The Food Service Rant thread

Since we kinda took over LTL and we have WAYYYYY more things to rant about, our very own thread.

 

So, so many rumors today after a horrible horrible run. Worst loaded trailer in weeks. Personal favorite, they stuck a 50lb bag of onions in at the very back with the chemicals, no tag on it. Moved that sucker every single stop. Get to the last stop, nope, not ours either. Are you freaking kidding me? it's an extra? not pleased. I sold it for 50% off, I'm certainly not bringing it back.

another driver resigned and apparently one got fired. Caught peeing on the lot at a customer site. Hello, it's a restaurant, they have bathrooms. how dumb is that? I never met the guy but NOBODY liked him.

Rumor going around the warehouse (the receivers know all and Saturday is a slow day). is that a major client has put their foot down and said "clean up your act or we're going elsewhere". And not just our center but nationwide.

 

Any tips for what? Getting the job or surviving the job?

Clean CDL and pass a working physical, I'm pretty sure you're in anywhere. Everyone I talk to is short drivers and the work only seems to grow.

 

I'm in Colorado too. I work for MBM, it pays great, but it's a fouled up company. Everyone is hiring. US Foods, Sysco, McLane (who pays the best, but work the hardest), Sygma, Shamrock, all the produce companies, etc.

They all seem to work the same, seniority systems, you work extra board the first few months (which means your schedule sucks) until you get a route. But everyone is so short, you'll make bank and work all the time and rapidly move up the board.

Many run locals everyday, some run longer routes, all depends. Honestly the locals can be a lot of work, you unload the entire truck EVERY DAY. And of course you get locked out over lunch (no deliveries between 11-1pm) so your day gets longer although you don't "work". And of course it's early mornings, long days and pretty much 365 days a year.

But, it pays bank. I work 4 full days and about 3 hours on a 5th. (mind you that's about 55 hours on the 70 hr clock) and I'm easily on track to break $80,000. And I'm low on the totem pole. Guys who work harder make more money. (easily 10-20 drivers at my terminal clearing over 100 grand a year, but they work harder than me)

It takes (and Mike with GFS should chime in here) really 3 months for things to start to click and the job gets easier. Becomes much more natural and you know what's going on. (and getting a route helps a ton, you know where you are going and where the stuff goes at each place).

You want in at MBM, PM me and I'll get you in touch, if you want other ideas I'm willing to share them. Denver companies tend to run longer routes I think since Denver is really the only real hub for 500 miles in any direction.

 

MBM (this center anyway) runs some teams and some singles. Even the team routes are only out 2 or 3 days. The longest team route is like 70 hours. The longest single route is like 4.5 days. (north dakota). Most routes are 1, 2 or 3 days (2.5 days really, back early morning the third day. You can't quite make it back from SLC and make deliveries in SLC). Lots of locals. We usually leave early mornings, not very many leave in the afternoon. Not much leaves saturday afternoon thru sunday afternoon.

LIke I said though, first few months no matter where you go you get extra board and you get what's available.

 

yep
that's the only MBM warehouse in 700+ miles. Right there at E470 and I70.

There's McLane foodservice down the block and the big McLane (conv stores and such) is of course about 10 minutes from my house in Longmont.

Fair warning, the work, the actual job is fine, I enjoy it (mostly) and while it's hard work it's mostly honest hard work and it pays ridiculously well. But the company is beyond stupid.