How Drive My Way Helps Food & Beverage Carriers Hire and Retain Qualified Drivers

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The food and beverage supply chain depends on drivers who can handle specialized equipment, manage seasonal peaks, and deliver products safely.  

 

For carriers, finding drivers who meet these needs is a constant challenge in today’s competitive labor market. Recruiting the right talent requires more than traditional methods, which often result in wasted time and limited success. 

 

Foodliner and Button Transportation are two carriers that turned to Drive My Way to improve their recruiting strategies. By partnering with a platform built around matching drivers to jobs they want and qualify for, both companies were able to bring on new drivers efficiently while lowering costs and improving retention. 

 

Helping Carriers in a Niche Industry 

Recruiting in the food and beverage industry brings challenges that set it apart from other sectors of trucking. Many roles require additional endorsements for tankers, hazmat, or doubles. Companies may need to scale up hiring quickly during harvest or production surges, and, unlike general freight, specialized bulk and agricultural loads often demand experience that not every CDL driver has. 

 

Conventional recruiting solutions often fall short of these needs. Carriers receive large volumes of applications that may not meet requirements, leaving recruiting teams with more screening work and fewer viable candidates.  

 

Drive My Way approaches the process differently. By matching drivers with jobs based on their skills, experience, and personal preferences, the platform ensures carriers connect with drivers who are both qualified and interested in the work. 

 

For food and beverage carriers, this means a pipeline of candidates who are more likely to succeed in the role. It also translates to faster hiring, lower costs per hire, and stronger retention.  

 

“We work with Drive My Way because it produces results, and that’s so important when it comes to recruiting drivers,” said Rod Anstead, a Safety Director at Button Transport.  

 

Foodliner: Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity 

Foodliner, the largest bulk food-grade carrier in the United States, needed to expand its roster of regional and local CDL A drivers for both liquid and dry bulk loads. With a fleet of 500-1,000 trucks, the company’s standards for safety and fit are high.  

 

Their recruiting team faced the common challenge of balancing application flow with quality, and they wanted to avoid spending time sorting through unqualified or incomplete applications. 

 

That’s where Drive My Way could make a difference. In just five months, Foodliner brought four new drivers onboard through the platform, with an average cost per hire of $900 and a 60-day time to hire. More importantly, those hires matched Foodliner’s needs from day one. 

 

“The Drive My Way website and dashboard are very user friendly and provide a lot of great information,” said Tim Yochum, Director of Recruiting at Foodliner. “Drive My Way is out in front with their technology compared to other recruiting companies. They have developed tools with the end user in mind: drivers and transportation companies.” 

 

Beyond technology, Foodliner emphasized the collaborative nature of the relationship. “Drive My Way respects our opinion and decisions. We can be honest about what is working and what is not working from both sides, it is not a one-way street,” Yochum said.

 

For Foodliner, it wasn’t just about filling trucks, it was about working with a partner who understood their business and valued quality over quantity. 

 

Button Transportation: Meeting Seasonal Demands 

For Button Transportation, a family-owned company based in California for over 40 years, seasonal hiring is the biggest challenge. The carrier hauls fertilizer, harvest goods, and other agri-business freight, which means their hiring needs spike at two critical points each year.  

 

Finding qualified drivers quickly, especially those with hazmat, tanker, or doubles endorsements, can make or break a season. 

 

Partnering with Drive My Way allowed Button to tackle this problem head-on. In only two months, the company hired ten drivers, bringing their cost per hire down to just $180. The ability to meet seasonal needs without sacrificing driver quality was a game-changer. 

 

“It’s been a long time since we’ve filled our trucks, and thanks to Drive My Way, we’re so close to not only filling them, but also having rotational drivers,” said Rod Anstead, Safety Director at Button. “We are a seasonal carrier with two major hiring peaks throughout the year, and it’s important for us to fill the trucks with qualified, good drivers.” 

 

Safety Supervisor James Villanueva echoed the sentiment, saying “I would absolutely recommend Drive My Way to other companies. Our partnership has been a big part of my success here at Button Transportation.” 

 

 

 

In an industry where specialized freight and seasonal hiring make recruiting even more complex, Drive My Way helps carriers connect with drivers who are ready and qualified for the work. 

 

For more ways to stay ahead of the curve in the transportation industry in 2025, be sure to check out the rest of our Employer Blog posts and connect with us on social media.  

Food & Beverage: How to Attract the Right Drivers

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The food and beverage (F&B) trucking industry faces some of the most complex recruiting challenges in transportation.  

 

Routes are often physically demanding, schedules can be unconventional, and specialized endorsements are sometimes required. With the addition of seasonal spikes and fierce competition from other driving jobs, it’s no wonder many fleets struggle to keep their recruiting pipeline strong. 

 

The key to building a stable, high-performing fleet is attracting drivers who meet the qualifications and genuinely want the job. Keep reading to discover how carriers in the F&B sector can stand out and appeal to drivers who are the best fit for their freight. 

 

Lead with Job Transparency 

Many F&B carriers lose drivers before they have even started because the job was not presented clearly during the hiring process. Roles involving heavy touch freight, tight urban deliveries, or pre-dawn start times can be a shock for new hires if those realities were not spelled out upfront. 

 

The solution is simple: advertise with full transparency. Postings should outline the type of freight, schedule expectations, and physical requirements. While this may shrink the applicant pool, it ensures that the candidates who do apply know exactly what they are signing up for, making them far more likely to stay. 

 

Highlight the Value of Specialized Endorsements 

Endorsements like hazmat, tanker, or reefer narrow the field of eligible candidates, but they can also be used as a recruiting advantage. Carriers that showcase opportunities for drivers with these credentials, whether through higher pay tiers, premium routes, or career advancement potential, position themselves as attractive destinations for skilled professionals. 

 

For carriers looking to grow their applicant base, offering training support or reimbursement for endorsements can also serve as a powerful incentive. This approach can help you expand the candidate pool while also building loyalty by supporting long-term career growth. 

 

Tailor Recruiting to Scheduling Preferences 

Schedules in F&B trucking rarely resemble a regular nine-to-five. Deliveries may start as early as 3 a.m., run through weekends, or ramp up heavily during the holidays. Drivers who thrive in this environment exist, but they need to be found and targeted intentionally. 

 

Recruiting messages should be honest about these schedules while also highlighting the stability and consistency that comes with them. Carriers that capture and segment applicants by schedule preference can direct their outreach to those most likely to embrace early mornings or irregular hours. 

 

Market the Appeal of Local and Regional Routes 

While long-haul drivers make up a large part of the industry, many candidates are looking for shorter routes with more home time. F&B trucking often fits this mold, offering local and regional deliveries with frequent returns home. 

 

Carriers can make these route structures a centerpiece of their recruiting campaigns, especially when appealing to drivers who value family time or predictable daily routines. This differentiator can be as compelling as pay when presented effectively. 

 

Elevate the Customer Service Role 

In food and beverage, drivers are more than operators. They are ambassadors of your company’s culture and brand. Each stop involves interactions with grocery staff, restaurant managers, or warehouse teams. For drivers who enjoy relationship-building and being on the front lines of service, this can be a strong selling point. 

 

Recruiting campaigns should emphasize the opportunity to represent trusted brands, interact with customers, and play a direct role in keeping shelves stocked. This framing attracts candidates with strong people skills who are more likely to excel in customer-facing roles. 

 

Compete Creatively with Other Driving Jobs 

Retail distribution and no-touch freight positions can often lead drivers away from F&B jobs. Competing head-to-head on “ease” is rarely effective. Instead, carriers can attract the right drivers by focusing on what makes F&B work distinct: consistency of freight, physical activity for those who prefer it, and the reliability of being part of an essential industry that is always in demand.  

 

Promoting these qualities through targeted advertising, on job boards, social media, and even through driver referral programs, helps carriers reach drivers who value these aspects instead of those simply seeking the path of least resistance. 

 

Stay Ahead of Seasonal Spikes 

The beverage boom in summer and the holiday food rush put immense pressure on recruiting. Fleets that only scramble during peak demand often end up lowering standards or overextending existing drivers. 

 

Building and maintaining a year-round talent pipeline is critical. Carriers that keep relationships warm with qualified drivers, even when they aren’t hiring, are better prepared to scale quickly when demand surges. Email campaigns, periodic check-ins, and referral incentives are effective tools for keeping this pipeline active. 

 

 

 

 

Attracting the right drivers in food and beverage trucking requires a deliberate focus on candidates suited to the work, the schedule, and the customer interactions that come with the role. 

 

For more ways to stay ahead of the curve in the transportation industry in 2025, be sure to check out the rest of our Employer Blog posts and connect with us on social media.  

Matching Drivers to Your Freight: The Secret to Lower Turnover in F&B Trucking

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For food and beverage carriers, driver turnover is more than an HR issue. It can be a direct hit to service, sales, and profitability.  

 

With the physical demands of touch freight, specialized endorsements, and unconventional schedules, F&B trucking has some of the highest barriers to entry in the industry, making recruiting and retaining drivers a constant challenge. 

 

However, many carriers overlook one of the simplest solutions: matching the right driver to the right freight from the very start. When carriers align job realities with driver preferences and capabilities, turnover rates fall, job satisfaction rises, and the talent pipeline gets stronger. 

 

Keep reading to find out how matching drivers to freight can solve some of the toughest pain points in F&B trucking. 

 

The Physical Demands: Finding Drivers Who Can Handle Touch Freight 

F&B routes often require drivers to unload cases with dollies, climb stairs, and walk products into restaurants or retail stores. This level of physical activity can be a deal-breaker for many drivers, and a quick path to burnout if they weren’t prepared for it. 

 

When carriers are transparent about these requirements upfront and target candidates who are open to physical, hands-on work, they avoid hiring drivers who might quit after a week. Pre-screening for willingness to handle touch freight can help you narrow the applicant pool and ensure the drivers you hire are more likely to stay. 

 

Specialized Endorsements: Eliminating Qualification Bottlenecks 

Refrigerated trailers, bulk liquids, and certain specialty items require endorsements like a tanker or hazmat endorsement to transport food grade materials. Since fewer drivers carry these certifications, carriers often waste time interviewing candidates who won’t be able to move the freight. 

 

By matching job listings with drivers who already hold the required endorsements, you can cut down on delays, prevent idle equipment, and reduce missed delivery deadlines. It also positions your fleet as professional and organized, which are qualities that appeal to drivers who want to invest in a long-term career. 

 

Scheduling Realities: Reducing Mismatched Expectations 

F&B drivers often start their days at 2 or 3 a.m., deliver on weekends, or run through holidays. These schedules can be a deal-breaker for drivers seeking a more traditional work-life balance. 

 

Misaligned expectations around scheduling are one of the fastest ways to drive turnover. By capturing schedule preferences early and ensuring drivers know what the job entails, you can avoid mismatches that lead to no-shows and resignations.  

 

Urban, Multi-Stop Deliveries: Matching Route Experience with Skill Sets 

Delivering to congested urban centers with multiple stops requires a special set of skills, and lots of patience. Drivers who thrive on long-haul open-road work may struggle with city congestion and tight delivery windows. 

 

By identifying drivers who prefer local or regional work, who enjoy customer interaction, and who have prior experience in urban delivery, carriers set their fleets up for success. Drivers who are matched to routes that fit their strengths are less likely to churn and more likely to deliver consistent performance. 

 

Customer Service as a Hiring Priority 

In F&B trucking, drivers are more than freight movers. They are the face of your brand to restaurant managers, grocery clerks, and retail staff. Poor customer service at the delivery dock can damage relationships and even cost accounts. 

 

That’s why matching should also take customer service skills into account. Hiring drivers who are personable, communicative, and customer-oriented ensures positive interactions, fewer complaints, and stronger client relationships. 

 

Competing with “Easier” Driving Jobs 

One of the toughest challenges in F&B trucking is competing with jobs that offer comparable pay along with easier freight handling and more predictable schedules. Drivers often leave for these positions, viewing them as less strenuous than the demands of F&B work. 

 

Instead of fighting this reality, carriers can sharpen their recruiting efforts by clearly positioning F&B roles to the right audience. Advertising that emphasizes steady routes, consistent demand, and the chance to stay active on the job helps attract drivers who value those aspects.  

 

By tailoring job postings and outreach to drivers who are a natural fit for this work, you can strengthen retention and avoid wasting resources on mismatched candidates. 

 

Seasonal Spikes: Building a Proactive Talent Pipeline 

The F&B sector experiences some seasonal swings, such as seasonality by produce type, beverage spikes in summer, or holiday food demand towards the end of the year. Many carriers scramble to recruit drivers at the last minute, lowering candidate quality and hurting delivery performance. 

 

A better approach is maintaining an ongoing relationship with qualified drivers year-round. By keeping a warm pipeline of pre-matched candidates, carriers can ramp up quickly during peak demand without sacrificing quality. 

 

The Bottom Line: Matching Is Retention 

The cost of turnover in F&B trucking goes far beyond recruiting spend, it includes lost sales, disrupted customer relationships, and wasted training investments. Matching drivers to the right freight lays the foundation for stronger retention. 

 

By aligning drivers’ physical abilities, endorsements, scheduling preferences, route experience, and customer service skills with the realities of your freight, carriers can lower turnover, improve service, and build a more loyal workforce. 

 

For more ways to stay ahead of the curve in the transportation industry in 2025, be sure to check out the rest of our Employer Blog posts and connect with us on social media.