Local CDL-A Position Food Distribution Position
Prairie Gate Foodservice Logistics — Multi-Stop Restaurant Delivery Driver
Hiring Area: Chicago, IL • Terminal: Cicero-area distribution facility
Chicago, IL Local Multi-Stop 3–6 years
Local CDL-A foodservice delivery drivers earn $1,250–$1,850 weekly ($65,000–$96,200 annually) moving refrigerated and dry restaurant products across the Chicago metro from the Cicero DC with daily home time.
Weekly Gross
$1,250–$1,850
Estimated Annual: $65,000–$96,200
Sign-On Bonus Up to $2,500
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Hours 45–55
Freight Type Refrigerated + Dry Foodservice
Sequenced multi-stop runs from the Cicero-area facility keep Chicago restaurants, hotels, and institutional kitchens stocked with mixed-temperature products under tight receiving windows.
- Completes 8–18 live-unload stops at restaurants and commercial kitchens.
- Verifies quantities, collects signatures, and manages invoices on every stop.
- Operates electric pallet jacks, hand trucks, and liftgates when assigned.
- Performs pallet reconciliation and documentation after the final delivery.
- Monitors dual-temperature compartments to protect product integrity.
- Reports mechanical concerns before leaving the yard each morning.
Base rate sits between $27 and $34 per hour. Overtime applies after 40 hours at time-and-a-half. Documented detention and stop performance can add further weekly earnings.
Weekly Gross $1,250–$1,850
Estimated Annual $65,000–$96,200
Sign-On Bonus Up to $2,500 ($500 after 30 days, $750 after 90 days, $1,250 after 180 days)
Detention $30/hour after 90 minutes when documented
Stop Incentive Up to $100 per week
Payroll Weekly direct deposit
Home Time Home every day
Coverage Area Chicago metropolitan network
Home Terminal Cicero-area distribution facility
Typical Hours 45–55 per week
Start Window 2:00 AM–5:00 AM
Fleet Age 3–6 years
Primary Tractor International RH Series day cabs
Transmission Automated
Safety & Tech ELD, route sequencing tablets, GPS, collision mitigation, lane departure warning
Tractor Use Assigned units when available
Dual-temperature refrigerated trailers feature compartment separation, liftgates on selected units, electric pallet jack support, manual hand trucks, and continuous temperature monitoring for high-frequency stop work.
Mixed-temperature restaurant freight leaves the Cicero DC each morning on density-based multi-stop sequences that adjust for traffic and receiving windows.
- Cicero DC → West Loop / River North via I-290 and local Chicago arterials.
- Cicero DC → Naperville / Aurora via I-290 and I-88.
- Cicero DC → Schaumburg / Elk Grove Village via I-290 and I-90.
- Cicero DC → South Side / Hyde Park via I-290 and I-90/94.
- Cicero DC → Midway area / Oak Lawn via I-55.
- Cicero DC → Joliet / Romeoville via I-55 and I-80.
- Typical freight: refrigerated proteins, dairy, produce, frozen items, beverages, dry grocery, paper goods.
- Arrive during the 2:00–5:00 AM wave for pre-trip and reefer checks.
- Confirm staged pallets match the planned stop sequence.
- Depart for first customers holding the tightest receiving windows.
- Complete live unloads, quantity verification, and signature collection.
- Collect empty pallets and reusable equipment along the route.
- Return to the Cicero yard for final reconciliation and parking.
- Five delivery days form the core week; dispatch adjusts for congestion or volume spikes.
About the Carrier
Daily restaurant and institutional replenishment depends on carriers that can stage temperature-controlled and dry products in precise stop order and deliver them under narrow receiving windows. Foodservice logistics in the Chicago market fills that requirement by linking a western-suburb distribution facility with dense hospitality corridors, commercial kitchens, and institutional accounts. Prairie Gate Foodservice Logistics operates inside this high-touch segment, focusing on multi-stop accuracy and customer interaction rather than long-haul mileage.
Medical Coverage Medical, dental, and vision options after eligibility period
Retirement 401(k) plan with company contribution
Paid Time Paid holidays and PTO program
Life Insurance Company-paid basic life options
Training Support Paid route training, pallet-jack instruction, company uniforms
- Valid Class A CDL, age 21 or older, DOT qualified.
- 3–6 months CDL-A experience preferred; 0–1 year or recent graduates considered with strong safety record.
- Acceptable MVR, no major preventable violations, meets company insurance standards.
- Ability to lift 50–75 lb cases and work inside refrigerated trailers in varied weather.
- 15–45 minute waits at smaller restaurant accounts.
- Extended delays during peak kitchen receiving periods.
- Alley access limits and shared loading zones downtown.
- Congestion on I-290, I-90/94, and major expressways.
- Staff availability or dock-space restrictions at customer sites.
1
Application
CDL and work-history review
2
Screening Call
Route and physical expectations
3
Safety Checks
MVR, Clearinghouse, background
4
Orientation
Training then first dispatch
Q: Is this considered local CDL-A work in Chicago? ▼
Yes. Drivers return to the Cicero-area facility every day and do not run overnight routes.
Q: How are pallets staged for multi-stop routes? ▼
Warehouse teams build pallets by stop order, customer requirements, and temperature zone before drivers leave the DC.
Q: What happens when a downtown stop is delayed by access problems? ▼
Dispatch can resequence remaining stops, shift lower-priority deliveries later, or contact the customer.
Q: Are weekend shifts part of the regular schedule? ▼
Weekend volume appears mainly during seasonal restaurant peaks; the standard week is five delivery days.
Q: Do drivers bring back empty pallets or return product? ▼
Empty pallets, reusable equipment, and damaged-packaging paperwork return with the driver after the route.
Q: How physical is the unloading work? ▼
Most stops are live unloads. Drivers use pallet jacks or hand trucks and may lift cases weighing 50–75 lb.
Q: Is paid route training provided? ▼
Yes. New drivers complete paid training with experienced foodservice operators before independent dispatch.
Chicago remains one of the strongest CDL-A employment markets in the Midwest. National carriers, LTL operators, grocery distributors, beverage fleets, parcel networks, and specialized foodservice companies compete for local drivers. Western suburbs such as Bedford Park, Hodgkins, McCook, and Cicero concentrate major food-distribution and cold-storage activity that feeds both downtown and suburban demand. Home-daily schedules attract steady interest, yet experienced multi-stop foodservice drivers stay in shorter supply because the work requires physical unloading, early starts, city navigation, and customer contact. Year-round restaurant, hospitality, and institutional volume keeps openings consistent for drivers comfortable with dense urban routes.
Chicago sits at the center of major Midwest freight flows, connected by I-90, I-94, I-290, I-55, I-80, and I-88. Western industrial zones around Cicero, Bedford Park, Forest Park, and Hodgkins house large warehouse and cold-storage facilities that supply the metropolitan restaurant network. High restaurant density—hotels, hospitals, schools, catering operations, and independent kitchens—creates continuous replenishment demand. Tourism, conventions, seasonal events, and institutional purchasing cycles further stabilize volume. The combination of interstate access and dense commercial receiving points supports high-frequency local foodservice movement throughout the year.
