Dive Brief:

• Kraft Foods will eliminate its private trucking fleet and lay off 285 workers.
• The company said it will shift transportation duties to contract and commercial carriers by the end of 2014. 
• The layoffs will take place in three different phases and happen at 10 locations across North America. 

Dive Insight:

It's always tough to see folks lose their jobs. But in this particular case, there may be a bit of a silver lining to the cloud.

The majority of people losing their jobs are drivers, not support staff, and truck drivers remain among the most sought-after workers in America. We expect, and hope, that most of the laid-off workers will land on their feet. In addition, the decision to dump the private fleet is keeping with Kraft's recent moves to reconsider how it does business. Kraft has demonstrated that it, too, is landing on its feet in that process.