Small state, big corridor

Owner-Operator CDL-A OTR Jobs in Rhode Island

You can cross Rhode Island on I-95 in well under an hour, and that is the point. The smallest state we recruit in happens to sit squarely on the Northeast's busiest truck route, halfway between Boston and New York. Leave a driveway in Warwick or Cranston and you are on the main line almost immediately, with two ports feeding cargo onto it.

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.

Owner operator jobs in Rhode Island with MB Global Logistics are independent contractor positions, open throughout the year to drivers who live here and hold a Class A CDL with at least 2 years of CDL A OTR experience. There is no waiting for an opening. A six question form, about a minute long, gets the conversation started.

Potential take-home pay

The advertised figure is $2,500+ per week in take-home after all expenses. It varies with your experience, the freight you haul, fuel and maintenance, and how many weeks you stay out, and many drivers come in above it.

Who qualifies for owner-operator jobs in Rhode Island

Class A CDL that is valid today

At least 2 years driving OTR

Rhode Island residency

No DUI or DWI ever

No SAP history

A current DOT medical card

How our owner-operator program works

Always open

There are no hiring windows and no state quotas. If you live in Rhode Island and meet the requirements, you can apply in any month. The recruiting team reviews qualified drivers as they come in.

Your status

You work as an independent contractor, not as staff and not on payroll. You carry your own operating costs and you make your own business decisions.

The equipment

Rental tractors. There is no lease-purchase option and you are not buying the truck from MB Global. Runs are OTR, with 2 to 3 weeks out and a few days home as the suggested rhythm.

Freight corridors OTR drivers run from Rhode Island

Two ports do the heavy lifting here. ProvPort on the Providence waterfront handles bulk and breakbulk cargo, and the Port of Davisville at Quonset is one of the larger entry points in the country for imported vehicles, which means car haulers and the trucks that serve them. Beyond the ports, the state is wedged between Boston and the Connecticut and New York corridor, so plenty of freight passes through. Median pay for heavy truck drivers here sits above the national median, and the state projects about 10.9 percent growth in this job from 2024 to 2034, one of the faster rates in New England.

I-95 is everything. It enters from Connecticut, passes Warwick and Providence, and exits into Massachusetts toward Boston. I-295 swings west around Providence as a bypass. I-195 heads east to Fall River and on toward Cape Cod. I-146 goes north to Worcester and connects with the Mass Pike. Route 4 ties I-95 to the Quonset industrial park and the port at Davisville. Most OTR loads leave the state on I-95 in one direction or the other.

Conditions on Rhode Island's I-95

New England 511 covers Rhode Island, including I-95 through downtown Providence, where traffic backs up during commute hours and construction is common. Check it before you head out, and if you are running toward Boston, look at the Massachusetts side of the border on the same site while you are at it.

Rhode Island driver employment figures

3,620

Truck drivers employed

$60,190

Median annual wage

420

Openings a year

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 3,620 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Rhode Island in May 2025, and the median annual wage was $60,190, compared with a U.S. median of $58,640. State projections expect these jobs to grow from 3,560 in 2024 to 3,950 by 2034, with about 420 openings a year. These figures cover wage and salary drivers, not owner-operator earnings. Contractor results depend on your expenses and the freight you run.

Orientation, travel and lodging

Orientation

One part remote from home, one part in person at our terminal.

Lodging

Covered in full by MB Global for the in-person days.

Travel

Arranged and paid up front by MB Global, then charged back on your settlements at $50 per week. Ask for the details.

The remote section of orientation can be done from anywhere in Rhode Island. For the in-person section you travel to our terminal, where lodging is paid in full. MB Global arranges and pays for the travel up front, and then recovers it at $50 per week from your settlements. Ask the recruiter how many weeks the chargeback runs and how the deduction is shown.

See if you pre-qualify

Six questions. About a minute. Read only by the recruiting team, never fed into advertising or analytics tools, and not the federal application.

A minute of your time

Recruiting team only

Full application comes later

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

Answer six questions and send the form; it works fine on a phone.

A recruiter follows up with drivers who qualify and answers your questions.

Complete the full FMCSA application, then orientation, remote first and in person second.

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 driver application is the federal one under 49 CFR 391.21. It asks for the seven things listed here.

Class A CDL information: issuing state, license number, expiration date and any other CDL or permit you hold.

Every address you have had in the past 3 years.

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

Driving experience by equipment type.

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

A current DOT medical card.

Consent to checks of your MVR, past employers' safety and drug and alcohol testing records, and the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (49 CFR 391.23).

Rhode Island owner-operator FAQs

Is there enough trucking work in a state as small as Rhode Island?

Size is not the issue, because OTR work is not confined to the state. Rhode Island matters for where it sits: on I-95 between Boston and New York, with ProvPort and Davisville generating cargo. The state also projects about 10.9 percent growth in heavy truck driver jobs from 2024 to 2034, one of the faster rates in New England.

Which direction do OTR loads from Providence usually go?

Both ways on I-95, and then onward. South takes you through Connecticut to New York and points south. North puts you on the Boston side, where I-90 opens up the route west to the Midwest. There are no fixed lanes by state, so where you go depends on the freight, and you should expect 2 to 3 weeks out at a time.

I drive car haulers out of Davisville now. Does that experience count?

It counts toward the 2 years of OTR experience only if those runs were over the road rather than local deliveries. The requirement is OTR time specifically, with a valid Class A CDL. Endorsements are not needed. If your Davisville work was regional, tally up your earlier OTR history to see whether you reach 2 years.

What does the $50 per week travel chargeback actually cover?

The trip to and from our terminal for the in-person part of orientation. MB Global arranges it and pays up front, and then $50 per week is deducted from your settlements until it is recovered. Ask the recruiter how many weeks that takes and how it appears on the statement. Lodging during orientation is a separate matter and is fully covered.

My DOT medical card expires next month. Should I renew before applying?

Yes. A current DOT medical card is a requirement, and the federal application under 49 CFR 391.21 asks for it. Renewing first saves you from having to pause the process. While you are at it, confirm your Class A CDL is valid and gather your address and employer history, since those take the longest to pull together.

What do I-95 conditions look like for a truck through Providence?

Congested during commute hours, with construction a regular feature. New England 511 shows current conditions, including the stretch through downtown Providence and the approaches from Warwick and Pawtucket. Time your departures around the peaks when you can. Once you clear the city, I-95 opens up in either direction toward Connecticut or Massachusetts.

Apply now

Rhode Island drivers with a Class A CDL and 2 years OTR: the six question form is right here. The recruiting line is 1-888-283-6958, Mon to Sun, 7 AM to 5 PM.