Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

Hear ya, Passion! No, comfort is not Priority #1. My concern was much more basic ...Can a driver operate in a reasonable manner...comfortable enough to get good rest/sleep without having to worry about paying the company for the priviledge?

There ya go...sounds like I have my answer!

Agreed...plus of course, as a newbie, desiring quality training, the needed experience and company support that will prepare me to succeed and thereby open future opportunities. As I've previously stated, Central's attraction is, hopefully as these stated needs are met, this company offers a 'bonus'...they will allow me to get off the eastern seaboard and I-95 and experience more of the lower 48.

Thanks Passion...and oh btw, I note your signature, Romans 1:22. Trusting I'll have the 'wisdom' to keep my focus on Who I should!

 

Thanks Moose...more good information. I already own a small 500w inverter for my p/u truck I picked up for running a small air compressor. Sounds like more than adequate to get started with. Good to know the 30% limitation on idling can be achieved.

What led me to ask this question was in my investigation of companies, I had seriously considered Roehl and they appear to use either APUs or EPUs. Since Central did not, coupled with the idling restriction, raised the concern.
Thanks again!

 

Back when I started we were driving Volvos my truck had an Icon system in it. The perpos was the same as an in home A/C unit. In the back of the sleeper was a thermostat if you wanted the inside of truck to be at 70 degrees you would set it at 70 then you would set the start up at say 76. The truck would by itself start up and run until the temp dropped to 70 then it would shut off. As the temp rose when it hit 76 the truck would again start up and run till it dropped to 70. There was no charge for fuel as you idle time did not go up. I also had an inverter the Icon system helped to keep the truck charged. In the winter it worked to keep the fuel warm as well as the motor easier to start when I woke up. It's sad they did not install them as the new companies trucks arrived.
Central was a more driver friendly Co back then my how things have changed.
I don't regret driving for them I did fine nor did I give up any comforts I just found ways to make it work for me. I started trucking back in the late 70tys in an old road commander cab over talk about living in a box you couldn't even sit up all we had in the sleeper was a bed. In the mid 90tys I got to drive a condo ya baby big change for me at Central my 2 Volvos were great trucks never a problem I retired the first one and leased out the second one that's when I got my Pete.

Centrals not a bad starter Co you just need to make things work it's a big jump from being in a home every night to running OTR you either love or you don't. ​

 

A follow up on idle - Just did my performance review and my idle for the month of august, the hottest month of the year, was 9.57%. The keys to idle management are MILES (more drive time to dilute idle time) and not expecting to freeze yourself out of the bunk. when I idle I set opti-idle to 80, so the truck cools down to 80, shuts off, and waits 'till it hits 87 to kick back on. If I'm in the bunk im usually just in my boxers, so its comfortable for me. As a company driver you could go a fair bit lower and stay inside 30%, but as I pay for all my fuel, an idling motor sounds like money being spent to me.

 

comfort is everyone's priority. regardless of what you like to think.

no one sleeps good when freezing or sweating.

 

Priority, yes, first priority? I don't think so. I idle if it's over 85 or under 50 in my bunk, so obviously it matters, but it's not the most important thing.

 

They use to give 50 bucks for short haul. So if you hooked that trailer in a dropyard and delivered it, they would pay you 50 bucks. Called it minimum move pay.

 

Most people aren't going to find 87 comfortable, I know I wouldn't!

We were down in Greenwood LA in August and there were 2 Central trucks and the drivers were hanging out in the TA TV room as they didn't want to idle the truck.....seems to me like they didn't get a lot of rest over the weekend!

 

There are many tricks to keep idle down.
When I was with Central we had TAZ or ICON on all company trucks. This will start and stop the engine to maintain a temperature range. Used mostly for cooling. Since you have a bunk heater. When using the bunk heater set ICON to engine management mode, do not set temp in bunk. When used this way it keeps your battery's charged and engine warm. And it does not power up qualcom, so will not count as idle like it does when cooling the bunk. So 0% idle is normal in winter.

Also, always keep bunk heat/ AC going when you are driving. This will help set a base temp so you do not have to idle so much when you do stop.
Close all curtains when you stop. This is for blocking sun and insulation.
I do well with cold, I do not deal with heat well. So I have to idle when it is hot. Still I never see 30%. And my current company is short to med haul, so we sit more than long haul, and thus idle more.

 

Thanks to all for the idle posts...will be helpful as I get out on the road. Will finish up my two weeks 'class' time at Central this week, next week will be orientation and then out on the road with a trainer. I'm sure I'll get a lot of helpful hints from him as well (keeping fingers crossed) since as I upgrade, it'll be about mid-November...just as the snow starts to fly. I don't mind the cold nor the heat...though being half Hawaiian, I do prefer being warmer than colder. However, I've dealt with a bit of cold from taking Boy Scouts out on Winter campouts...even sleeping in self-built snowcaves...now that gets to be interesting.

Anyway, good comments, so THANKS.