New Jersey area grocery or similar jobs?

Discussion in 'LTL and Local Delivery Trucking Forum' started by DocWatson, Jul 15, 2020.

  1. DocWatson

    DocWatson Road Train Member

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    Hey all, I'm back in the market for a local, home every night type CDL-A job.

    I worked delivering bread locally to one of the largest grocery store chains in the Jersey area but we lost the contract in March.

    Does anyone know of any grocery type delivery, daily jobs in the NJ area?

    I would prefer a multi-stop route where I can get some exercise while driving my route. I was thinking something like grocery delivery, Pepsi/Coke, WaWa, or similar.

    If this is in the wrong category on the forums, let me know and I will repost it in the appropriate area.

    Thanks for any help!
     
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  3. Sho Nuff

    Sho Nuff Road Train Member

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    What area in Jersey do you live in? Are you still around Asbury Park?

    If you're looking into grocery delivery...ShopRite is probably the best gig in Jersey. Food Haulers is their main fleet out of their Wakefern DC around Elizabeth. VERY HARD to get into. You practically have to know someone on the inside to get in. Union job with free healthcare 100% paid and they top out over $30 an hour. Last I heard, I think they're around $34 an hour...but it takes you 5 years to reach top rate and you start off around $19 or $20 I believe. You also start off on call too and be available for any shift. LOOONG hours. Don't know if you're willing to put in your dues like that...but it'll be WELL worth it in the long run. Very similar to UPS in many ways as far having to wait years to achieve seniority and toprate pay. But just like UPS, it'll be WELL WORTH IT it the long run (Which by the way, UPS might be another option if you're willing to go beyond grocery delivery. They're not as hard to get into nowadays as they were in the past because of the explosion of ecommerce and online deliveries). Food Haulers NEVER advertise for available positions because they never have to. They don't look for drivers. You look for them. I have contact numbers you can call if you're interested in them.

    NTS also does ShopRite as well over in Dayton NJ. They're also hard to get into too. Very similar to Food Haulers as far as pay and benefits. Also a union gig.

    JED trucking out of Whitehouse Station also does ShopRite. Also a union gig with EXCELLENT benefits. 100% paid medical, dental and vision...but unlike Foodhaulers and NTS, they get paid by the load (triprate). Very similar to the way ACME gets paid, where if you do a 10-12 hour run in 8 hours, you still get paid for 10-12 hours. JED also starts you off at toprate, which is rare for a union gig. You also get a set schedule and bid run to start off with...which is a plus compared to Food Haulers or NTS. But as far as pay...the other 2 will pay a lot more because they put in a lot of OT. Coincidentally, JED is hiring right now.....

    CDL Class A Driver***New Facility***Teamster Dedicated SHOPRITE:::AM Shift - Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889 - Indeed.com

    WaWa fleet drivers I think are based out of Media PA. So I think they would be out of the question. McLane foodservice on the otherhand also does WaWa deliveries. Foodservice (Sysco, US Foods, PFG, GFS, etc.) is a lot more physical than bakery delivery. So they may be more physical than what you're use to....but they pay VERY well. McLane drivers are known to make over $100k. The one in Burlington has a high turnover rate...probaly due to the long hours and being on call to start off with.

    Martin Brower in Ridgewood is the distributor for McDonald's. Union gig. Still considered foodservice but you use a liftgate to deliver palletized freight...which makes things a lot easier than going down a ramp. They sometimes use a sidedoor to slide products down a ramp into the store. They're also hiring too.....

    LOCAL CDL-A TRUCK DRIVER JOBS WITH DAILY HOME TIME AT MARTIN BROWER - Ridgewood, NJ - Indeed.com

    National DCP in Westhampton is the distributor for Dunkin Donuts. They make around $30 an hour and they also use liftgates to deliver palletized freight. Some of them make over $100k a year. I know a couple NDCP drivers. The biggest complaints they had about the job is VERY TIGHT places to back into. But Dunkin Donuts recently announced there closing hundreds of stores due to Covid19. So I'm not sure if they would be an option, but they are also hiring too......

    Class A Route Driver - Westampton, NJ 08060 - Indeed.com

    You might also look into all the various LTL companies that are in Jersey too as a P&D city driver. They pretty much check off everything that you're looking for as far as having multiple stops and slightly physical at times. Good luck and I hope this helps you out.
     
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  4. DocWatson

    DocWatson Road Train Member

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    Wow, I'm not sure how to thank you enough for the time you put into your response and the invaluable information you have provided me! I'm still working on contacting and applying to some of these employer links you provided. I'll keep you updated on here on the progress. But thank you again! That was so cool that you did this for me. Are you local? Maybe I can buy you a beer or lunch sometime?

    To answer your question, yes I'm still local to Asbury Park. I'm surprised that you remembered that. I'm actually in Eatontown, in north Monmouth County.

    I was working for Bakers Express, the company that was contracted to deliver Shoprite's bread. That may actually have been your suggestion/recommendation from a few years ago. I remember someone had suggested I apply to work for Grocery Haulers a few years ago. Well, I did and they didn't have any openings at the time but their "sister company" or similar did have an opening - Bakers Express in South Plainfield, NJ.

    Well, I applied with them, interviewed, took the road test, etc. and they hired me! It was a great experience too - great pay (the best ever in my life by twice as much!), union job, great benefits, awesome co-workers and a great terminal, great boss, dispatchers, etc. Not an easy job as I had anywhere from 12-16 stops a day that required delivering 16 stacks of bread with a handtruck. Sometimes when I couldn't get a dock I would have to use the liftgate and then roll the bread up steep ramps sometimes in snow, rain, etc. Definitely a physically demanding job at times but worth it. I actually prefer this job as it breaks up the day and I feel like I'm getting a little bit of a workout in the meantime.

    Anyway, I worked for them for 4 years. We had an upcoming contract renegotiation with Wakefern in March and it wasn't looking too great. I had a trip planned for a long time and took the opportunity to take this once in a lifetime motorcycle trip down to C. America and Mexico with plans to return to the company once I returned (if we still had the contract). Well, of course while I was gone (left right after the New Year) we lost the contract, Covid exploded everywhere and I got stuck down in Mexico in a small town without the ability to leave. Funny how life can change so quickly. So, here I am.

    I'm currently applying to the parent/sister company Grocery Haulers but it seems, as of today, that they don't have any spots open in NJ right now. That could change.

    I just applied, based on your recommendation and link, to JED in Whitehouse Station. I'll follow up with them tomorrow or the next day. Thank you again for this!

    I have been researching applying for Wakefern and Shoprite directly but with no luck, at least I haven't found any open driver positions online. I may just sit myself behind one of the two Shoprites near my house until a Shoprite driver backs in and see if they have a contact for me. I know a lot of them from crossing paths in delivering to these stores.

    When I get back in from taking my dog out I'm going to look at McLane and those other related companies you posted on. I'm definitely looking for physical, the more the better. I need and enjoy breaking a sweat in my job and plus it just breaks up the day rather than sitting in a cab for 8 hours at a time.

    More to come on this as I utilize those other links and the info. you sent me. I'm still working through your response. Thanks again! I owe you one!
     
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  5. Sho Nuff

    Sho Nuff Road Train Member

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    Hey! What's up Doc. Haven't seen you in a while on TTR. Glad to see that you're still alive and kicking...lol. I enjoyed reading your threads on Swift and Epes. I was waiting to read about your experience at Bakers Express but you went AWOL for a couple years...lol. I'm not one to pass up free beer...lol, but I appreciate the offer though. Much obliged :occasion5:
    Yeah that was me that helped you out 4 years ago :)
    Me too. I spent half of my career doing basically LTL P&D, whether it's freight or food. It breaks up the monotony from just driving all day having multiple stops and doing a little physical activity to get the blood pumping. It's basically what I do now at the PO. I was never one who really liked just driving all day. It's probably why I never really enjoyed doing linehaul.
    Yeah this Covid has really messed up the economy. The only ones that seem to be thriving during this pandemic is Amazon and grocery. Ever since the country has been on lockdown, everybody is either just ordering online or going to the grocery store for food. UPS, FedEx, USPS and Amazon have been hammered with work from the spike in online deliveries. ShopRite and ACME have also been hammered with work too. They've been on a massive company wide hiring spree. ShopRite is the largest grocery chain in the NE and the second largest employer in Jersey. ACME is the second largest grocery chain in the NE.
    What union local is Bakers Express? Are they 802? And how many years do you have to work to be vested into the pension plan? 5 years??? The reason why I ask is that Grocery Haulers in Jersey is either local 463 or 863. Over in PA, they're local 463. If Bakers Express is 5 years vested, that would REALLY suck with only 1 more year to go :mad:. Grocery Haulers use to do Pathmark (remember them ha ha) back in the day before Pathmark shutdown. Now they do nothing but Bimbo Bakeries.
    No problem. I hope you get the job. Seems like a sweet gig. 100% paid benefits, 1 year vested into the pension plan, and a set schedule 5 day run where you're probably only working 8-10 hours a day and still making $15-1800 a week. Sounds pretty good to me.

    That position that you applied for seems like a new account that they have for milk. There ShopRite grocery store deliveries from Wakefern are pretty much the same thing that Food Haulers and NTS does. JED I think you have to unload with a forklift or electric pallet jack. I'm not sure how milk delivery will be. Hopefully you don't have to drag it out with a hook...because that can be VERY labor intensive.
    ShopRite uses a lot of different companies to deliver their loads. Food Haulers is Wakeferns main fleet out of Elizabeth. They also use NTS (National Transport Service), JED, Iron Clad Logistics, and many other small companies as well as O/O's. Food Haulers O/O fleet have some of the best looking trucks out on the road. But all of the fleet drivers seem to drive red tractors. So sometimes it's hard to tell who is actually delivering the loads until you read the name on the side door. JED is local 863. So is Food Haulers and NTS. So if you do get hired with JED, you're in the same union local as Food Haulers. So if you're main goal is to eventually work for Wakeferns Food Haulers, you can probably call your union local to see if they can get you in. They're all in the same union local, so time vested into the pension plan will cary over no matter who you work for. I'll also PM you contact numbers you can call for Food Haulers when I get a chance (trying to find where I have them) to see if you can schedule an interview. You may have to call a couple times to get through, because the guy who does the hiring seems to always be busy.
    McLane drivers make RIDICULOUS money, but the one in Burlington seems to ALWAYS be hiring. That can't be a good sign IMO. You'll probably start off on call extraboard or possibly even team. They do deliver to WaWa, but they also deliver to 7-11 too. I don't know if you ever seen them deliver to 7-11...but YIKES!!! They take up the parking lot.
    Looking forward to see how things go. Good luck and best wishes :)
     
  6. DocWatson

    DocWatson Road Train Member

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    Thanks again Sho Nuff.

    I've been working these leads you provided me. So far, no responses but I'm following up again tomorrow. Still out there looking. There are regional, "home every weekend" OTR jobs out here it seems but I'm kind of saving those as a last ditch effort.

    Honestly I've gotten used to being home at night and just enjoying that kind of life.

    This Wednesday I'm thinking about going to an open hire event in Edison, NJ for Iron Mountain. I'm just starting to research the company now. It sounds like route work, home daily and the route takes the driver from Edison, NJ into Brooklyn on about 4 runs a day or night. They have a 4:30PM to 12:30 AM shift I would be interested in so I'm going into NYC against the commuter traffic. Sounds like it is pretty physical so that is good.

    And yes, I was in Teamsters 802 union. Not much to say about that union as I didn't really utilize them for anything. I paid about $60/month union fees.

    The search continues. Hope all is well.
     
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  7. Sho Nuff

    Sho Nuff Road Train Member

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    You'll land something eventually. One thing about Jersey...there's no lack of trucking jobs out there...lol. As far as how I'm doing...just dealing with a whole bunch of government political drama for your mama at the PO.

    If you're looking for physical type work...try looking into any of the foodservice or LTL carriers around your area. Ward trucking is hiring in S Plainfield.....

    LOCAL DRIVER-CLASS A-FULL TIME $30.41 - South Plainfield, NJ 07080 - Indeed.com

    Hiring All Positions! Job Fair Sat Aug 22 - S Plainfield, NJ - Indeed.com

    Estes in Pine Brook.....

    Local Driver - Pick up and Delivery Driver - Pine Brook, NJ - Indeed.com

    R+L in Kearny......

    CDL Class A Local Truck Drivers Starting at Top Pay!! - Kearny, NJ 07032 - Indeed.com

    Saia & FedEx Freight in Newark. Old Dominican Freight Line in Edison and Jersey City. A Duie Pyle in Carteret. Pitt Ohio in Winsor. And many many others around your area. All very good paying jobs around the $27-30 + an hour for P&D. Go on their website's to apply.

    Food service...you got US Foods in Perth Amboy. PFG in Elizabeth. Sysco in Jersey City. Tropicana (Pepsico) in Jersey City. Coca Cola in Moorestown and S Brunswick (bulk driver). And many other. Check out their website's to apply.

    Shaw Flooring and Costco around Cranbury-Monroe Twnshp. Both pay somewhere around $26-27 + an hour. Shaw is basically what you are doing now except it's all flooring. Multple stops and physical at times. Costco is all drop and hook. Takes about 1.5 years to reach top rate. Easy job...so it may not be what you're looking for. Mohawk flooring in Kearny is basically the same as Shaw Flooring. Also around $27 an hour.

    UPS in Edison NJ is hiring fulltime feeder drivers. Probably not what you're looking for as far as physical work...but go on their website to apply if interested.

    DHL in Somerser......

    CDL “A” Tractor-Trailer Delivery Drivers - Somerset, NJ - Indeed.com

    Praxair in Newark if Cryo interests you. Very good paying job.

    Good luck.

    And Oh...I almost forgot. I PM'd you for Food Haulers contact info.
     
  8. CousinVinny

    CousinVinny Medium Load Member

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    There's a Pepsi distributor on Lakeview right past the border of South Plainfield into Piscataway coming from New Market. Those trucks seem to have stayed busy.

    Johanna Farms in Flemington is always hiring IIRC, but I think the hours are crazy early.
     
  9. Danny707

    Danny707 Light Load Member

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    Look for NFI on the Aldi and Lidl accounts. Out here in Virginia those drivers make up to $1800 a week all pallet load foods with electric pallet jack and dock parking. I’ve been working groceries past 3 weeks loving it so far.
     
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