in Florida but my CDL is from another state. Does that work?

The requirement is that you live in Florida, and the federal application asks which state issued your CDL and when it expires. Talk to the recruiter about your situation. The rest of the list stays the same: at least 2 years of OTR experience, no DUI or DWI, no SAP history and a current DOT medical card.

Will I be buying the truck I drive?

No. The truck is rental equipment, and MB Global does not offer lease-purchase. You pay to use it while you are under contract, and it never becomes yours. There is no purchase price, no equity and no ownership transfer at the end.

Apply now

If you hold a Class A, have the OTR years and call Florida home, fill out the short form or phone recruiting at 1-888-283-6958, Monday through Sunday, 7 AM to 5 PM.