Ok foodservice delivery people I have a couple ?'s for ya:
-What is your typical day (or night) like?
-How physically demanding is the job?
-What is the best and worst part of the job?

 

There is no "Typical" day in foodservice. Evryday brings a new adventure, but on average you would most likely have anywhere from 10-15 stops, 500-700 cases(depending on trailer size), drive less then 100 miles, and work 8-12 hours.

VERY! And if you already have a bad back, bad kness, way overweight, you need not apply. You won't last.

Best part: THE MONEY AND AND HOMETIME
Worst part: Working in all types of weather, nasty customers, haveing to put a tractor-trailer into a parking lot not made for one, city traffic

But I LOVE THE JOB and see myself doing nothing but Foodservice. The job is not for everyone.

 

I didn't do food service, but I did sling Pepsi for almost a year - that's close enough.

-What is your typical day (or night) like?

Get up at 4am, be at work by 4:30am, hit all the big 24-hour convenience stores before they get busy and you can't get the truck into the parking lot.
After that, run the rest of the route that the planner has setup. Typically, I'd start around 4:30 and wouldn't be done until 5pm or later. Several occasions I can remember not being done until 7:30 or 8 at night and still having to be back in at 4:30 the next morning.

-How physically demanding is the job?

Extremely demanding. I ended up with a blown out knee, and minimal arthritis - and I'm only 28. Let's not forget working in 90 - 100 degree heat in the desert here for 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. Last summer I had to go finish a route for another driver who was taken to the hospital - via ambulance - for heat stroke. You WILL kill your back, your legs, your arms, and your hands doing food service or soda/beer.

-What is the best and worst part of the job?

Best part for me: Not having a boss breathing down your neck. Getting free Pepsi products.

Worst part for me: Having to work all day long in a very hot environment for comparatively low pay. Destroying your body in the short and long term.

 

Double R-Are you fimiliar with any of Sygma's operations or know much about them?

Anyways thanks for the reply's everyone I appreciate it.

 

You been reading my mind? I was going to tell you try them.

Sygma is part of SYSCO. They have the Wendy's account in your area. They run teams on all the trucks and out and backs. All of Sygma's customers are chain accounts, no little mom and pop stores. Not sure what they pay in OH but the drivers that I run into from Harrisburg,PA are making a killing. 60's-70's first year. They love the company and have told me that the benifits are real good.

Have you also looked into:
I-Supply
Mattingly Foods
MBM FOODSERVICE

 

I tottally agree with Double R. Im in the foodservice biz here in Texas and love it. Once you learn the ropes you can make really good money and be off on the weekends. Ive been doing it for about 5 yrs now and i honestly cant see myself doing anything else either. GL!

 

I got you by one year. Six years now and no regrets .

 

I worked for Dawn Foods a bakery supplier. I got paid well, but worked for it...and hard. The distro center here has switched to short trailers w/liftgates since I worked for then. A typical day would be load trailer at 4:30am, drive for 1-2 hours and make 8-12 stops and return. Usually a 10-14 hour day. Each stop varied, but bakeries get lots of 50lb bags of flour, sugar, cake and donut mixes. 50lb blocks of shortening and margarine. Bundles of cake and donut boxes that are very heavy. 30-60 lb pails of fillings and frostings. Each stop might require hand unloading 1000-3000 lbs of stuff. Pull the pallet to the back of the trailer, stack it up, climb down, load a cart, shove the cart into the costomers shop and unload the cart...rinse, lather repeat.

It got old very quickly.

The driving very stressfull. Bakeries are often in strip malls, "qaint" downtown shops, On my routes, Other than the grociery stores, none where designed or located for delivery by a semi truck.

 

I also have driven for a bakery supply company, Dawn's largest competitor. exfiveo has it correct. I will add that I have to collect money COD from some customers and even attempt to collect for past-due invoices. If the customer can't follow my collection instructions, I have to call our credit dept. to ask for delivery authorization. All this payment negotiation can happen many times each day and can add alot of time and frustration to your day. You will handle alot of checks and cash also at times. Many of my customers are some of the most disorganized, irresponsible people that I have ever met.

Double R says that each day is a new adventure for him. From my perspective, each day is very similar, sometimes unfortunately. Money, hometime and benefits have been very good. I have known some drivers who were overweight but still able to handle it. Wearing a back brace helps a TON, has gotten me through some bad days I otherwise might not have made it through.

 

After five years of it, yes, each day is a new adventure because if it wasn't then the job would be old hat and get boring :wink: