Preferred-carrier status means a distributor designates a carrier that consistently meets its receiving, scheduling, and routing requirements. OD holds preferred-carrier status with most major grocery and foodservice distributors. To get started, establish OD as your preferred-carrier and inform your vendors of the routing requirements.
Choose a Consistent Carrier for your Grocery & Foodservice Shipping
OD’s grocery and consolidation program is the perfect solution for businesses managing a foodservice supply chain. Shipping to grocery and foodservice distribution centers can be challenging. Managing stringent delivery windows, avoiding lumper fees, and preventing damage are just a few of the logistical challenges that grocery and foodservice suppliers must avoid. To manage an efficient operation, these shippers need a carrier with a proven track record of reliability, retailer relationships, and experience delivering these types of commodities.
As the #1 National LTL Carrier for Quality*, with a nationwide network of over 260 Service Centers, OD provides both the premium shipping solutions and infrastructure to handle these unique shipments no matter where they’re going.
Benefits of Shipping Grocery Freight with OD
OD has also managed to build strong relationships and maintain “preferred-carrier status” with grocery and foodservice retailers across the United States by being a transportation partner that simplifies the receiving process and reduces total transportation costs for both vendors and distributors. Our premium service combined with our exceptional handling procedures make OD the smartest choice for shippers in the grocery and foodservice industries.
Key Benefits:
Preferred-carrier status with most major grocery and foodservice distributors.
Experience and proven success adhering to specific receiving needs, operational requirements, scheduling parameters, and routing instructions from grocery distributors.
Enhanced technology providing advantages such as door-to-door tracking visibility and the cost-saving Chargeback Research Tool.
Straightforward billing, which includes total shipping costs and a flat lumper fee per hundredweight.
Operational capacity and flexibility to accommodate requests such as dropped trailer agreements and delivery appointments.
The improved efficiency, seamless integration, and reduction in total dwell time have had a significant, positive impact on our overall profitability. The added flexibility has created a receiving process we would never change.
OD's Track Record in Grocery and Foodservice Shipping
At the core of the program is OD’s proven performance in serving foodservice companies. Our on-time delivery and low claims rates rank among the best in the industry. Combined with our expert customer service team and knowledgeable account representatives, OD provides the strongest solution for moving your grocery freight. That commitment to quality even earned OD a place on the Food Shippers of America’s 2024 Top Food Chain Providers list as well as Performance Food Group’s 2026 “Carrier of the Year” award.
When reflecting on our partnership, one of the largest foodservice distributors in the United States with more than 2,000 grocery stores and dozens of distribution centers nationwide, recently stated:
“The improved efficiency, seamless integration, and reduction in total dwell time have had a significant, positive impact on our overall profitability. The added flexibility has created a receiving process we would never change.”
If you are interested in learning more about how you can benefit from the features, functions, and benefits of OD’s Grocery and Foodservice Shipping services, please contact us today.
Need More Information?
Contact us by email or simply call 1-800-235-5569 to be connected to an Old Dominion customer service representative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grocery consolidation shipping combines LTL freight from multiple vendors into coordinated deliveries to grocery and foodservice distribution centers. It reduces dock congestion, lowers total landed cost, and improves product flow. OD’s network of 260+ service centers gives shippers the scale to execute this consistently.
A lumper fee covers third-party labor used to unload freight at a distribution center. These charges can be unpredictable and hard to budget for. OD removes the guesswork with straightforward billing that includes a flat lumper fee per hundredweight, giving you cost certainty upfront.
Chargebacks stem from missed delivery windows, documentation errors, freight damage, or unmet receiving requirements. OD’s Chargeback Research Tool gives you the visibility to identify and dispute unwarranted charges. With an on-time delivery rate above 99% and the industry’s lowest claims ratio, OD helps you stay compliant and avoid costly penalties.
Dwell time decreases when you combine accurate delivery appointments with flexible receiving arrangements. Drop-trailer agreements are especially effective, letting distributors unload on their own schedule. OD offers both options, giving you the control to keep docks clear, reduce yard congestion, and improve overall supply chain efficiency.
*According to Mastio & Company, 2026 National LTL Carrier Study