Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

Only one or two mess ups were mine. Still was only late by 15 minutes on this last load. Only 2700mi this week.

 

Was talking to my trainer yesterday... he gave up on training and went solo. I guess his last couple trainees were pathetically bad and didn't complete their training.

So a good trainer is lost, but it does say that the quality of trainees needs to come up. Remember trainees, this is a profession, please treat it as such.

Had a o/o (not ours) at my 99 shaking his head in disapproval at me while I was backing into the door with the sun in both mirrors, couldn't make out the door or the painted lines, only the seams in the concrete which were not aligned with the building. When it was his turn in his purty teal colored pete he had just as many pullups as I did. As I was shutting the doors before leaving he came over and said "that sun was rough this morning eh?"

 

Screech, bang, bang, clatter clatter!!! Thats the sound of my miles screeching to a halt. Made it to wally world in Plainview a half hr ahead of my schedule. Weekedn planners screwed the pooch and didn't get me into wally world's system nor a drop delievery #. Had 10 or 12 TA drvrs waiting on mty's and finally got mine about noon yesterday. New load info is Cargill and the drop dead time is NOT till the 16th at 0130. DM wonders why I'm pissed.

 

Starting with Werner today. Hope I haven't made a mistake. I've been here for 3 days waiting for a truck and I got a call this morning telling me to be on "standby" to move. Apparently there are so many students waiting on trainers here in Fontana that they are moving half of them to Dallas and Denver Terminals. Some have been here for 2 weeks. I'm thinking this is not so good. But, I get paid while I wait here, so I guess if I get a paid mini-vacation at a nice hotel I shouldn't complain to heavily. The training period here from what I understand is also 6 weeks or 300 hours. Some of the trainees I've spoken to are saying they have been training for 8-10 weeks and they switch your trainer half way through so you can get new perspectives. Only problem is that when you get off the truck to wait for a new trainer, you are waiting a week sometimes. One gal has been in the program almost 11 weeks now. That's rediculous to my way of thinking; but it might be a "cost saving measure". Haven't heard a lot of good things about the trainers. Glad I'm not on that boat. Looking back, Central wasn't so bad.
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At the west valley detenion center to raise hate and discontent. Have to leave my guard armadillo and buzzard to watch the truck while I'm in the big building of purgatory.

 

Need to take that to Cummins to have them look at it. THe same thing happened to my trainer's trk and it is also a W9. You are near me somewhat... I'm in Mt Sterling pilot taking my 8 hr sleeper berth.

 

###### supertrucker! its worse when they all get together at the pilot. . its like cancer... one starts yapping then they all feed on it and also start. Only place i turn on the radio is at walmart and other shipper/rec that use a CB. last week me and another central driver left US Cold storage in Minooka, IL apd went to the pilot. I went to use the scale and the other driver was taking his break i guess. The other driver was having a hard time backing in because sometimes those things are really close quarters. I made the mistake of having the radio on and sll the supertruckers were making fun of the poor central driver. I was about to hop out and help him or even back in for him. But as I opened the door he was almost in anyway. I think he might have been new. Leaving the cold storage he almost jack knifed in a small gas station.

 

I think someone in the War Room in WVDC is laughing their ### off at me! all these messed up crap in the last 2 weeks. Pick up in a border town in NY, hardly any thing up there! Messed up docks to back in today's being the worst to date. If you picked up in Dow Chemicals in Nitro, WV then you know what im talking about!

Today I get to Dow Chemicals and before I go check in I quickly scan all the doors. Not enough space to turn around to avoid blind siding and with all the other trls there blind siding you are bound to hit something due to lack of space. So I though, "great. i may need to straight back maybe 300 ft then jack in." I go check in the lady gives me a a form i need to take to the warehouse guys. Gave them the form and he tells me to back into door 62. Now I think, "Sweet! dont need to back 300 ft then jack my trl in to the hole." But instead it gets worse! I go around the building through the first gate of 3 just to get to the door! get to the second gate and i see my door with a chain link about 70 feet in front of doors 55 - 60 and then the fence turned to make an L. RR tracks about 70 feet from the other part of the fence. Great, barely enough room to turn around to get into the door. A Small RR crossing in front of the gate. Possibly blind side? Nope, if i did that i might get stuck on the RR tracks. another little driveway to the left of the gate. Maybe turn left and then back in? Nope, I would take out the gate. Got out and walked up the driveway and looked and it connected to the other driveway behind me. No room to turn around at the gate. but there is at the other driveway behind me. See where I am going with this? I back out of the 2 gates I was in, turned into the first driveway and turned around. I then backed up the hill and around the bushes and back down the hill on the other side and straight into my door . That place is not made for a 53' trl. By the time I as in the door I was about 30 feet from the gate.

 

Most of us who have been with Central a while think the training program has gone down hill!!! I have had to teach some drivers how to use the #### qual-com, and how to slide their tandums. Trainers do your JOBS, or get out of it, of course thinking anyone with only 6 months with the company can train is just babies teaching babies!

 

Right now with Central drivers, especially L/O are going in the hole at least one week of every month, but can not live on what they pay fleet drivers for sure!!! Going in the hole next week for this month, but got a 2000 mile run for the next pay period to start. Maybe things are looking up?