Central Refrigerated Drivers

Great stuff ChromeDome,

Lots of content without the politics or anger toward companies. I am going to look back thru your old posts. Sadly, my posts are going to be minimal until I get thru trianing because I am now having to text. I will buy a laptop if and when I get my own truck. Thanks again, Wayfarer

 

Great stuff ChromeDome,

Lots of content without the politics or anger toward companies. I am going to look back thru your old posts. Sadly, my posts are going to be minimal until I get thru trianing because I am now having to text. I will buy a laptop if and when I get my own truck. Thanks again, Wayfarer

 

I got angry at Central a few times while I was there for a short time.
Normally it was at Night staff and planners that needed to learn basic math.
But you really cannot stay angry at people that are not very smart. It serves no purpose. As Ron White says "You can't fix stupid"

So I would boil for a few hours, even posted a few of the times, but not too many. Then I let it go.
I do not know if she is still with Central or not. But my Dispatcher before I went to Kraft was Tamala in Conley.
She was great after she learned to trust me.
Her issue, and the issue of many of the dispatchers. Is that too many of the new drivers they get cannot plan ahead and cannot communicate.
So to keep themselves safe they give these guys less miles, and more time on the loads they give them.
The dispatcher gets dinged just like the driver when a load is late. The company makes it's money on loads delivered on time.
Walmart will be starting to charge a late fee now, actually is charging it now. And it is steep. Some other company's do this as well.

Once she learned that I would always communicate, and that I planned out as far as I had the info to, she gave me better and better loads.
I got ALLOT of miles from her, because she knew that I would never accept a load that I could not deliver on time. The only way I took those loads is if I was told to take them, with there full knowelege that I could not deliver on time.
I took home almost as much money every week driving full OTR with her as my dispatch, as I did on Kraft Dedicated and a 3200 mile a week dedicated route.
.29 cpm on OTR, .40 cpm on kraft, almost the same money. That gives you an idea on my miles with her lol.

 

I tried a search of my old posts and only get 100 pages, all this years.
To find the old stuff look in the old Central thread.
It was running for years before JJ started the truck stop thread.
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...al-refrigeration-service-inc-west-valley.html

That is where most of my old stuff is, from when I was with Central.

 

Here you go....
A copy of my very first forum post lol.
From June 2007

Starting with Central
I have had my CDL for about 16 years now, but I never drove a Tractor after school, only straight trucks (dump, flatbed, mixer ect.)
I have finally decided to take the leap to the road and I will be going to the Medina school for a week refresher starting June 18th.
Then to GA for orentation.

I am very worried about time with a trainer, hopefully I will get lucky and get one that I can work easily with.

I do have a few questions for current Central drivers.
1. is there a fridge and microwave in the trucks? Or will I have to supply my own?

2. How hard is it to get loads to Western NY? I live in Jamestown, so it is not too far from the 90.

3. A big question I have is where they have drop yards and Terminals around the country? I have been looking for a full list if anyone can give one I would appreciate it.

Any answers will be appreciated. Thanks

 

I thought it was a few months farther back than that, oh well. I guess I have not been OTR as long as I thought lol.
My brain is going out with my old age.

 

ChromeDome,

Thanks again. So, the dispatcher sends you a load and asks you to accept and confirm that you can deliver on time? You say yes or no and if no you explain your hours and mileage and why you can't? Then if they want you to deliver the load that you calculated that you could not deliver on time you are covered and will not be penalized?

 

They send you a plan (load), then you are supposed to check it out and make sure you can do it, then send in a macro on the qualcom accepting it.
There is no mac message that is used to decline a load lol.
You can only accept them, since it is forced dispatch.
BUT if you look and see that you cannot deliver the load on time then you need to let your dispatcher know what is going on.
Tell them why you cannot make it, and be very clear. Ask if there is a window for delivery. Then let them know when you can possibly get it there.
They may tell you to take the load anyway, but at least you have a record of messages showing that you took the load under duress.

All this needs to be done on the qualcom, not on your cell phone. The qualcom shows a record of the conversation. On the phone it is your word against theirs.

As to your last question, yes. You are then covered.
As long as you let them know you cannot deliver on time before you accept the load, and do it clearly. Never accept a load that you cannot deliver on time, unless you have gone thru this process. If you accept, then realize you cannot deliver on time it is a driver failure.
If you have this happen, make sure you tell them ASAP. The load is the priority.
The more warning they have the more chance they have to save that load.

 

I was a driver for Central for over a year, which was over a year now lol.
But yes. I ran for them a while, I needed a refresher course at the time since I had been driving local and not OTR.
They were good to me when I was there. Just I see so many comments on the many things that changed.
1Bad was running Kraft also, before they let him go a few weeks back.
Sounded like it was still about the same as when I was with them. It got him thru home allot more than what he was getting OTR.

All of these comments are on things that I learned while at Central on running my truck and my days. I have carried these ideas and this method on to my company's since then.
I am at Heartland now, and they are looser on dispatch than Central was. I can turn down a load with heartland if I have a good reason. It is not a good idea though, unless you cannot do it due to hours.
Heartland is a slightly larger company than Central, and is mostly company drivers. Some are leased on with there own trucks, which they bring with them, since heartland does not lease trucks out.

Proper trip panning is necessary for any company. The driver is the one in the seat and behind the wheel. All dispatch and planners can do is send you loads. You need to decide if you can make it.
Granted, with the e-logs that Central is using now, no driver should be sent loads they cannot do. Since they know exactly what hours you have at all times.