order picker

truck driver

packer

delivery driver

technician

Performance-Food-Group

My personal experience working as an outside sales rep at Performance Food Group Midlands, Newberry, SC was frustrating and disappointing, largely due to a lack of structure, accountability, and support. From day one, it was clear that the company prioritized a select few while leaving others to struggle without the necessary tools to succeed.

No training or onboarding. There was no formal training program, no introduction to company processes, and no support to help new hires understand the product portfolio. Despite this, there were immediate expectations to perform at a high level, creating a sink-or-swim environment with no real guidance.

Dysfunctional transportation department. Deliveries were unreliable at best. Major metropolitan areas were only serviced a few days a week, and rarely when customers actually needed them. Rather than addressing these logistical failures, leadership insisted on pushing key drop deliveries onto every customer, regardless of their preference. If a customer resisted, sales reps were blamed and expected to handle the fallout while management remained indifferent to the chaos.

Toxic work environment and lack of professionalism. The culture was far from supportive. The transportation department frequently bullied sales reps, resorting to name-calling and intimidation, and despite this behavior being widely known, it was never addressed. Additionally, an individual in the purchasing department regularly spoke to me in a condescending manner, treating me as though I were incompetent. Every interaction with this person was dismissive and belittling, making collaboration unnecessarily difficult. This behavior created an unprofessional and demoralizing work environment.

Extreme favoritism. A select group of individuals consistently received preferential treatment, being handed the majority of valuable accounts while newer hires struggled to establish their own business. These favored reps were not particularly high-performing, yet they continued to benefit as soon as a new hire inevitably failed—gaining their accounts with little effort. They were rarely expected to generate their own business, thriving solely off of inherited accounts.

No upward mobility. Advancement opportunities were nonexistent for anyone outside of leadership’s inner circle. The only internal promotion I witnessed went to an individual who was significantly underqualified, while more capable employees were overlooked. Instead of developing and promoting from within, the company frequently brought in external hires, many of whom had little to no relevant industry experience. PFG also became a landing spot for employees previously terminated from other distributors, often for cause, creating a cycle of poor leadership and questionable decision-making.

In short, the company lacked training and onboarding, leaving new hires to struggle without guidance or support. The transportation department was dysfunctional, making deliveries unreliable and rarely aligning with customer needs. The work environment was toxic, with bullying and verbal abuse tolerated, particularly from the transportation team, and a culture of condescension from other departments. Favoritism was extreme, with a select few receiving the majority of valuable accounts while others were left to fend for themselves. Advancement was not meritocratic, as promotions were rare and seemingly based on factors unrelated to performance or ability. Leadership was poor, turnover was high, and accountability was nonexistent. The company also suffered from a lack of product mix, making it difficult to compete effectively in the market. Delivery service was inconsistent, creating frustration for both sales reps and customers.

Overall, PFG Midlands was a challenging and frustrating place to work, with a leadership structure that failed to support or develop its employees. If you’re considering a sales role here, I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

I haven't worked here long, but I've found myself enjoying the work for the most part. If you enjoy a labor-intensive job with relatively decent pay, this job may be good for you!

For the most part, your schedule is consistent. Each day, you're given a different route, but your weekly schedule is largely stable. You will be asked sometimes to cover routes you aren't assigned to, and with little warning. This may be fine if you're single and have no real plans outside of work.

For me, the weekly minimum of $925 is enough to cover the bills and splurge a little. It's good beginner pay, in my mind. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of many opportunities to increase your pay beyond accepting routes with higher milage, going solo, or racking up seniority pay. Be warned, that $8,000 sign-on bonus doesn't come all at once--it's payed out in $1,600 increments eery four months, so don't expect to be loaded with cash on your first day. Sometimes, if you accept a particular route you aren't assigned to, you earn an extra $150 or so in addition to your base pay for that day.

HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the substantially larger paychecks the temp drivers earn. PFG has a contract with a temp agency who fills about 20% of our driver team. These drivers earn MUCH more than the actual employees because their temp agency pays them that much better. Those seeking higher wages and are comfortable with relocating for a few months should look elsewhere.

Our team is severely lacking in manpower. We are operating with far less people than our workload allows. Because of this, route regularity is diminishing, and the likelihood of working a full week on your assumed route leaves with it. Unfortunately, decisions above my pay grade have been made that have led to PFG picking up MORE accounts with restaurants rather than less. We are stretched thin and the situation doesn't seem to be getting better with summer around the corner, when restaurants order more product to fulfill the typical increase in customers.

Interestingly, PFG has no driver union to speak of. I'm perplexed by this, as many drivers voice complaints over scheduling conflicts and a lack of communication. While no rule exists prohibiting one that in aware of, a driver union nonetheless doesn't exist.

A more nuanced complaint I'd make is insufficiently-managed routes. Many stops are scheduled, and restaurant staff are expecting arrivals at those appointment times. If previous stops are running late even a little bit, the resulting delay can be exponentially devestating. For example, a 250+ piece stop at a restaurant that's difficult to carry loads into may be scheduled to take an hour and a half, but may end up taking two hours or longer. The schedule is written to assume no delays. This causes every stop after the delay to be pushed back. Nobody writing the schedule seems to take this into account or ask drivers what typical actual unloading times are, and base the schedule around that.

Another grave issue is the warehouse, which is severely understaffed. Trailers are regularly 1-2 hours late and are almost always loaded poorly, with heavy boxes being placed in fragile ones, or, as I've seen several times, outright damaged. Delayed are sometimes cause by pallets for future stops being placed directly in front of trailer doors, preventing access to product for current stops.

All in all, I've found the work itself to be hard but good. Product is unloaded manually and new drivers will learn to appreciate the process of receiving a trailer, driving to various locations, unloading, and returning. Experienced drivers should look elsewhere, however. This job is best suited for those seeking to get some experience and then move on.

driverorlando – May 22, 2013

The first month on the job I was ready to quit..electric pallet jacks break down,no extra hand carts or pallett jacks to get job done..They will send you on route with 1 hand cart and no pallet jack with over 15 stops and 18,000 lbs..local routes pay minimum 185.00 but your doing 250.00 to 350.00 worth of work..Transportation manager has no experience and alot of character defects,one beng control issues to include being prejudice against certain people/race.if he gets mad at you for something he will take you off the schedule and put you on call..he doesnt care if you only work 2 days for that week-dealing with him is a waste of time and money.manager and dispatch never answer their phone when you need them.If he put you as a floater(extra board) you will have no life and no schedule.They will call you to work at different hours each day like 12am,2am,3am,4am 6am 7am,whatever route they want you to run,you will be dead tired.If you want time off-good luck with that one.(transportation manager likes to play games,like a little kid)(he has the big head syndrome-probably the best job he has ever had since obtaining his green card)..some more issues include warehouse loads pallets upside down,so your 1st stop is on the bottom of the pallet and you have to breakdown the entire pallet to get product(waste of time)..anytime a driver has to touch product more than 3 times before he gets to a stop,he is losing time and money..also their invoices have the wrong address-you will lose time looking for a store that is on the invoice..They won't spend any money to buy uniforms and equipment,just a couple of t -shirts that fade and that's it..warehouse does not propely secue loads and product always fall over and gets damaged..I'm sure this could be a good company if they had the right people in management and paid more money..3 driver pay cuts in the past 15 yrs will not bring quality drivers on board..sometimes you get to work and there is not enough tractors,so you have to wait for a back haul to return before you can hook up to a trailer and end up late on a route which happens most of the time..pay scale is..30-40 cent/per mile..$2.50 per stop and something like 15 cent a case(cant rember that one)..so if you are on a route and only drive 150 miles with 15 stops ,450 cases,and 12,000lbs..you will only make minimum pay for that day which is 185.00 and probably be out on route for 12-15 hrs..so you worked all day running up and down ramp for 185.00 divided by 15 hours is $12.33/hour that's it..and your back is wore out from breaking down pallets at each stop and running 50lb bags of flour stacked 10 high on hand cart,that's 500lbs folks -you have to run down the ramp all day to these restuarants for $12.33,that's less than the truck staffing agencies pay..So if you want to work like a slave for temp service pay go to pfg-roma in orlando,fl..

ps-This is one of the worst companies I have worked for and I'm glad the nightmare is over...

I built my career at PFG over the better part of a decade. Started from the very bottom of the lowest part of my location to get in the door of the company. From the bottom I started to rise up. I can say being promoted is very difficult within my location but not impossible. You absolutely have to devote yourself to the company. Well, I did, and surprisingly enough it started to pay off. A few years later and now im supervisor of the department I started in. I can truly say I loved my job. The day I realized I love my job is the day it turned into my career. My voice was heard, my thoughts and opinions mattered. My team praised me for my willingness to work with them on anything they needed or ideas they had. Some might have had a few negative things to say but one could say I wasn't fair. Fast forward a year, my department is solid. However we did have another department in desperate need of someone who cared. 
I decided to be that person and transfer into the supervisor role of that department. 
I WORKED MY AZZ OFF FOR THIS MANAGER. 
I provided every bit of knowledge i had in order provide answers and solutions. 
Within 6 months we had created an entirely new department. Numbers through the roof, happy employees, production was dam near flawless. 
When the hire ups began to recognize me for my devotion to not only the company but to the employees as well.....manager didn't take that well.

Morale of the story? 
Never out shine your manager. 
But that's also why I say my location failed me. PFG as a whole? Absolutely would recommend. Fun corporate events, amazing training conventions, and much much more to be involved in. 
I really did love my place at PFG and I owe my first manager in my original department everything for allowing me to grow into the leader I am now. 

As far as the last manager? 
I have to admit, you did an amazing job destroying my livelihood and career at PFG. 
They turned everyone against me. 
Pushed this false narrative to everyone who walked through the door. 
Deliberately withheld information from me then chastised me for being unaware. 
Sent false emails (I have the proof) violated policy (I have the proof)
I confided in a member of upper management and sought them out for help in the situation. 
End result? Retaliation. 

Absolutely disappointed that such an amazing company would allow something like this to happen. 
Even more so disgusted in the location uppers for not only allowing it to happen but allowing it to continue still to this day. 
Toxic location 


A very disorganized company and place to work. Training was mostly virtual through Teams, until a co-worker spoke up about it not being an effective way of training. Training was then done an hour per day in person until hiring more new people, and a new supervisor and manager. The individual training me was now training all the new staff except for the new members of management. Management operated under a micromanagement mentality with the company first and employees second.

With only one person training multiple new staff members I tried to use less of their time, and my final portion of training definitely suffered. I felt the training missed the mark and did not set employees up for success. The poor training contributed to a lot of the issues and high turnover rate they experienced. Management also took no accountability or provided any support to remedy these issues or ongoing and future problems.

Management was extremely unpleasant to work with. Most of them were rude with big ego's. One of the newer AP managers would micromanage and helicopter the team, then get a lunch or breakfast burritos the next week saying “great job team”. Almost to make up for his poor management style. When doing recognition, valuable team members and contributions weren’t mentioned, making individuals feel left out or that their work was inadequate.

I noticed some red flags with this company and in my role, and had decided I would be pursuing other career options and that this was not a good fit for me. I was not happy in the role, management was unsatisfactory and only had the company’s interests in mind. Employees were expendable, a cog in the machine. A friend (and other review on here) compared PFG to a sweat shop. I felt like a number, and that they would bring people in to use them for everything they could, and then move onto the next. 

Advancements were based off favoritism and whoever was available or willing to fill the position. I knew I had no interest in pursuing a lead or supervisor role at this company because I had already been experiencing extreme stress, unhappiness, and a poor work life balance. The environment was overall toxic, passive aggressive, and very poor for employees. Corporate metrics and KPI’s were utilized that I believe often times hindered employee morale and progress more than it helped.

Only positive I will say is they had a cheap snack bar and drinks. I was so relieved when I finally didn’t have to go back.

Performance Food Group pays far below any of its competitors, and actively resists promoting internal candidates in preference of outside hires. Middle management and entry-level associates execute an insane amount of work while upper management does next to nothing but sit in echo chamber meetings. Upper management will take all the credit for the entry-level and middle management's success, and all high-level tasks are delegated down to entry-level associates, due to the fact that...

There is an extreme company culture of "that's not my job," and countless essential tasks are performed incompletely, improperly delegated, or skipped entirely, as a result of that culture. This forces massive amounts of work onto any employees who are attempting to be productive, while allowing less motivated employees to sit back & collect a paycheck without really having to lift a finger. You can expect to catch your coworkers watching TV/movies, smoking, etc. instead of actually working while they're on the clock, as I have done countless times at this company including with upper management.

You will receive pizza parties and have quarterly "team events" instead of receiving a livable wage and useful benefits; that is, except when you're being punished for not exceeding the insanely high performance goals management sets, then these "benefits" suddenly vanish.

The only potential upside at this company is the other honest people you're working with. In my experience, turnover is (rightfully so) quite high. I have also witnessed several people being let go with little to no explanation, or as they are working out their notice. The company is also acquisitions based, so procedure is inconsistent and lacking, meaning almost any problem you have will end up being an escalation through management. Benefits are lacking, compensation is far behind the curve (and they refuse to negotiate), and there is no interest in developing their employees for advancement. In several dozen visits to HR, I've never been able to get the answers I need in a timely or organized fashion.

Worked here for 3 years and called off twice. If you dont want a life then work here. You unload 36k pounds of food on a 2 wheel cart a night EVERY workday. They lie at orientation say you will never have a full load.. but in 3 years I haven't seen a trailer that isnt stacked to the ceiling from front to back. You have 3 doors 1 freezer 1 cooler 1 dry door. They aren't supposed to pack the door space with boxes but they do everyday. Stop 2 will be at the door and stop 1 will be in the nose. You are always loaded like h e l l. They will put 90ib meat boxes on top of a 7 ft pallet with pie boxes at the bottom on purpose so the pallets tip.. Minimum 1400 cases every night. They say you have holidays off but yet for Christmas you will work that night. Management lies and like to talk it up so they dont lose there job. The turnover rate is about 2 ppl quit a month. They hire ppl that ride bikes to work and they also hire felons that did the prison CDL program. I quit because I got tired of working 13 hrs then be on the ride home and have to get a back haul 90 miles out of my way and add 7 more hrs on my day (team route) so 20 hrs then get to the yard and have to leave right back out on another route. If you want to take vacation tell them 6 months in advance and you "might" get it. If you want to call off because you're sick bring a bucket and throw up in it. PFG blows. And the  m o r o n s on this site giving it a 5 star rating are probably drew counterman or kyle or justin.. they eat sleep and breath PFG and they are part of the horrible management. They say your minimum is 960 a week but GOOD LUCK making past that 960.. you'll bring home 600 a week to drive 1300 miles and unload 144k pounds a week. Oh and if you like to ride with permit drivers that are lazy and cant drive then go here or if you like a company that will always have the customers back and not yours than this is perfect for you. If managers want you to wait for 4 hrs guess what you'll wait for 4 hrs then prepare to get 1 hr of sleep for the next route. Everything on here is FACTS that I said because the managers wont tell you the truth in the interview.

I worked in trans as a Transportation Supervisor. I have over 10 years of experience in the transportation industry. I was salary exempt so I was familiar with extra hours to manage drivers, safety, & customer demands. There were multiple 14 to 16 hour days in a work week with little home time. I worked weekends when needed and took after hours call almost everyday. I averaged 55+ hours in 5 days & as much as 75 hours in a 5 day period. I was told I was not putting in enough hours. I was issued formal discipline for doctor excused sick time. Other transportation managers and supervisors would work a full 8 hour day in the office & with minimal to no rest they would drive/work 14 hour routes. This a violation of DOT Rules in regards to Hours of Service. When brought to the on site Safety Manager's attention it was not addressed. Overall concerns and suggestions were dismissed by management. I was pressured to compromise public safety & the safety of drivers to service the customer. Company documented policy's were enforced based on a helper/driver's willingness to do extra work. Upper level managent could be less than compassionate about a healthy work/life balance. The drivers & helpers were top notch. Pay was excellent and bonuses were good based on industry standards. Equipment and maintenance is very good. It is a good place for new drivers to gain experience. Long term employees were very loyal. However there was not a lot of opportunities to move up. Overall the process was chaotic and contradictory creating undo stess. I felt what I was told when I was hired and the actual job & culture were very different. Ultimately management's opinions of drivers and the fact that they were willing to do things that were unsafe to service the customer caused me to resign and taken another job for a lower salary simply to be in a more positive environment.

This will be a bit long so forgive the essay. You came for a real review, so here you go. 

TLDR: Find something far less demanding for equal or more pay.

1. In all honesty, the dispatch team is pretty good at their jobs but like all teams, they occasionally have their hiccups. They are genuine in their concern for safety over profit.

2. The actual job is NOT for the faint of heart. You will be worked to the bone most routes. You will be unloading every single box "case" you take via ramp and two wheel dolly. Some deliveries are back breaking, some are easy.

-IMPORTANT--> IF YOU CANNOT SLEEP IN A MOVING TRUCK, THIS JOB IS NOT FOR YOU. You will need every wisp of rest you can find to stay on top of this job.

3.  When you start, training is roughly 2-3-4 weeks. (Most people quit during this time when they find out just how physically demanding this job is). Once you make it through that, you will be on call 24/7 to fill in for drivers who call out. (This happens every single dispatch, so you will rarely be sitting at home.) The hours are EXTREMELY erratic starting out. Be ready to relegate your circadian rhythm into the pages of your history book.

4. Their trucks are usually problem free, unless you're just incredibly unlucky. Their dollies on the other hand are scarce and the ones they DO provide usually have some kind of problem.

5. "routes" usually consist of going to Colorado (not the only state you'll go) and doing your deliveries directly to restaurants. As mentioned earlier, rest is PARAMOUNT. You will at one point or another run the entire delivery route AND drive the first leg back. Its just the way some routes are designed.

6. You will be gone most of the week. Life and work balance would make a certain purple alien overlord angry.

For everything I've listed, the pay you get simply is NOT worth the physical demands. Save your spine the pain and compression and find something else.

this is the worst company by far I have ever worked for!  complete imcompetence from driver management!  the hardest part of the job is not the physical nature of the work but the complete discontent and imcompetence of the company!  you will routinely be routed in ways that affect your ability to sleep and get a proper rest and reset of your 10 or 34 hours!  you as a new person will be sent out on routes with other new drivers that have as much knowledge of the route as you, ( none)...I was sent from dallas to Carlsbad new mexico with the wrong information to a gas card, then had to race 71 miles to hobbs new mexico  with only 2 hour of driving time left because no one would take the hotel acct card or were just filled already!  this was to no big concern to one specific manager!  I was scheduled to be in at 1am to go with a driver to tyler texas, I came in at 12:30 only to see I had been changed without notice to a 4 am start to Oklahoma, and was given a sort of talking to when I bounced home and didn't return lmao!!  the last straw was when I was given a route to Tulsa Oklahoma which consisted of 2 layovers!  I was told I would be given a new truck and it def was not and old truck but the night of dispatch I pulled out and the engine warning was on, this was the last straw as I wasn't the first to see this lighta job should not have this many warning signs in the beginning, I should have taken the other offers from 3 other foodservice companies!!  lesson learned!  ive been reading pfg reviews from previous drivers and I have experienced first hand what they are saying, THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH!!!!!!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Order picker 37 salaries reported	$25.16 per hour
Truck driver 8 salaries reported	$1,674 per week
Packer 10 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Delivery driver 2 salaries reported	$260 per day
Technician 2 salaries reported	$24.25 per hour

Working at Performance Food Group: Company Overview and Reviews

Performance Food Group

Performance Food Group Ratings

Popular jobs at Performance Food Group

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected