Where I-90 meets I-29
Owner-Operator CDL-A OTR Jobs in South Dakota
Sioux Falls has quietly become a freight town. I-90 and I-29 cross there, food processors and distribution centers have grown up around the interchange, and from that corner of South Dakota a truck can be in Minneapolis, Omaha or Chicago within a day. Out west, Rapid City anchors the Black Hills. Between the two, I-90 gives you a long, open warmup for life on the road.
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.
Who we are looking for: owner-operators living in South Dakota with a Class A CDL and at least 2 years OTR. MB Global Logistics contracts with CDL A OTR drivers here in every month, so there is no window to wait for. If you have been searching owner operator jobs in South Dakota, the short form is step one.
Potential take-home pay
Take-home for drivers running with MB Global starts at $2,500+ per week after all expenses. The final number depends on your experience, miles, costs and time out, and many drivers earn more than that.
Who qualifies for owner-operator jobs in South Dakota
Hold a valid Class A CDL
Bring 2 years or more of OTR experience
Live anywhere in the state
Have no DUI or DWI on record
Have no SAP program history
Carry a current DOT medical card
How our owner-operator program works
01
How the contract works
You operate as an independent contractor. MB Global does not run company trucks, and nobody here is on a payroll. Your business contracts with ours, you run the loads, and settlements come to you as a contractor.
02
Rental, not ownership
The tractor is rental equipment. There is no lease-purchase, no option to buy and no equity building up in the truck. That keeps the arrangement simple, and it means you are never locked into a purchase you did not plan for.
03
Weeks out, days home
Every load is OTR. We recommend 2 to 3 weeks out, then a few days back home. Living on I-90 or I-29 helps, because the way home and the way back out are both on main corridors.
Freight corridors OTR drivers run from South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the center of gravity. It sits at the junction of I-90 and I-29 and has turned into a regional distribution and food processing hub, with plants and warehouses shipping in all seasons. Rapid City covers the western half of the state and the Black Hills. Statewide, the projection for heavy truck drivers is about 9.6 percent growth from 2024 to 2034, more than double the national rate, and median pay for drivers here lands close to the national median. For an owner-operator, hub freight plus projected demand is a solid base.
I-90 is the spine. It enters at Sioux Falls, continues through Mitchell and Chamberlain, crosses the Missouri River, and reaches Rapid City before heading into Wyoming. I-29 runs north and south along the eastern edge through Sioux Falls, Brookings and Watertown, linking Fargo to the north with Omaha and Kansas City to the south. US-12 and US-14 handle east and west traffic across the northern and central parts of the state.
South Dakota road notes for OTR drivers
SD511 covers conditions across the state. Two things to plan around: winter blizzards can shut I-90 completely, sometimes for a day or more, and traffic around Sturgis gets heavy in August during the rally. Check SD511 before you head west on I-90 in either season, and give yourself extra time.
South Dakota trucking jobs in numbers
6,470
Truck drivers employed
$58,690
Median annual wage
790
Openings a year
BLS counted 6,470 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the state in May 2025, with a median wage of $58,690 a year, a touch above the U.S. figure of $58,640. For 2024 to 2034, state projections have employment moving from 6,850 to 7,510, which comes to about 790 openings a year when you include replacement of drivers who leave. These figures cover wage and salary drivers, not owner-operator earnings. They show that the state needs drivers; they do not predict what a contractor will net.
Orientation, travel and lodging
Orientation
Some of it you do remotely from home, the rest in person at our terminal.
Lodging
MB Global pays the lodging bill in full during the in-person portion.
Travel
Paid up front by MB Global, then charged back at $50 per week. Your recruiter can tell you how many weeks that runs.
Plan on orientation in two parts: remote work you can do from home, and in-person training at our terminal. While you are there, MB Global covers your lodging completely. Travel is arranged and paid by MB Global up front, then charged back to you at $50 per week. Before you book, ask the recruiter how many weeks the chargeback lasts and how it appears on settlements.
See if you pre-qualify
The pre-qualifying form asks six questions and takes about a minute. It is not the federal application. Only the recruiting team reads it; advertising and analytics tools never get a copy.
About one minute, six questions
Private to the recruiting team
A screen, 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
1
Send the six question form whenever you are ready, any day of the week.
2
A recruiter calls qualified drivers to explain the program and answer questions.
3
Complete the FMCSA driver application, then schedule remote orientation and your terminal visit.
What you'll need for the full application
Federal rules under 49 CFR 391.21 set what the full driver application must collect. Gather these seven things before you begin:
Your Class A CDL: state of issue, number, expiration, and details on any other CDL or permit in your name.
All addresses from the past 3 years, not just your current one.
Employers from the past 3 years, and any employer you drove a commercial vehicle for in the 7 years before that, with names, addresses, dates and why you left.
A summary of your driving experience by equipment type.
Accidents and traffic convictions within the past 3 years, along with any license suspension, revocation or denial.
Your DOT medical card, which must be current.
Authorization for MB Global to check your MVR, your prior employers' safety and drug and alcohol testing records, and the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse under 49 CFR 391.23.
South Dakota owner-operator FAQs
Should I avoid I-90 near Sturgis in August?
If you can route around it, yes. The rally fills I-90 around Sturgis and Rapid City with traffic for a good part of August, and it slows trucks down. SD511 will show you what is happening on the interstate. Outside that month, I-90 across the western half of the state is as open as it gets, which is why drivers from here are comfortable on long OTR legs.
How often do blizzards close I-90?
Often enough that you should expect it every winter. Blizzards can close I-90 for hours or longer, and I-29 sees the same kind of weather. SD511 posts closures and conditions statewide. The habit of checking before you roll and parking when the state says stop will serve you in every northern state on an OTR run.
Why is Sioux Falls a good place to run OTR from?
Because the interchange of I-90 and I-29 sits right there, and so does a growing cluster of food processing and distribution. That means freight out of town and quick access to Minneapolis, Omaha and points east. The state also projects about 9.6 percent growth for heavy truck drivers from 2024 to 2034, more than double the national rate.
My DOT medical card expires next month. Can I still apply?
You need a current DOT medical card to be considered, and the full application asks for it. If yours is close to expiring, get the exam done before you submit the federal application so there is no gap. The six question form is quick, so you can send that now and have the new card ready when the recruiter follows up.
How long will I be away from home in South Dakota?
The pattern we recommend is 2 to 3 weeks on the road, then a few days home. All loads are OTR, so plan your life around trips that last weeks rather than nightly returns. We never promise a fixed home time schedule. What we can say is that with I-90 and I-29 running through the state, getting home at the end of a run is usually a direct shot.
What happens right after I send the form?
A recruiter reads your six answers, and if you meet the basics, you get a call. On that call you can ask about the rental equipment, the chargeback for orientation travel, settlements and anything else. If it is a fit, the next step is the full FMCSA driver application, followed by remote orientation and the in-person portion at our terminal.
Apply now
South Dakota drivers: take a minute for the six questions and see where you stand. A recruiter follows up with everyone who qualifies. Or call 1-888-283-6958, 7 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Sunday.
Hiring in nearby states
Owner-operator opportunities in the states next door to South Dakota: