Delivering To Grocery Stores

Lance, I agree with PackRat. Start a new thread in the general section. I’m happy to answer your questions!

Lance I wanted to revisit your post to Rob.

Most of the local jobs are going to require a minimum of 6 months of experience. And there is good reason for this; local work in the Greater Philadelphia and Wilmington area typically requires driving in heavy traffic and often involving close quarter maneuvering and backing. With zero experience this is daunting and potentially career ending, not recommended.

I ran the Swedesboro NJ to Harrington DE shuttle for PFG for about 6 months.

Although they will take-on entry level drivers, they want 6 months. I know several drivers out of that terminal and the delivery routes are many times in urban and suburban areas; tight alleys and strip mall parking lots. Tge attrition rate was very high with newer drivers. Not trying to dissuade you, just offering a reality check.

With that said, have you thought about Swift? They offer aPaid CDL Training Program. I ran Walmart Dedicated for them about 8 years, based in Pottsville PA. They will accept rookies that graduated from one of the Swift Academy’s. Many drivers domiciled there live in Northern DE. The Walmart account is home at least 1 day per week during the busier holiday season, 2 days per week off peak. You could also park your truck at several Walmart stores near your residence.

Might be an interesting compromise to consider, plus you’ll make excellent money. I thoroughly enjoyed my career with Swift. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Hey G-Town, been trying to figure out how to reach out to you with questions about Swift. Do I do that here, start a new thread?

Post a new topic in the General Topics section and you should have more activity.

The last couple weeks have been insanely busy compared to the routes I'd choose when paid hourly. The paychecks are very nice but I also feel like I'm rushing more. I'll document my days next week to show how it's varied quite a bit. Last week I ran 2080 miles with 35 stops, 5 days with 58 hours but made $2450. This week I ran 2200 miles with 35 stops, 5 days and 62 hours for $2550 due to detention pay. It hasn't been uncommon to run a 530 mile run with 8 stops up to the Minneapolis area. There's talk of a significant winter storm hitting the region Thursday so I'll likely stay away from that area if possible and maybe even take a low paying run just so i dont have to deal with it. Off 6 weeks this year I've grossed $13,700, $2283/week not including any bonuses. I'm unlikely to continue hitting it as hard all year but that would come out to $120,000 before our quarterly bonuses (usually around 10%).

Sounds like you're making hay when the sun shines Rob. As they say, "Be hungry or go hungry!"

Great work Sir!

The last couple weeks have been insanely busy compared to the routes I'd choose when paid hourly. The paychecks are very nice but I also feel like I'm rushing more. I'll document my days next week to show how it's varied quite a bit. Last week I ran 2080 miles with 35 stops, 5 days with 58 hours but made $2450. This week I ran 2200 miles with 35 stops, 5 days and 62 hours for $2550 due to detention pay. It hasn't been uncommon to run a 530 mile run with 8 stops up to the Minneapolis area. There's talk of a significant winter storm hitting the region Thursday so I'll likely stay away from that area if possible and maybe even take a low paying run just so i dont have to deal with it. Off 6 weeks this year I've grossed $13,700, $2283/week not including any bonuses. I'm unlikely to continue hitting it as hard all year but that would come out to $120,000 before our quarterly bonuses (usually around 10%).

Today, Monday, I ran 432 miles with 6 stores and 1 backhaul up to MN. I've ran all of these stores several times, and the backhaul once. Dispatch sent out a text saying we had 11 drivers too many for the day to call if we wanted the day off. Unfortunately too many people above me in seniority wanted it off due to the superbowl so I had to work. It was a very uneventful day, only was delayed about 2 minutes at 1 store as Pepsi finished up. Most of the stores only got 3 or 4 pallets since it was a frozen load mainly ice cream and pizzas.

Clocked in at 252am.

Left yard at 308 am

Albert Lea 522 - 537

Rochester #1 639 - 647

Rochester #3 656 - 708

Rochester #2 716 - 730

Rochester # 4 743 - 755

Kasson 819 - 830

Vortex Cold in Albert Lea (backhaul) 932 - 1042

Back to Yard 12:54pm.

Drive time- 7:25

on duty 3:01

Total hours 10:26

This route paid $485. I could've made more choosing a 13 stop route all around the des moines area paying an extra $30 but it would've required me to start at midnight. I prefer not starting that early anymore due to family obligations. Plus I feel much more tired! The guy that ran that route got it done in roughly 8 hours. Unfortunately not every day is as lucrative for me where I'm at in seniority for the start times I want. Ideally I want to start at 3 but willing to go out at 2am if nothing else looks good. It's rare I'll start at midnight now unless we have something going on I need to get home early for.

Niiiiiiiiiiice!!!!

Enjoy following you Rob. Thanks for providing the ticker tape updates.

Have a great one! 💪🏻

Today, Monday, I ran 432 miles with 6 stores and 1 backhaul up to MN. I've ran all of these stores several times, and the backhaul once. Dispatch sent out a text saying we had 11 drivers too many for the day to call if we wanted the day off. Unfortunately too many people above me in seniority wanted it off due to the superbowl so I had to work. It was a very uneventful day, only was delayed about 2 minutes at 1 store as Pepsi finished up. Most of the stores only got 3 or 4 pallets since it was a frozen load mainly ice cream and pizzas.

Clocked in at 252am.

Left yard at 308 am

Albert Lea 522 - 537

Rochester #1 639 - 647

Rochester #3 656 - 708

Rochester #2 716 - 730

Rochester # 4 743 - 755

Kasson 819 - 830

Vortex Cold in Albert Lea (backhaul) 932 - 1042

Back to Yard 12:54pm.

Drive time- 7:25

on duty 3:01

Total hours 10:26

This route paid $485. I could've made more choosing a 13 stop route all around the des moines area paying an extra $30 but it would've required me to start at midnight. I prefer not starting that early anymore due to family obligations. Plus I feel much more tired! The guy that ran that route got it done in roughly 8 hours. Unfortunately not every day is as lucrative for me where I'm at in seniority for the start times I want. Ideally I want to start at 3 but willing to go out at 2am if nothing else looks good. It's rare I'll start at midnight now unless we have something going on I need to get home early for.

Enjoy following you Rob. Thanks for providing the ticker tape updates.

No problem, it's nice being able to document areas of this industry that less people are familiar with.

Tuesday I wanted an easy run not needing to deal with any stores. I took a delivery to our regional baking center in Kansas City with a drop/hook at Tyson in Olathe, 466 miles. It turned into a frustrating day. Started out normal enough until I ran into a small traffic jam just north of KC due to vehicles doing 35 mph due to a light rain despite it being 50 degrees. Got over to the bakery to find a pallet tipped over. Had to downstate the entire pallet. Spent close to an hour there when I'd planned on being out within 30 minutes. On 435 hit rush hour getting over to Olathe. At Tyson had to deal with getting dispatch to give me another P.O. number. Apparently on Sunday one of our drivers went there to pickup a load and brought his empty trailer back because his load wasn't ready. In this case you're supposed to call dispatch for another P.O. because we have 2 drop trailers there that were loaded. After getting it figured out the load I grabbed was 44,400 pounds. Their on site scale was out of service so I headed to the QT in pleasant valley (I35 MM14). Had to reweigh to double check I was legal. Total weight came out to 79,300. I was still overweight 20 pounds on my drives but that fuel usage would easily drop that by the time I hit the next scale in roughly 130 miles. There's a NB scale north of KC but it's closed and the building is torn down. The load I originally was scheduled to pickup was only about 25k.

Clocked in 303am.

Left yard 322

KC bakery 635 - 733

Tyson Olathe 814 - 858

Back at yard 122pm

Clocked out 141

Driving 7:56

On Duty 2:42

Total hours 10:38

Total pay $344

One thing I forgot to mention was Monday I left the yard with about 25k of product to deliver, yesterday was around 30k and today was only about 20k.

Today I ran a 484 mile run to northern Iowa with 4 store deliveries, 1 contract delivery and 1 contract backhaul (2 pallets). I originally planned on running up to Minneapolis but it rained all day yesterday into the night and the temp was expected to drop rapidly causing a flash freeze event. My fear was correct as I heard of several wrecks up there, also just across the MN border on I35 one of our drivers mentioned someone jack knifed across both lanes early this morning blocking it for atleast an hour. I dealt with a little bit but not too bad driving across US 18. I was still able to do atleast 50 mph at all times. It was a very windy day which helped dry the roads before it froze up, the only exception being where houses or trees blocked the wind. Over half of my day was spent driving on 2 lane roads which added quite a bit of time compared to running the interstate. It was my first time going to the contract delivery. They had me back into a big garage door then pulled it off the back with a forklift so next time I'll pull it to the back to save time at the delivery. The rest of the week is supposed to be just as windy just lighter gusts. Northern IA had 30 mph wind with gusts over 50. Wind mixed with some ice on the roads doesn't make for a fun day. One thing that gets overlooked as a delivery driver returning to a DC daily is driving back in wind/snow/ice empty many days.

Clocked in at 233am

Left yard at 250

Algona 507-600

Garner 643- 702

Forest City 719 - 734

Rake IA (contract delivery) 818 - 833

Spencer (store) 1025 - 1037

Americold Ft Dodge (backhaul) 1230 - 117

At yard 240pm

Clocked out 309pm.

Driving 9:18

On Duty 3:18

Total hours 12:36

Total pay : $482

Tomorrow there's a winter storm warning in the area I'll be headed.

I got halfway through my post yesterday and my phone froze up making me lose it so I'll keep this one shorter.

I posted this thread about the Weather messing up my day. When it was my turn to pick my route for Thursday I was driving so I wasn't able to see all my options. Knowing that a storm was moving in primarily south of IA highway 3 (hour north of des moines) the goal was to go to the twin cities. When I'd asked if he had anything for the Minneapolis area he said the last 2 got taken. No in town routes either but he did have a 2 store route with 2 backhauls (1 pallet each). I could've taken advantage of the 10 minutes they give you to make a pick but i hate holding up everyone else up when all i care about is staying out of the worst of the weather. Both stores were north of the cut off, and I figured if I dragged my feet to head towards cedar rapids they'd have a handle on the roads since storm was supposed to stop mid morning. Boy was I wrong. My trailer was only loaded about 17k, 432 miles headed to Charles City and Decorah Iowa. Since switching to mile/stop I aim for smaller loads, or atleast smaller loads into each store with more stores since I'm paid $31.97 for each stop regardless if it takes me 5 minutes or 5 hours (detention is 1 1/2 hours after arrival at backhauls/deliveries but NOT stores). I went to Charles City once 3 years ago to deliver 2 cases of flowers so it took me time to find out where to put stuff. I've been to Decorah several times, very beautiful area. My first backhaul was in Amana which I've never been to and got stuck in the dock requiring them to use a backhoe to pull me out. My last backhaul was in Newton, one I've been to many times.

I clocked it at 236am

Load wasn't ready until 304, so I didn't leave until 310 since I did pretrip while waiting.

Charles city 518 - 608

Decorah 722 - 753

Amana (1 pallet backhaul) 1209 - 1243. Getting loaded only took 5 minutes the rest of the time was getting me unstuck from the dock since it was on a slope.

Newton (1 pallet backhaul) 244 - 254

At yard 347

Clocked out 411pm

Driving 9:43

On Duty 3:57

Total hours 13:40

Total pay was $388

When I was 5 minutes away from my stop in Newton dispatch called for my bid. I asked him if he had a couple different easy routes on Fridays that I don't take because I can make more doing something else. However today I didn't care after the kind of day I'd had. I knew I didn't want to do much driving before the sun came up because the temp dropped down to 2 degrees overnight and I was afraid of the roads refreezing. Many drivers above me took stuff they normally wouldnt for the same reasons. Had the roads been good i couldve taken a 400 mile frozen load to 10 stops in the Davenport area paying $561 since someone below me ended up getting it. Routes I asked for weren't there but he mentioned a 60 mile 2 stop run up to both stores in Ames (35k) come back and grab a load of empty pallets to run 300 miles to another of our companies, D & D Foods in Omaha to drop/hook and bring back a frozen load. I jumped at the opportunity and had it all planned out to be home just after lunch. I forgot to snap a pic of my trip sheet but Ames stores came off in 35 minutes each. Got to the yard and my trailer was no where to be found. Our system didn't show me a pad it was dropped, they tried to ping it to see exact location and originally said it was in Iowa City so we feared another driver accidentally grabbed it since his trailer number was identical except his had a 2 before the same numbers. Turns out the system was malfunctioning. After about 1:15 and several phone calls turns out the trailer was at another of our companies in Des Moines. My supervisor told me make sure I count going there as another stop, and document that 1:15 as detention which I planned to do anyways since it was grabbing a 2nd load, but also something out of my control. Got down there found the trailer I needed. As I did pretrip I found my red airline leaking air near the gladhand despite it not leaking when I did post trip on my 1st trailer. Took it back to the yard and the shop guys were just showing up so got another 0:45 of hourly pay while they resolved it. They believe the reason it wasn't noticed is how thick the ice was on the lines. About the only upsides of all the delays was getting paid hourly for it, but also by the time I got rolling with the load to Omaha the crashes from morning commute already happened and after I got out of the des moines metro the roads were completely dry unlike the black ice I dealt with all morning.

Driving 6:45

On Duty 5:00

Total hours 11:45

Total miles 366

Total pay $409

I finished up the week with 2180 miles with 23 stops. Quite a bit less than the last couple weeks but I'll still make around $2060 off 59 hours. Not too bad of a week considering 2 days I didn't take what I normally would. I received a text shortly before I got to the yard my truck is finally ready. After 4 years I'll finally be done slip seating come Monday, unless mines in the shop. Next week there's another significant winter storm rolling through the region so I'll likely hit it hard Monday and Tuesday then take it easy the rest of the week.

Today was a VERY lucrative day. I ended up taking a midnight run with 14 stops around town, spread out over 2 trailers. First trailer had 3 pallets come off at first store then only 1 at other 2 stores and a majority of the trailer off at the bakery. 2nd trailer there were 3 stores that got 2 pallets, 7 others only got 1 and that load everything just got dropped in the back room since they were flowers. The original plan was wake up at 10pm so I could clock in at 11. I wasn't feeling it and didn't roll out of bed until 1030. The reason I wanted to clock in at 11 is minimize the chances of running into vendors at the stores but it ultimately turned out OK. With all of the stores i was out within 10 minutes. I didn't need to wait at any of my stores thankfully. The last stop on my 1st trailer was to one of our bakeries and they asked me to leave my trailer there for them to unload and reload with stuff we deliver later in the day. No problem, it's just down the street from another subsidiary that we cross dock their products to our facility to deliver with our products so I bobtailed over and grabbed a cross dock. That made it 15 stops for the day. I ended up getting 153 miles. I ended up spending additional time at the end of my day getting my new truck organized the way I'd like.

1st load

2nd load also originated from the DC but wouldn't allow me to add so many stops.

Clocked in at roughly 1130pm and would've been clocked out by 7am if I didn't take time to organize the truck.

Total pay for the day right around $600. If only every day was this great.

With the incoming storm system this week I stopped into the office to get some vacation time scheduled. The way our vacation works is so many people are allowed off each day. I'll know whether I have the time off, or if I'm a possible depending on staffing needs that day. I was able to get Thursday and Friday off but will need to work Wednesday. Wednesday much of Iowa is forecast for freezing rain in the morning, the snow to the north is supposed to last all week.