Hiring and Keeping Great Drivers for Your Bread Route

Many bread route businesses are built and run by owner-operators—but as your territory grows or personal priorities shift, building a reliable team becomes essential. Whether you're planning to step out of the truck or expand your operation, recruiting and retaining drivers is a key part of growing a sustainable bread route business.

In this blog, we break down the strategies successful bread route owners use to hire and retain quality team members—and why a strong team is one of your most valuable business assets.

Why Team Building Matters in Bread Routes

Unlike larger logistics operations, most bread routes start out as solo ventures. But eventually, owners may want to:

• Take time off without disrupting service

• Expand to multiple routes or accounts

• Focus on business management rather than daily delivery

At that point, having a trained, dependable driver becomes essential. Your ability to keep deliveries on time and accounts satisfied depends entirely on the person behind the wheel.

Recruiting: How to Find Reliable Help

Finding a driver who can represent your business, manage a delivery route efficiently, and build strong customer relationships takes more than just posting a job ad. Bread route drivers often work early hours, handle a repetitive delivery schedule, and require a high degree of trust—especially if the owner is not present.

Key Traits to Look For:

• Punctuality and reliability

• Clean driving record

• Experience with delivery, warehouse, or logistics work

• Strong customer service skills

• Comfort working independently and managing a daily route

Where to Recruit:

• Local job boards (Indeed, Craigslist)

• Community referrals and word-of-mouth

• High school or college job boards for part-time help

• Retired or semi-retired drivers seeking flexible work

It is especially helpful to look for candidates already familiar with local geography or distribution work.

Training: Set Your Driver Up for Success

Bread route work can be straightforward—but that doesn’t mean it requires no training. A clear, documented onboarding process helps your driver:

• Learn account preferences and delivery times

• Understand how to load, sort, and check inventory

• Handle returns, restocks, or last-minute adjustments

• Represent your business professionally to store managers and staff

A route that’s organized, clearly communicated, and efficiently planned is easier to train for—and more likely to retain good help.

Retention: How to Keep a Great Driver

Once you've hired and trained someone who performs well, the next challenge is keeping them. High turnover disrupts deliveries and puts accounts at risk.

Best Practices for Retention:

• Offer competitive compensation
  Weekly pay, holiday bonuses, and occasional performance-based incentives help drivers feel valued.

• Respect time and workload
  Bread route schedules often start early. When routes are well-planned, drivers can finish on time and maintain work-life balance.

• Create a stable and safe working environment
  A well-maintained vehicle, predictable route structure, and clear expectations help avoid daily frustrations.

• Build trust and communication
  When drivers feel respected and supported, they are more likely to stick around.

When to Hire

Many bread route owners wait too long to bring on help. Here are signs it's time to recruit:

• You want to take a vacation or personal time without disrupting the route.

• You're considering buying a second route or adding accounts.

• You’re spending too much time on deliveries and not enough on business growth.

Hiring is not just about taking a step back—it’s about increasing the value of your business. A bread route that runs without the owner is more scalable, more valuable at resale, and more resilient in the face of change.

Final Thoughts

Recruiting and retaining a strong team for your bread route can feel daunting, especially if you're used to running it solo. But with the right approach, building a reliable driver pipeline allows you to scale your operation, improve your lifestyle, and ultimately increase the value of your business.

At Route Consultant, we work with bread route owners at every stage of the journey—from first-time buyers to seasoned operators scaling their teams. Ready to take the next step? Browse Available Routes for Sale.

Want to Learn More?

For a comprehensive understanding of bread routes, consider enrolling in our Bread Routes 101 Course. This course provides foundational knowledge to help you decide if investing in logistics routes aligns with your goals.