How to hire a food service driver

How to hire a food service driver, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food service driver hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a food service driver job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new food service driver
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The food service driver hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A food service driver's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, food service drivers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of food service driver salaries for various roles:

   Type of Food Service Driver	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Service Driver	Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. They drive trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW)—the combined weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo—of 26,000 pounds or less... Show more	$10-20
   Delivery Expert	A delivery expert is responsible for delivering different kinds of products or items within a particular area, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Besides locating and delivering parcels to the receiver, a delivery expert is also responsible for coordinating with logistics staff, maintaining documentation, obtaining signatures, and reaching out to clients to keep them updated or confirm other details... Show more	$12-31
   Delivery Driver/Warehouse	A warehouse delivery driver is responsible for transporting goods and services from the warehouse to different assigned locations. Warehouse delivery drivers record the inventory materials receipt before and after delivery to ensure the merchandise's correct quantity and quality... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Service
   • CDL
   • Food Delivery
   • Cleanliness
   • DOT
   • Food Safety
   • Food Handling
   • Customer Service
   • Food Products
   • Customer Orders
   • Food Carts
   • Traffic Violations
   • Hand Trucks
   • Delivery Schedules

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and expedite the secure transportation and accountability of logistic materials and HAZMAT chemicals to commercial, state and government facilities.
   • Deliver groceries to restaurants, gas stations, yogurt shops and warehouses.
   • Employ by this company to offer warehouse help and CDL truck driverposition.
   • Obtain CDL and drive company trucks to and from project sites within the tri-state.
   • Communicate with customers to confirm product pickup and delivery necessities.
   • Interact with patients, family, and staff and communicate pertinent dietary information to the clinical dietitians and supervisor personnel.

   More food service driver duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your food service driver job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A food service driver salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a food service driver in West Virginia may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level food service driver usually earns less than a senior-level food service driver. Additionally, a food service driver with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average food service driver salary

   $15.16hourly

   $31,527 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level food service driver salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average food service driver salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$40,021	$19
   2	Texas	$38,691	$19
   3	Utah	$37,531	$18
   4	Colorado	$37,100	$18
   5	Arizona	$34,545	$17
   6	Massachusetts	$33,120	$16
   7	Idaho	$32,872	$16
   8	Kansas	$32,406	$16
   9	Michigan	$32,113	$15
   10	Oklahoma	$32,045	$15
   11	New York	$31,782	$15
   12	Indiana	$31,490	$15
   13	Maryland	$31,422	$15
   14	Connecticut	$31,280	$15
   15	Nevada	$31,242	$15
   16	New Hampshire	$30,317	$15
   17	Ohio	$29,990	$14
   18	North Carolina	$27,943	$13
   19	Florida	$27,778	$13
   20	Tennessee	$26,266	$13

   Average food service driver salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Irving Isd	$39,045	$18.77	5
   2	West Contra Costa Unified School District	$38,553	$18.54	1
   3	Boulder Valley School District	$37,410	$17.99	2
   4	AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah	$36,639	$17.61
   5	Pine Street Inn	$36,056	$17.33
   6	City of Jacksonville	$35,683	$17.16
   7	San Luis Coastal Unified School District	$35,530	$17.08
   8	Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32	$35,387	$17.01
   9	Milton Hershey School	$35,286	$16.96
   10	Indianapolis Public Schools	$34,664	$16.67
   11	Coconino Community College	$34,417	$16.55
   12	Alameda Unified	$34,245	$16.46
   13	Apache Junction Unified School District	$34,191	$16.44
   14	ProDrivers	$33,934	$16.31	23
   15	P&S Surgical Hospital	$33,828	$16.26	8
   16	Compass Group USA	$33,573	$16.14	3,563
   17	Texas	$32,982	$15.86	17
   18	OSF HealthCare	$32,799	$15.77	9
   19	Peninsula School District	$32,568	$15.66
   20	Northwest Permanente	$32,519	$15.63

4. Writing a food service driver job description

   A good food service driver job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a food service driver job description:

   Food service driver job description example

   Food for Seniors provides monthly nutritional food boxes to seniors who are 60 years old or older and meet Federal Income Guidelines. Catholic Charities Food for Seniors is the sole agency of Louisiana's Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which works to improve the health of low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods.
   
   The program also educates clients about good nutrition by providing nutritional information that includes easy to make recipes using commodity foods, caloric intake, how to stretch food dollars and eat a healthy diet.
   
   Catholic Charities' Food for Seniors is an equal opportunity program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
   
   The Food for Seniors' Site Distribution Driver is responsible for transporting commodity food/ boxes to mobile, drop-off sites or to a FFS warehouse in a timely and professional manner. The driver is responsible for assisting with receiving, storing, packing, and delivering food as needed. Position requires frequent lifting and moving; must be able to lift 50 lbs. The driver assists with serving the participants at food sites and must be able to work with a diverse group of people.
   Essential Functions
   Loads and unloads trucks for mobile and drop-off sites and warehouse. Completes daily truck log. Keeps truck clean on a daily basis and reports any truck repairs/maintenance to supervisor. Serves each participant in a respectful and caring manner. Prepares site for food distribution as needed. Assists in clean-up of distribution site. Assists with packing boxes. Assists with warehouse duties as needed. Perform other duties as assigned
   Working Conditions
   Various Settings; may be exposed to heat and cold; may travel long distances and may have to relate to difficult and diverse people.
   Physical Requirements
   Physically demanding position; requires frequent lifting and moving - must be able to consistently left heavy boxes up to 50 lbs.; May be exposed to all kind of weather. May work with difficult and diverse people. Must have a medical exam and pass initial and random drug/alcohol screening.
   Minimum qualifications
   Ability to read and write legibly and strong math skills. A high school graduate or equivalent preferred. Valid Louisiana license required /(CDL).
   Schedule: Hours vary pending distribution location; Monday-Friday; occasional Saturdays Hourly position; 30 minute lunch
   Reports To: Warehouse Manager

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find food service drivers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any food service drivers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level food service drivers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your food service driver job on Zippia to find and recruit food service driver candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit food service drivers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new food service driver

   Once you've selected the best food service driver candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new food service driver. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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