Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

I had one of those in Nitro WV at the dow chemical company. had no room to turn around where the dock was so I had to back up this little hill and around the bushes and down the other side into the dock. Why do i feel like im playing basket ball... 2 bounces, off the wall, off the backboard, into the hoop.

i think im going to pull up the address on google maps and look at satellite view to see what im dealing with!!! it SHOULDNT be too bad.. its the Nestle DC.

I dont really want to stop in Odessa tomorrow night... but definitely dont want to take my 10 in El Paso or any of the rest areas on I 10.

 

Oh I know where you are going, been there a few times. Its the smallest Nestle D/C I've ever seen.


Oh & just follow your directions. Your going to look a little out of place for a few blocks, but you will be on the right track.

 

Most large trucking companies have a turnover of more than 100%. If they hire students, the turnover rate is high because most people don't adapt to the lifestyle, or don't know what they're getting into.

I heard a number of turnover rates from recruiters when I was in school, Gordon, Swift, Davis, and Watkins and Shepherd, that I remember. All of them hired students, all were over 100%. Gordon and W&S were considere two of the better companies to work for, and Gordon boasted that their turnover rate was under 125%, and that was a low rate.

My guess is Central would be closer to 170%.

 

So i'm starting schooling at TDA in Sacramento on Monday. I have never even been in a big rig before and all I know of trucking is what I have researched online the past few days! I come from a mortgage/escrow background and have been laid off for the past 8 months. I have wanted to drive a truck since I was a kid and so when I came across a craigslist add recruiting new truckers, I decided to check it out...from what I have researched, it seems that Central Refrigerated is an ok company for newbies to work for, for their first year. I do have a couple of questions:

-are the trucks newer?
-do they come with mini friges, microwave, etc?
-do you do much loading/unloading?
-do many truckstops have gym equipment?
-is a daily clean/private shower a realistic expectation?

From what I gather, treating your DM kindly and not refusing loads will help get more miles (scratch my back and i'll scratch yours). I was told to expect $750 - $1000/week for my first year...is that realistic?
Any additional pointers would be greatly appreciated!

 

They charge for idle, you get 25% in the winter and 30% in the summer. That's the percentage of your truck's engine time. If you're a solo driver, it can be tough to manage, even using the opti idle the trucks come with. However, a well placed call to safety about your inability to sleep in a 100 degree truck, and the dangers of you driving tired, can affect any over idle charges, but it's not a guarantee.

How stable is Central? I have a feeling they'll stick around, turning the trucks down, limiting idle, cutting out the perks, and encouraging the leasing program are their ways of staying afloat. They'll survive, the turnover of students who don't know what they're getting into ensures a stream of revenue for the company.

You asked about leasing in another post. They push the lease program pretty hard, but they can't force you to lease. That migyht be something they put in the schooling contracts in the future, but who knows? I can't predict the future.

the way they push the lease program is usually by sticking you in a 62mph hunk of junk. After 6 months of egr errors, exhausr leaks, oil leaks, and air leaks, they dangle a shiny new truck in front of you, with the promise of more money. They neglect to mention that most new folks with the company won't be making lots of money, partly because they're low man on the totem pole, and not getting lots of miles. So, they won't be seeing more for that shiny liability.

Long post, but I hope this answers your questions. I'm on my third truck with Central, the previous two being of questionable quality (17 repair shops in 5.5 months).

 

Company driver trucks are 2007 and newer Volvos, Kenworths, and Internationals. DonMt expect pristine, one driver trucks, Central has a habit of putting drivers in crap trucks to entice them into leasing shiny new ones. Your truck will leak, have egr problems, low horsepower, and sometimes bad batteries. Stick it out and you can request a new one. My co-drv and I are on our third.

Trucks come with nothing other than cabinets and a matress. No cb, inverter, fridge, microwave. You can purchase these tihngs, you'll need an inverter to run them. You can buy the inverter and have Central install them. That's their preferred method.

We don't load or unload often. We're drivers, not lumpers. You may unload small orders (10 cases to a place with no real dock), you help unload Fred Meyer loads (catch the boxes fallijng off the pallets and restack on another pallet). You might have a nursery or Christmas tree load to unload, but the nursery I did in march was no touch. I've tailgated loads before, matressses and sushi, but only once each.

Truckstops with gym equipment are few and far between. I know of one, on I84 in Idaho that has gym equipment. There are probably more, but I don't go looking.

Daily shower? No. Private? Yes. Clean? Usually. You get showers at most places with 50-75 gallons of fuel, but you won't fuel every day. Buying a shower is usually $10, or you use frequent fueller poiints. Private is usually the case, locker room group showers are rare. If you get the opttion, take a co-ed shower. That means it's private, it doesn't mean it has a beautiful 18 year old girl in it. Some gender specific showers, mostly in Flying J's mean they're located in the bathrooms, in their own stalls. Still, you get to hear, and smell, the side effects of that guy's bad cheeseburger.

For DM's, remember as a compant driver, you don't get to refuse loads. Your DM might letit slide, but not everyone will. Don't expect to get your way that often. Realistically for money, expect 300-500$ a week. My co-drv and I have been with the company 3 years, and we see $750-1000 a week, jointly. Central is not known for big bucks. Your training pay will be more than you'll see for the first few months, unless you get lucky.

Other tips: don't lease a truck. A large portion, i'd guess 80% or higher, don't make more than a compant driver. If you go home, you go in the hole. If you want to leave, you get stuck with a bill.

Stick it out a year. It pays for your training, and you'll know going into that second year if you want to keep doing it. One of the guys that trained me said if you last more than a year, you'll be doing it a long time. I find it to be true. The first year is the worst because you have to adapt to a lifestyle change.

Central has a rider policy, if you want someone to ride with you, get it. It's less than $200 a year, and it keeps you from getting canned if they discover a rider in your truck. Central has no pet policy, they did away with it years ago. There are drivers with pets regardless, and they're pat of the reason Central won't bring the policy back. You can risk a pet on the truck, I hven't heard of anyone getting fired for having one lately, but that doesn't mean they won't do it.

Ask questions if you have them. The more you know going, the better prepared you will be.

 

I'm not actually a Simon Driver, my employment with Central started shortly before their 5th anniversary as Central. This month was 3 years, and unless 6pak is still with Central, I'm the longest employed with Central that still works for them.

I sound like a Simon driver because most of my friends are Simon drivers, so I get a lot of their old stories and knowledge.

 

Quote from Mikley (my phone is messing up)
In the case with central, did you see how many ####### Central drivers there are out there lately? Alot dont even know how to use the qualcomm. Some dont know how to chain up. Some pull over at the sign of a few snow flurries and then service failing all winter. I saw one nearly jack knife in a 4 wheeler gas station. I was on the street blocking traffic while he was working to get out (was even thinking of getting his truck out for him just so I can leave). Some dont know how to slide tandems or their 5th wheel. Hell a couple weeks ago we had 3 or 4 rollovers in 1 week. This list also goes on...

So again, I'm sorry if I offended you guys because I'm not having the same experiences as you. I'm not doing great but I'm not doing bad either.[/QUOTE]

The quality of Central drivers has gone way down. I encounter a number of drivers who don't know much because their trainers just barely muddle trhu. I've taught people how to chain, edit logbooks, trip plan, and handle OS&D. Generally, I don't spend much time talking to new drivers because. The odds of them being around in 6 months are slim. If I can help, great, but if I don't feel like it, I shouldn't be requred to. I still shake my head at the moron drivers.

I don't have the samebad experiences a lot of drivers do, it's why I don't post much. Really, Central has given to me exactly what they said they would: 4 weeks withy a trainer, a truck, and a paycheck. In return, I do my job. It's not all fun and games, I argue about weight limits, fight for fuel routing, and get lost in Washington DC. But at the end of the day, Central has not been bad to me. I'm not a cheerleader, but I don't hate themm eityher.

 

Thanks for the insight and your unbiased opinions. I'm gonna go for it, don't have much to lose these days and not many responsibilities to keep me here...and certainly no job offers in my field of work. Will keep everyone informed of my training progress. Wish me luck and take care : )

 

I went to Sage in North Idaho, and I thank my lucky stars I went there and not a CDL mill. Getting my license in December in snow and mountain country helped.