Local CDL-A Position Foodservice Delivery
CDL-A Local Foodservice Delivery Driver — Indianapolis, IN
Hiring Area: Indianapolis Metro & Central Indiana • Terminal: Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis, IN Home Daily Multi-Stop Refrigerated Delivery
Deliver refrigerated, frozen, and dry food products to commercial kitchens throughout Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Local routes include customer-site unloading, 44–52 weekly hours, and daily terminal returns.
Typical Weekly Gross
$1,560
Regular Annual Earnings: $81,120
Weekly Range $1,380–$1,740
Base / Overtime $30 / $45 per hour
Sign-On Bonus $1,000
Home Time Home Daily
Weekly Hours 44–52
Drive early local routes delivering refrigerated, frozen, and dry food to restaurants and institutions across Central Indiana.
- Inspect the assigned refrigerated trailer, verify temperature settings, and confirm load security before departure.
- Deliver frozen, refrigerated, and dry cases to restaurants, hotels, schools, and healthcare kitchens.
- Unload orders using pallet jacks and two-wheel hand trucks at customer receiving areas.
- Handle 8–16 scheduled stops per route while following delivery sequence and site instructions.
- Collect delivery signatures and record shortages, refused cases, returns, and temperature exceptions accurately.
- Communicate traffic, access, and receiving delays to dispatch before they affect later appointments.
- Return reusable pallets, rejected product, paperwork, and equipment to the Indianapolis terminal.
Drivers earn $30 per hour, with time-and-a-half overtime after 40 hours in each workweek. Customer unloading, route work, and qualifying waiting time are included in paid hours.
Regular Hourly Rate $30.00
Overtime Rate $45.00 after 40 hours
Typical Weekly Hours 48 hours
Typical Weekly Gross $1,560
Weekly Earnings Range $1,380–$1,740
Regular Annual Earnings $81,120
Sign-On Bonus $1,000
Bonus Payment Schedule $250 at 30 days, $250 at 90 days, $500 at 180 days
Stop / Detention Pay Included in hourly compensation
Schedule 5 days per week
Workdays Monday–Friday or Tuesday–Saturday
Start Time 2:30 AM–5:00 AM
Weekly Hours 44–52 hours
Home Time Home daily after route completion
Operating Area Indianapolis Metro & Central Indiana
Terminal Indianapolis, IN
Tractors Peterbilt 579 and Kenworth T880 day cabs, primarily 2020–2025 models
Transmission Automatic transmissions
Trailers 48–53 ft refrigerated trailers with Carrier or Thermo King units
Trailer Features Single- and multi-temperature configurations; liftgates on selected units
Delivery Equipment Manual and electric pallet jacks, two-wheel hand trucks
Safety Technology ELD, forward-facing dash cameras, collision mitigation on equipped tractors
Assigned tractors are provided when available. Slip seating is used for maintenance coverage and operational scheduling.
Mixed-temperature foodservice loads include frozen meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, produce, bakery products, dry grocery, and restaurant supplies. Deliveries are made directly to commercial kitchens, receiving areas, and institutional facilities.
- Indianapolis warehouse to Fishers and Noblesville via I-69 / I-465
- Indianapolis to Carmel and northside restaurant accounts via US-31 / I-465
- Indianapolis to Greenwood and southside customers via I-65 / I-465
- Indianapolis to Plainfield and Avon via I-70 / US-40
- Indianapolis to Brownsburg and westside accounts via I-74 / I-465
- Indianapolis to Lebanon and Boone County via I-65
- Indianapolis to Anderson and nearby eastern commercial accounts via I-69
Routes generally combine suburban and metro customer stops, with approximately 8–16 deliveries depending on order volume and receiving schedules.
- Report early, complete pre-trip inspection, and verify reefer temperature settings.
- Check the delivery manifest and confirm load organization at the warehouse.
- Depart according to assigned customer receiving windows and route sequence.
- Complete scheduled stops, unload cases, and place products in designated areas.
- Record signatures, shortages, rejected cases, and delivery exceptions.
- Notify dispatch about traffic, access restrictions, and receiving delays.
- Return equipment, reusable pallets, and delivery paperwork to the terminal.
About the Carrier
This mid-sized regional carrier operates a dedicated foodservice distribution network from its Indianapolis terminal. The operation supports restaurant groups, independent foodservice accounts, hotels, healthcare facilities, and institutional customers throughout Central Indiana. Warehouse coordination, refrigerated equipment management, and local dispatch are organized around recurring delivery territories and customer receiving schedules. The fleet combines established day-cab tractors with refrigerated trailers suited to mixed-temperature grocery and food distribution. Rather than relying on long-haul freight or irregular spot-market loads, the company concentrates on repeat commercial accounts, consistent regional demand, and daily equipment returns to its Indianapolis base.
Health Coverage Medical, dental, and vision insurance options
Retirement 401(k) with employer matching contributions
Paid Time Off PTO under company policy
Training Paid orientation and supervised delivery-route training
Work Equipment Company-provided uniforms, pallet jacks, and hand trucks
Driver Support Local dispatch and terminal-based fleet support
- Valid Class A CDL.
- Minimum 6 months of verifiable tractor-trailer driving experience.
- Valid DOT medical certificate and acceptable driving record.
- Ability to operate 48–53 ft refrigerated trailers safely.
- Ability to repeatedly lift and handle cases weighing approximately 10–40 lbs.
- Ability to operate pallet jacks and two-wheel delivery hand trucks.
- Successful pre-employment drug screening and FMCSA Clearinghouse review.
- Reliable attendance and availability for early-morning dispatch schedules.
- Incomplete warehouse staging or delayed trailer loading.
- Customer receiving-window changes and restricted unloading access.
- Restaurant delivery congestion and limited parking space.
- I-465 traffic, interstate construction, and peak-hour congestion.
- Refrigeration alarms or multi-temperature equipment availability.
- Holiday order surges and increased institutional delivery volume.
1
Application & Phone Screening
Submit CDL details and discuss experience
2
Qualification & Background Review
Complete MVR, DOT, and drug screening
3
Road Test & Orientation
Complete driving evaluation and paid training
Q: How much can I earn weekly? ▼
The typical gross is $1,560 for 48 hours, including 40 regular hours at $30 and 8 overtime hours at $45. Weekly earnings generally range from $1,380 to $1,740.
Q: What is the regular work schedule? ▼
Drivers work five days per week, generally Monday–Friday or Tuesday–Saturday, with dispatch between 2:30 AM and 5:00 AM.
Q: Am I home every day? ▼
Yes. Routes operate from the Indianapolis terminal and return there after deliveries. Overnight trips are not part of this position.
Q: What products will I deliver? ▼
Loads include frozen meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, produce, bakery products, dry groceries, and restaurant supplies.
Q: How physically demanding is the job? ▼
Drivers unload cases weighing approximately 10–40 lbs using pallet jacks and two-wheel hand trucks. Repeated lifting and customer-site unloading are regular duties.
Q: What equipment will I operate? ▼
The fleet uses Peterbilt 579 and Kenworth T880 day cabs with 48–53 ft refrigerated trailers.
Q: Do I need previous foodservice delivery experience? ▼
No. At least six months of verifiable CDL-A tractor-trailer experience is required. Previous foodservice or multi-stop experience is not mandatory.
Indianapolis offers a substantial CDL-A labor pool, with 20,480 heavy and tractor-trailer driver jobs recorded in the metropolitan area in May 2025. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a mean hourly wage of $30.36 for these drivers, placing a $30.00 base rate near the local occupational average before overtime. Foodservice employers compete for drivers who can combine safe tractor-trailer operation with customer-facing delivery and repeated unloading. This position is differentiated by a predictable local operating area, paid overtime after 40 hours, and daily return to the Indianapolis terminal rather than overnight linehaul.
Indianapolis sits at the intersection of I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74, giving food distributors access to dense restaurant and institutional demand across the metro and nearby Central Indiana communities. I-465 connects suburban delivery clusters and helps drivers move between the northside, southside, westside, and eastside without routing every stop through downtown. Foodservice freight is typically mixed-temperature product assembled at a local distribution warehouse: frozen goods, dairy, meat, produce, and dry grocery. Deliveries are shaped by customer receiving windows, tight commercial entrances, school and healthcare schedules, and recurring restaurant replenishment rather than long-distance freight cycles.