Local CDL-A Position Food Distribution Position
CDL-A Food Service Delivery Driver Jobs in Denver, CO
Hiring Area: Denver Metro & Front Range • Terminal: Denver, CO
Denver, CO Local Multi-Stop 2–5 Years Old
Local refrigerated foodservice delivery across the Denver metro with home daily returns, weekly pay $1,450–$1,600, and early-morning multi-stop restaurant and institutional routes.
Typical Weekly Gross
$1,450–$1,600
Estimated Annual: $80,600
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,000
Home Time Home Daily
Driver Type Company Driver
Weekly Miles Local Metro
Freight Type Refrigerated Foodservice
Privately operated regional food distribution carrier hiring for Denver-area multi-stop refrigerated deliveries to restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare facilities, and catering operations.
- Verifies trailer temperatures and mixed-temperature load sequence before departure.
- Performs liftgate and pallet-jack unloading at docks and service entrances.
- Completes electronic POD documentation and reports shortages or damages.
- Returns empty pallets, rejected product, and equipment to the terminal.
- Communicates delays, reefer alarms, and detention times to local dispatch.
- Handles case-level accountability and customer-specific receiving procedures.
Hourly structure reflects time spent unloading, checking in, and waiting at customer locations rather than pure driving miles.
Weekly Pay $1,450–$1,600
Hourly Rate $29.00–$32.50
Typical Weekly ≈ $1,550 (40 hrs + 7 OT)
Estimated Annual ≈ $80,600
Sign-On Bonus Up to $1,000 ($500/30 days + $500/90 days)
Overtime 1.5× after 40 hours
Home Time Home Daily
Schedule 5 shifts per week
Shift Length 10–12 hours
Start Window 2:00 AM–6:00 AM
Operating Area Denver metro & nearby Front Range
Terminal Denver-area distribution center
Tractors Freightliner Cascadia day cabs, Kenworth T680, limited Volvo VNL
Age Mostly 2–5 years old
Transmission Mostly automatic; limited manuals remain
Trailers 48-ft & 53-ft multi-temperature refrigerated with liftgates
Safety Systems ELD, forward dash cams, collision mitigation, lane-departure, adaptive cruise
Delivery Gear Electric & manual pallet jacks, hand trucks, delivery carts
Assigned equipment provided when practical; otherwise pool or slip-seated units. Drivers report temperature alarms, door seals, reefer faults, liftgate defects, and lighting issues.
Mixed-temperature loads of fresh and frozen produce, dairy, meat and poultry, frozen prepared foods, dry grocery, cooking oils, beverages, paper products, and restaurant supplies move to independent restaurants, hotel kitchens, healthcare facilities, schools, and catering operations.
- Denver → Aurora → Parker → Denver loop
- Denver → Lakewood → Golden → Denver
- Denver → Westminster → Thornton → Northglenn
- Denver → Commerce City → Brighton → Denver
- Denver → Centennial → Englewood → Littleton
- Primary corridors: I-25, I-70, I-76, C-470, E-470, US-36
- Reports between 2–6 AM, completes pre-trip, verifies reefer settings and load sequence.
- First stops target early receiving windows at restaurants and institutional kitchens.
- Makes approximately 8–16 customer stops depending on pallet count and geography.
- Mid-shift covers mixed dock and liftgate deliveries across assigned metro territory.
- Returns product, empties, and pallets; completes DVIR and reports exceptions.
- Next-day route often available before departure; final changes can occur overnight.
- Rotating Saturday work possible during higher-volume or holiday periods.
About the Carrier
Recurring foodservice replenishment across Colorado’s Front Range depends on regional carriers that keep restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare kitchens, and catering operations stocked with temperature-controlled product. Founded in 2012, this privately operated company runs approximately 95 power units focused on refrigerated and frozen food distribution. Denver serves as the primary local distribution base, linking cold-storage facilities with daily multi-stop routes. The model prioritizes consistent customer routes over spot-market freight, supporting dedicated local dispatch, maintenance, and safety functions while remaining smaller than national broadline fleets.
Medical / Dental / Vision Eligible full-time coverage with prescription
Retirement 401(k) with company contribution
Paid Time Off Vacation, sick leave, paid holidays
Life Insurance Company-sponsored basic life
Training & Support Paid orientation, pallet-jack/liftgate/reefer training, uniform assistance, 24/7 roadside
- Valid CDL-A license
- Approximately 6 months CDL-A preferred; foodservice experience helpful but not required
- Acceptable MVR and safety history
- Current DOT Medical Certification, drug screen, Clearinghouse query
- Ability to operate pallet jacks, use liftgates, work in refrigerated environments, and perform repeated bending/pushing/pulling
- No HazMat or Tanker endorsement required
- I-25 and I-70 congestion plus downtown loading restrictions
- Customer receiving delays of 30–90 minutes at larger facilities
- Winter snow, ice, and mountain weather affecting liftgate surfaces
- Holiday, school-calendar, and event-driven volume spikes
- Construction and airport-corridor traffic
1
Recruiter Call
Within one business day
2
Background & DOT Checks
MVR, drug screen, Clearinghouse
3
Conditional Offer
After qualification complete
4
Paid Orientation
Denver terminal, 3–7 business days total
Q: How physical is the unloading work? ▼
Drivers repeatedly move pallets with electric or manual jacks, use liftgates, and handle cases in refrigerated receiving areas. Some stops require breaking down deliveries and longer walks to service entrances.
Q: Are routes fixed every day? ▼
Stop sequences change with customer orders, product availability, traffic, and delivery windows. Dispatch can resequence or add stops as needed.
Q: What happens if a reefer unit alarms during the route? ▼
Report immediately to dispatch and maintenance. Operations decides whether the equipment can continue or needs substitution.
Q: Is Saturday work required? ▼
Rotating Saturday shifts can occur during higher-volume periods, holidays, or event-driven demand.
Q: Do all customers have docks? ▼
Larger facilities often have docks. Smaller restaurants frequently require liftgate service through rear entrances or service areas.
Q: How are returns handled? ▼
Empty pallets, reusable containers, and refused product return to the terminal and are separated from saleable freight.
Q: Can recent CDL graduates apply? ▼
Case-by-case if they completed an accredited program and meet qualification standards; 6 months experience is preferred.
Denver’s CDL-A labor market draws from a large shared pool that includes foodservice, LTL, retail distribution, regional dry-van, construction materials, and airport-area logistics. Foodservice remains one of the more demanding local segments because early starts, frequent stops, physical unloading, and refrigerated environments shrink the available driver pool. Larger broadline distributors often post higher rates, so mid-sized carriers compete with consistent home-daily schedules, manageable territories, and overtime availability. Local multi-stop experience is valued across the metro, and drivers comfortable with hands-on delivery work find steady demand from both regional and national operators serving the Front Range.
Denver anchors Colorado’s Front Range population and distribution network. Foodservice product flows from regional cold-storage and distribution facilities into restaurants, hotels, institutional kitchens, healthcare sites, schools, and catering businesses. Warehouse activity concentrates in Aurora, Commerce City, the northeast I-70 corridor, and the southern I-25/E-470 area. I-25 carries the primary north-south volume while I-70 and I-76 support east-west and industrial movements. C-470 and E-470 provide bypass options. Seasonal restaurant demand, school calendars, holidays, and large metro events create predictable volume swings. The combination of dense urban delivery points and a broad institutional customer base sustains continuous local refrigerated freight movement throughout the year.
