Sysco: how bad is it?

I worked there for a year. It was I felt pretty good. Good people. It’s chaotic at first until you start learning the product. Gets easier with time. Especially when you get a route. What probably made it harder for me it was my first local gig after OTR. Also didn’t help I was out of shape and 270lbs. Lost like 50lbs in the first 3 months. If you’re not used to physical work it’s like doing double days in highschool football at first cause you’re out of shape. But then it gets easier as your body adapts. I didn’t mind it top out rate is pretty good. I would have probably still be there if I didn’t screw up.

 

At Sysco, how long does it typically take to unload at each stop? How long are you on your feet? Perhaps this answer varies wildly, but if you could give me a basic idea.

Also, are you rushed? Between the digging due to the unorganized stacking, and perhaps getting stuck in traffic which would add time, do they put unnecessary pressure on you to get as much done as possible? At age 36, I’ve had hairline (stress) fractures from excess walking while in improper (worn out) footwear. I’ve since recovered, but I don’t walk too fast. I’m not talking about walking at a snails pace when delivering, but no super-brisk walking or light jogging I’ve seen some deliverers do (in various companies).

Is it easy to get fired? Things like excess calling in sick with no doctors excuse (may be ok on occasion but doing it too much is a paddling), always coming in late, parking the truck & sleeping on the job, excess smoke breaks, etc. will naturally cause someone to get fired at any job. But have they been known to terminate employees who are honestly doing their best? People have mentioned that if a driver’s helper wasn’t working fast enough, they’d call & have someone come get him. Would they do this to a new-hire or trainee? It’s safe to say I wouldn’t be as fast as my trainer when starting out.

Do dispatchers call in the middle of the night, disrupting your sleep? This would be a dealbreaker for me. I’ve heard of some people who claim they may get a call while on their 10 hour break.

 

All those questions tell me you’re not a good candidate for foodservice delivery.

 

One YouTube who was in food service said that he took his time; he didn’t try to walk too fast in order to preserve his body. He worked steady, but didn’t rush, as that typically would be the cause of injuries. I don’t remember which company he drove for.

Another YouTuber with Sysco said don’t be afraid to take the load back to the terminal if you didn’t have enough hours in the day (14 hr rule).

 

I worked at a steady pace never ran. But I liked the big wheelers I would generally bring a decent size stack at a time. It’s all on you and how you feel comfortable. The times at USF were unrealistic. They know that. The managers know this. There’s no pushing. Now you can’t sit there and counter lean all day. But if you work at a steady pace you’re fine. When I went to Mclane I found myself ahead of the times they allowed and I wouldn’t run at all. I’d only call off if you feel unsafe with sleep. I didn’t and it cost me my job at USF. Didn’t get into an accident but almost was enough to get let go. Now I was only going 15-20 mph but I was a drive cam example when they first got the cam. Now with new contracts I’m sure there’s more protection from the cam from the union. They snuck the cam in after the contract was done.

 

My point exactly. That trainee/helper who’s standing around on his phone so the other person will do most of the work, that’s the guy who gets fired. But as long as you keep a steady pace, it would seem unreasonable to be let go.

I understand that if you’re quick and finish the routes under a certain amount of time, you get an extra pay incentive. One guy on YT said not to even attempt the incentive, and just get the hours in instead. Rushing trying to get the bonus would only increase the wear & tear on your body.

 

Don’t believe an odd person or two on YT. There are tens of thousands of people in the foodservice industry. Having been one, what you’ve posted doesn’t make sense.

Delivery schedules are there for a reason. The customer expects their delivery, on-time. They will schedule extra help for that delivery appointment, to put away the delivery. Taking customer orders back to the DC isn’t an option. On-time accuracy is tracked by the customer/franchise. When quality of service isn’t where it needs to be, they will drop the distributor and get another.

We never had helpers. And, there were no incentives.

 

A lot of it has to do with the time of day the routes are run do i like going to work at 0100 not really but it beats fighting morning rush hr traffic. also a lot of new drivers find out they have to do a little work at each stop once they get on there own and not have a trainer holding there hand.when i started there every delivery was roller and stands, and someone needed to die or retire for there to be a opening and even then it was very hard to get a interview, now if you can fog a mirror they ask when can you start. the quality of driver now days is why they are always hiring.