interview with Coca-Cola

Usually beverage distributors are independent from the companies. Here in Cleveland our Coke Distributor is a family owned company and out side of Cleveland there are a couple independent bottlers. The way it works is, Coke in Atlanta makes the secret syrup and then ships that to the bottling plants who then take the syrup and mix it and bottle the product. Beer and Pop is very similar in the fact that most distributorships are really just franchises of the bigger company if you think about it. Now beer is obviously made at the brewery, but really with pop all the parent company Coca Cola really does is make the actual syrup everything else from bottling to distribution is handled by independent licensed distributors.

Now 7UP and Pepsi I think are a tad different in this regard. A lot of Pepsi trucks all around the country say New Bern Transport on the door, I think that is Pepsi's corporate distribution network name. Dr.Pepper/7UP Snapple Group or what ever they call them selves there trucks all say Splash Transport on the door, this leads me to belive they are set up similar to Pepsi. Coke is the outlier in the fact that there are a lot of family owned Coca Cola bottlers still out operating. In Cleveland they run under the name of North East Trucking LTD, or Cleveland Coca Cola Corp. In Lorain County Ohio the Coke Terminal says Coca Cola Lorain District owned by the Coca Cola Bottle Group of Upstate New York. You get the gist. Basically these corporations bought into Coca Cola distribution franchises.

 

coca Cola is getting rid of all the side loaders. Most likely they're already gone at the plant you'll be working out of- if not, they will be soon.. That's good and bad.. Their new system is much less labor intensive for the driver and the orders are already picked for you.. Problems I'm hearing is that the lift gate is slowing them down and the company is sneaking large store orders in there and paying them a flat rate.. The small store drivers get paid by the piece.. The last thing they want to do is be stuck waiting for hours for a live unload

Change is tough, but Coke is a great company that isn't going anywhere.. You could do much worse

 

You know a lot of Cokes have gotten rid of there side loaders. 28 foot trailers and lift gates have pro's and cons. The pro is your not hanging off of some side loader. The con is most lift gates are poorly maintained and in the winter time love to freeze up. I know Coke uses that Magliner Cool Lift System check it out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOWwZl2KNWU

 

I'm another Beer guy, as it's been said it's the exact same job. I'm a bulk driver and typically only make 5-7 stops to grocery stores but side loaders will stop a lot more, but delivering a lot less. Either way your in the door, you can always apply to different routes as they open up. All the Coke guys I talk to are pretty happy. Pay and benefits can vary. Depending on whether the bottler your applying to is Union or not pay and benefits can go from decent to awesome.

 

I wouldn t worry to much about not getting the job. The beverage industry has about the same turnover rate as OTR. The heat, 500 and 600 case days, 15-20 stops weed out the men from the boys. Not to mention 10-14 hr days, unhappy customers, people trying to run you over rolling drinks into the store. Some of things that will irritate you the most are when Coke, Pepsi, or beer guys throw stuff on top of your stuff and you have to dig underneath their stuff to get to yours.And when your salesman doesn t do his job and pull out out of date product. Foreigners, no offense, are the most difficult people to deal with. They get upset with you over something you have no control over like the price per case going up, or they re out of product and need it, and when they get the bill they get even more upset

 

Sales people not doing there job is a huge problem where I work. It's reached epidemic proportions. I run a side loader and on average 17-23 stops a day. Trust me the 23 stop a day stuff separates the men from the boys very quickly. I usually have 350-550 cases on my truck and certain days like Thursday I am heavy on the kegs.

Most beverage companies hire new people because the turn over is as high as OTR. Where I work we have a very high turn over. A lot of guys who start in beverages either stay there or they move on to food like Sysco, GFS companies like that. A lot of guys where I work went on to work for food suppliers after some time. Food is hard too, but it's a little different, not as many gas stations or goofy convenient stores, not as many grocery stores, don't have to find empty kegs, your not hanging off the side of some side loader. However the hours in food can be long and it can be just as demanding. Making deliveries is a tough thing to do.

 

Its more Mon-Fri. And within the next 2 to 3 months it ll slow down and you ll have more time to be with your son