Much of the work required to move groceries from delivery trucks to supermarket shelves is performed out of public view and not always by the retailer’s own employees.
For instance, Publix also relies on outside contractors for some unloading work within its Florida distribution network.
Now, one of those contractors is ending operations at several Publix distribution-center locations in Florida, resulting in the loss of 168 blue-collar jobs.
Freight Handlers cuts jobs at Publix locations in Florida
Freight Handlers LLC, a 35-year-old company also known as FHI, will stop providing third-party unloading services at five Publix distribution locations in Lakeland and Sarasota, Florida, eliminating 168 jobs.
The changes are expected to take effect on September 19 and will permanently affect all FHI employees working at the affected locations, according to multiple Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings reviewed by TheStreet.
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The WARN filings do not state why FHI is ending the work, or whether Publix will use another contractor or handle unloading differently after FHI exits.
The largest cuts affect four Publix distribution-center locations in Lakeland.
FHI said it will permanently stop performing third-party unloading services at:
- 2600 County Line Road
- 3045 New Tampa Highway
- 1936 George Jenkins Boulevard
- 3145 New Tampa Highway
A total of 151 employees are affected.
The cuts include 115 warehouse handlers, 14 warehouse handler leads, 13 warehouse handler backup leads, 5 department managers, 2 assistant production managers, and 2 orientation coordinators.
Another 17 jobs are being eliminated at a Publix distribution center at 6123 Sawyer Road in Sarasota.
Those cuts affect 12 warehouse handlers, 2 warehouse handler backup leads, 2 assistant production managers, and 1 warehouse handler lead.
The affected employees are not represented by a union and have no bumping rights, according to the notices.
Warehouse activity grows as contractors cut jobs
The FHI layoffs also come as activity across the broader distribution industry continues to grow.
Placer.ai’s E-Commerce Distribution Index, which tracks visits to more than 400 distribution centers nationwide, found that traffic to the facilities increased 16.2% year over year in March 2026 and another 20.5% in April.
The index covers distribution centers operated by major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
It captures estimated employee traffic as well as visits from logistics partners delivering products, moving goods, or collecting outbound shipments.
Placer.ai said the gains point to strong e-commerce and fulfillment activity as retailers invest in faster delivery, regional distribution networks, and systems that connect with physical stores.
However, rising distribution center activity does not necessarily protect workers employed by outside contractors.
Companies such as FHI provide outsourced labor inside customer facilities, supplying workers to unload trailers, receive shipments, and move freight into warehouse operations.
Those jobs can depend on a specific customer agreement rather than simply on how much merchandise is moving through the building.
Similar contract-related cuts have recently surfaced elsewhere in the logistics industry.
Humano LLC and SIMOS Insourcing Solutions announced a combined 1,158 job cuts at the same customer facility in Avon, Indiana, FreightWave reported.
Most of the affected employees were freight handlers.
Ryder Integrated Logistics separately announced 76 permanent layoffs at a customer facility in Plainfield, Indiana, citing a change in the customer’s business needs.
Operations at that facility were expected to continue.
The cuts show how a change in a customer contract or operating arrangement can affect hundreds of workers employed by outside logistics providers, even when the warehouse itself is not necessarily shutting down.
