Port freight and Turnpike warehouses

Owner-Operator CDL-A OTR Jobs in New Jersey

No other state we hire in starts you closer to this much freight. Port Newark and Elizabeth handle containers for the whole Northeast, and the Turnpike strings together the warehouse parks at Exit 8A in Cranbury, Exit 7A in Robbinsville, the Meadowlands and Edison. Cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge or the George Washington Bridge and you are on I-95 toward the rest of the country.

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.

If you are after owner operator jobs in New Jersey, here is what MB Global asks: a Class A CDL, 2 years or more of OTR, a clean record on DUI and SAP, a current DOT medical card, and a home address in the state. Hiring is open all year. Start with the six question form.

Potential take-home pay

Take-home for a New Jersey owner-operator with MB Global starts at $2,500+ per week, calculated after all expenses, whatever running out of this state costs you. It varies with experience and other factors, and many drivers earn more.

Who qualifies for owner-operator jobs in New Jersey

Hold a valid Class A CDL

Minimum 2 years of OTR experience

No DUI or DWI convictions

No SAP program in your past

Current DOT medical card

Live in New Jersey

How our owner-operator program works

Independent contractor work

You contract with MB Global; you are not on our payroll. The loads you haul pay by settlement, and you manage your own business expenses. That is the whole relationship, and we keep it that way.

Rental equipment, period

Equipment is rented from MB Global for as long as you run with us. There is no lease-purchase and no option to buy the truck. If a program promises you ownership at the end, it is not this one.

Over the road only

Every load is OTR. Expect to leave New Jersey for 2 to 3 weeks at a stretch, then take a few days at home before the next trip. We do not promise miles, pay or specific home time.

Freight corridors OTR drivers run from New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey is one of the busiest container gateways in the country, and its main terminals sit on the Jersey side at Port Newark and Elizabeth. Boxes come off the ships and head straight down the Turnpike to warehouse clusters at Exit 8A in Cranbury, Exit 7A in Robbinsville, the Meadowlands and Edison, where they get broken down and reloaded for the rest of the country. That volume shows up in pay: the May 2025 BLS median wage for this job in New Jersey is $63,570, higher than any other state where we hire.

The New Jersey Turnpike is I-95 for most of its length, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge in the south to the George Washington Bridge in the north. I-78 heads west from Newark into Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, and I-80 crosses the top of the state toward the Delaware Water Gap. I-287 loops around the outer suburbs, while I-295 and I-195 serve South and Central Jersey. One warning: trucks are restricted on much of the Garden State Parkway, so do not let a GPS route you onto it.

New Jersey tolls and Parkway limits

511NJ shows live traffic, and you will want it, because the Turnpike backs up. The New Jersey Turnpike is tolled end to end. Trucks over 10,000 pounds are restricted on the Garden State Parkway north of Exit 105, so check NJTA rules before you plan a route that touches it.

New Jersey truck driver jobs: the data

47,980

Truck drivers employed

$63,570

Median annual wage

5,850

Openings a year

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put about 47,980 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New Jersey in May 2025, earning a median annual wage of $63,570, well above the U.S. median of $58,640. State projections take the job count from 53,120 in 2024 to 56,600 by 2034, with about 5,850 openings a year. These figures cover wage and salary drivers, not owner-operator earnings. As an owner-operator, what you keep depends on freight and the rest of your costs, so treat the numbers as a read on demand.

Orientation, travel and lodging

Orientation

Remote sessions first, then in-person days at our terminal to finish.

Lodging

MB Global pays for your lodging during in-person orientation. Nothing comes out of your pocket.

Travel

MB Global arranges and prepays your travel. It is charged back at $50 per week on your settlements.

Orientation has two halves. You complete the remote half from home. For the in-person half, you travel to our terminal, probably a flight out of Newark. MB Global sets up the trip and pays for it up front. Lodging is covered in full. Travel is not free: it comes back out at $50 per week, and your recruiter can tell you how many weeks and where it shows on settlements.

See if you pre-qualify

Skip the long paperwork for now. The pre-qualifying form is six questions, takes about a minute, and lands only with the recruiting team.

Six questions, one minute

Recruiting team only, no ad tracking

Not the FMCSA 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

Submit the six question form from your phone in a minute.

A recruiter follows up with New Jersey drivers who meet the requirements.

Complete the federal application, then book your 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 FMCSA driver application, 49 CFR 391.21. It is long because federal rules make it long. You will need:

Details on your Class A CDL: issuing state, number and expiration, and any other CDL or permit you hold.

A list of every address from the past 3 years.

Employers for the past 3 years, and any employer you drove a commercial vehicle for in the 7 years before that, with names, addresses, dates and reason for leaving.

Your driving experience broken out by equipment type.

Accidents and traffic convictions in the past 3 years, plus any suspension, revocation or denial of a license.

A current DOT medical card from a certified examiner.

Consent for MB Global to check your MVR, your past employers' safety and drug and alcohol testing records, and the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, per 49 CFR 391.23.

New Jersey owner-operator FAQs

Can I run the Garden State Parkway in a tractor-trailer?

Mostly no. Trucks over 10,000 pounds are restricted on the Parkway north of Exit 105. Stick to the Turnpike, I-78, I-80, I-287 and I-295 for interstate moves, and check NJTA rules if a load requires you to touch the Parkway in the southern section.

How do Turnpike tolls affect an owner-operator based in New Jersey?

They are a real cost. The New Jersey Turnpike is tolled for its full length, and most freight leaving the port or the Exit 8A warehouses rides it. Ask the recruiter how tolls are handled before you plan around them. The $2,500+ per week take-home figure on this page is after all expenses.

Why is the median driver wage in New Jersey higher than other states?

Density. The port, the Turnpike warehouse corridor and the New York metro create constant demand for drivers. BLS shows a $63,570 median for heavy and tractor-trailer drivers in New Jersey in May 2025. Those are wage and salary figures, though, not owner-operator earnings, so use them to judge the market rather than your own settlement.

I live in New Jersey but my old job was in New York. Does that matter?

What matters is where you live now. MB Global brings on owner-operators who live in New Jersey. Where you drove before only comes up on the federal application, which asks for your employers from the past 3 years and any commercial driving in the 7 years before that.

Where do New Jersey OTR runs usually head?

Wherever the freight is going. From the port and the Turnpike warehouses, loads go west on I-78 and I-80, south on I-95 through Delaware, or north over the George Washington Bridge. There is no fixed New Jersey lane. Plan on 2 to 3 weeks away, then a few days at home.

What is the catch on orientation travel?

There is no catch, but it is not free. MB Global arranges and pays for your trip to our terminal up front, then takes $50 per week out of your settlements until it is paid back. Lodging during the in-person part is covered in full with no chargeback. Ask the recruiter how many weeks the travel deduction runs.

Apply now

You have the Class A CDL and the OTR years. Take a minute for the form, or call 1-888-283-6958, 7 AM to 5 PM any day, and start CDL A OTR work from New Jersey.