Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

You're definitely going about it the right way Harley! No better time to start now! The more you can learn and absorb while you are out there company kickin it the better O.O you will be. Any business owning tips you can pick up will be great too. Remember you are going to own a business, a trucking business, so you need to learn the business side, the driving side and also the brokerage side of it all. It will be overwhelming at first, it was for me and I had two people going at it, but you will get in a groove and the skills you learned over the time of company driving will kick in. Some things to really concentrate on over the next year would be to really refine your driving. Everyday fill up a styrofoam cup with water and place it on your dash. Maybe put a plate under it so it doesn't make a mess. At the end of the day mark how much water is still left in it. The next day shoot for doing better. Results will vary from day to day and road conditions will be a factor, but this will really help you pay attention to what you are doing and make a daily game of it. This was something dumb my wife and I would do to see who could drive better! Refined driving will save tires, brakes, transmissions, fuel etc... All this stuff is very costly and really adds up over a years time when taken out of your profit. Master your backing skills! No snaking or dry turn backing! Ever see all that black dust in truck stop parking lots and shipper/receiver parking lots? That's tire dust! If you are planning on owning your own trailer this is really important cause the tighter you turn that trailer or swing it the more rubber you will lay down. Going around turns and curves out on the road eats em up just as well. So slow around the curves and turns. You really should do this anyway. As a rule you want to back it down 10-15 below the posted for that particular curve in a big truck. ANTICIPATE, ANTICIPATE, ANTICIPATE!!! Slowing down way ahead of time saves tires, brakes and most important FUEL! If you are in the city and on a road with a lot of stop lights, just take it slow. No need whatsoever to race to the next light. Chances are going slow will allow the light to turn green anyway. Whenever you can avoid coming to a dead stop this will save lots of fuel! It takes a lot of energy to move 80,000lbs! If its already in motion though it won't take as much. While on that topic, you want to up shift as quickly as possible without lagging. Low gears burn fuel. Don't wind out the rpm's either. You want to run em up just enough to get to the next gear, again without lag. This also allows for a smoother shift.

Here's a really big one; keep it under 60! You want to know the real owner operators out there, they are driving 55-60mph. They know from years of being on the road that you aren't going to get there any faster running 65-70 then you will running 55-60. You will definitely see immediate results in your pay check if you do this! I promise! Not to mention while you are driving company you will probably get a bonus for keeping your mpg up there!

Sorry this is probably getting lengthy but is a good start for you. There is so much like this that you can practice before hand and when it comes time to be on your own authority you will be well prepared.

 

chompi keep it coming cantr be too much info.you are making money and leting the equipment do the work.work smarter not harder is my moto.

 

Sorry don't want to bore others. I am a fast typist and tend to make my posts somewhat lengthy. This is one of the only skills I learned in high school that I still use to this day!

 

got a trainer today. but not leaving till friday or maybe saturday but hoping for friday. super excited but nervous

 

I really need help from my fellow Central drivers or you old ones that read this thread. Picked up a load from Burch Farms today of bulk sweet potatoes. Thier scale was broken so I started searching for scales near by on my phone, internet, my truck stop guide book. The closest one I found was 30 miles south of them I ws headed north. The closest one in my direction was 60 miles. I was told to head to the the one 60 miles away and wiegh it out. So I do and this is what I have:

Steer - 12560
Drive - 31740
Trailer - 35680
Total - 79980

I have to go through Virgina so have to have the trailer axles at 41' KCRG. Which I think I have them there now, the 40ft mark on the trailer is at the rear of the first dual. So is there any way to make this load legal by moving the fith wheel? If I move the fith wheel back two notches it will add 800 to drives but will it take away from trailer too?

 

Congrats, hope you get out as soon as possible. Good Luck, and keep us updated on your progress.

Mark

 

Lady K, thanks for your help with this. I did pass this test (Oct 31st) and am on schedule to complete skills test and road test by this Saturday (Nov 12th).

Very fast paced program, but instructors have been really patient and helpfull.

Hope to be out next week after orientation.

Mark

 

whats going on herr i have seen that folks are posting that central does not hire out of florida, north carolina, and now illinois. from my experiance they have always hired out of these states. what do you have to be to get hired now a days a utah resident?

 

The CABS course is "ok"... it will help you understand how ATBS does your accounting.
If you do lease... I would say use ATBS for the first year or two. That way you don't have to worry about the accounting end of the business and can work the bugs out of the driving end... Your NOT going to want to jump into it 100% and try to do everything your self.

 

you better slow the typing down... your going to get a cramp in your hand... then what will you do?