Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

Great job! Everyone gets an A for effort! Raincatcher you did right with the 3-6 hours extra. Usually on long trips thats good to allow that much. C'mon LadyK what about the time zones? Make your head spin a little huh?! It takes a little getting used to.

Here is something VERY IMPORTANT to remember! NEVER, EVER, EVER just get off any exit in IDAHO! There are many, many truck restricted routes and you need special permit/permission to go on just about every road out there! Central will issue an Idaho map with the highlighted roads in it that you can take. They usually put it in your permit book along with your Idaho permit. Do not veer from this map!

While on that subject (permit book) when issued your permit book make sure to go through it and double check that you have every state permit. Also keep in mind when hauling alcohol that you must have your alcohol permits for the states you will be in. If for any reason you do not let them know and they will get it to you over the road or you can check at the guard shack. The guard shack will issue you all of your permits and renewals as they come in. Whenever you come to the Salt Lake terminal when you get to the guard shack they will check your file to see what you have. Some of this might not make sense but after orientation it will. It will save you time and hassle if you can remember to do this. Whenever you get pulled into the scale you will need to bring your permit book in with you and they check through this stuff. Since you guys are on electronic logs I guess you won't be bringing that in too. You will need your bills though if you are loaded. They check those too! Another thing I will mention for the hell of it is when you are in Oregon you have to enter your tag number into the fuel pump. This is a special tax number you need for fueling there. If for any reason you have to go inside to pay don't forget it.

Keep practicing the trip planning guys. It will get easier and easier the more you do it. They quiz you on this in orientation. It helps immensely to have a GPS because it does all this for you. Just make sure to check the route it gives you with your road atlas for low clearances and restricted routes. For those of you with Droid phones or Iphones (probably some others too) there is a navigation app. that works pretty well. A little trick my wife and I used to do, which is simple yet a life saver is to get those erasable markers (you know the ones for you use on the white boards) and use them to write your directions, fuel stop exits, fueling times, phone numbers etc... right on the window. I would write on the windshield off the right of it. If you put it on the side window when you roll the window down it erases everything! Also you can draw your shift pattern on the windshield if need be. My first trainer taught me this trick and it was one of the best little things I learned from him! Saves you from trying to look down at a piece of paper. Plus when you are on the phone you can write down numbers or notes while you are driving with out taking your eyes off the road! Here's another little tidbit: replace your reading light above your head in the drivers seat with a blue or red colored bulb. This way you can drive with the light on all the time and it doesn't effect your vision or blind you. Another must have essential is the back scratching stick! Not only used as an "itchy stick" but used to reach things while you are driving. Plus if you are a husband/wife team (like the Klingon's) you can beat each other with it! Also used to poke your partner while they are sleeping in the back! One time during a blizzard a had an ice ball build up under neath of my wiper blade and it made it so that the wipers wouldn't work. It was actually snowing too hard to pull over all the exits were snowed in and the roads were covered. I had no choice but to keep going but I could not see. So, I rolled the window down, grabbed my "itchy stick" and every time the wiper blade went to the right I would reach out and jab it with my stick, chipping away at the ball of ice with each swipe to the right. After about 20 swipes I broke it all off and my wipers worked again! What a life saver! My wife thought I was Macgyver! (without the mullet!)

Sorry for getting carried away on this post! Hope something in here helps you guys!

 

Are you kidding??! This is invaluable info that we would take years to garner on our own. Thank you! I am writing all this down in my lil notebook so it will be handy for the bus trip. Keep 'em comin!!!

 

Same here!! If I could thank you twice in one post I would!!

PS - like the idea of the scratcher/poker stick - that could be fun <wink, wink>

 

The stuff you hear on the CB sometimes is priceless. This woman if ranting and raving I can only hear her side of the conversation but she is really letting this guy have it! LOL

 

I had some guy yesterday when I was backing into a spot tell me that he didn't have all day to wait for me and that I shouldn't have that much trouble since I didn't have anyone on either side of me to keep me from getting in the hole. I just didn't want to be to close to either side. Someone else was nice enough to tell me to take my time and I would get it right where I needed it.

 

Another fun one to do....
Get a FRS radio, and as you drive through a city listen to it.
Cordless phones us the same Freq. as the FRS Radios. If you hit the same codes, (which is easy to do) You can listen in on the phone call.

 

Trk stops and CB's, the greatest free show on earth!! Do get tired of it after awhile tho. No matter what the original subject started out to be, it ends up with sex. Also, butt loads of cussing and prejudice ALL over the place. I pretty much just turn mine off now as soon as I pull in.

BTW, did you and Mikeley remember to wave at my brother while in OKC?

 

Used to work in communications and had a spetrum analyzer that I did the same thing with. Heard all kinds of stuff that way.

 

Question for Central drivers - about how many miles per week are you guys averaging at this time? I know it varies - and as newbies we won't get as many to start (even if we are teaming it) - but I'm curious...

TIA

 

Hey Gary. I'm flying back Monday around 3pm ish. Your 1st day will be doing paperwork and spending time at the yard. The shuttle leaves at 545 am and you sit around tell 7am. Fun times!