Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

thanks for the post. i am signed up to be in training the 24th of october in fontana. I'm nervous about getting a bad trainer so im really hoping to get one that teaches me alot and is osmeone that is a halfway personable person.

 

ok i know this is the third time but, i am back after a paper work messup, ill be heading down to fontana in a few weeks. any one got the latest news on what the real scoop is? how the training is after the licensing. etc. i need the best shot and chance of doing things kinda my last job offer, since i live in such a rural area i need this. thanks again for any help

 

I hope you do get a good trainer also. If you don't or if you have questions just ask here. I stalk often and will always help anyone who needs it.

 

Pack your brain, leave your stupidity and mindless at home, and bring all the patience you can beg borrow or steal because you will need it. An extra thick skin will help also. You can also start practicing the mantra "Once I get through this I'll be in my own truck."

My class started with 28
After the physical and drug test we had 20
After licensing we had 10
After upgrading we had 4
Only 2 of us are still driving now.
Are you a survivor?

 

I will agree with ya on that. I am 1 of 3 from my class that is still at crs after 2 years and all 3 of us have leased and completed it. Was it smooth, no. But is it possible, yes. Do I advise it, no not really. I have only advised it to 1 friend, but he had a rare circumstance. For most I strongly advise against it. I also tell those that won't heed the advice that if they do choose to lease I will help as much as I can to make them successful.

 

I agree on that. I own the Trk now and love not being tied to crs. Freedom is nice. So is more money. JJ who you pull for?

 

We will be pulling for Landstar!

 

Soar, you have less than a year of experience and you are leasing. You probably have the gist of it but are no means ready to take on and run a business out there. There is a lot more to it then knowing how to back up and running miles. Unfortunately right now you cannot go back to company and turning in your truck will be highly costly to you. With that said I think you should try to get some owner operator learning materials and do your best to learn them. The OOIDA website has a lot of good stuff and links that can help you. I think Central did away with their mentor program so that probably isn't an option. It used to be a really good program but I think due to pride a lot of new lease drivers did not take advantage of it.

The majority of your income is going to come from refined driving. This being your fuel consumption, tires, brakes etc... Knock your speed down to under 60. Just pretend your truck is governed at this speed. You will crap yourself when you realize how much fuel you will save at this speed! Get rid of any extra weight you can. Chuck that spare tire and the rack the holds it. Go through your cab and get rid of everything you can that you don't need. Liquids, magazines, can goods, spare chains etc... Any extra weight you can get rid of will increase your fuel mileage too. Yes it is just a little bit but if you add up all these little bits it amounts to a lot. Make sure you are checking your tire pressure once a day. A slouched tire will not only eventually go bad but will decrease your fuel mileage too. SHUT THE TRUCK OFF!!!! Unless you are in the deep south turn that truck off every chance you get. Idling your truck all night will run you about $35 a night. Might as well get a hotel! Watch your turns. Extra slow around all turns. No snaking when backing. No dry turns, this absolutely eats your drives and steers. Notice that black marks in the parking lots? Also notice all that black dust blowing around truck stops and shippers/receivers, that is tire crumbs. You should be getting well over 150-175,000 on your steers. Ease up on your brakes. Use your jake whenever you can. Also use the companies brakes. Let Central pay for trailer brakes instead of you buying them for your tractor. Within reason though. Cut down on unnecessary repairs and save money on your services by finding deals and such where you can get it done cheaper. You can't really avoid or prolong services cause it will void your warranty.

Forget about going home for awhile. Every time you go home it messes up three weeks of pay plus you are paying for that truck while it sits in your yard. Take on a student if you need to boost your mileage. Make sure you are not complaining to your DM. Do everything and anything they say no matter how crappy the load. NEVER, EVER, EVER REFUSE A LOAD!!!!! This will tick of your DM and your chances of getting good miles will be null and void. Brown nose as best you can. Bring them gifts if you have to but be their best friend. Whenever you are at the terminal stop in and see them. Don't bother them but showing your face and little chats here and there let them know there is a human being on the other end of the qualcomm. Sounds gay but it is very important you stand out from all the other drivers they have. Do every favor possible that you can for them. Make their job easier! Stack your loads as best you can. You need to be a trip planning guru! As soon as you get a load on your qualcomm let them know the absolute best time you can get there. The earlier you are the better chance you have of dropping it. You can also try your best to re-schedule for early delivery. Don't let this fall in the lap of your DM. Pick up the phone and call the shipper/receiver and see what you personally can get accomplished. The earlier you get there the sooner you can get your next load. Now that you are in route and know you are going to either deliver early or drop make sure your DM is working on your next load. You really want to have a load before you deliver. After doing this for a few months your DM will realize what you can handle and they will start throwing more at you.

Watch what you are spending on the road. Treat yourself to eat out once a week at one of your favorite restaurants. Other than that, eat in the truck. Stock up at Wally world once a week or so. DVD'S AND CD'S BURN UP YOUR MONEY!!! You don't realize it but it adds up to be a lot. A lot of drivers think there is nothing else to do while you are sitting other than to turn the boob tube on and watch a movie. My wife once calculated how much we spent in a year on DVD's and CD's when we were on the road and it was well over $5000,00!!! DAVE RAMSEY, DAVE RAMSEY, DAVE RAMSEY!!! Comes on once or twice a day on satellite radio. You can also check out the his website. This guy is responsible for why we are retired at age 36! You have nothing better to do while driving down the road so listen to him on the radio. He will set you straight, I promise!

There are a ton of other things you can do to be a successful lease operator I don't want to over throw the thread and bore everyone else to death. If you need help or want more suggestions feel free to "PM" me. I use to run the mentor program when we were at Central and have lots of practice of helping other drivers out of the hole.

Hope you do not take this as an insult and I hope it helps you out there.