Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

And then came the snow! Well, I got delayed so it looks like 3 easy days creeping to my 99. Merry Christmas all! Saw what happens when someone sets their trailer brakes in 9 degree weather this morning. He was stuck at 5am. He had rubbed bald spots in his tires dragging it around the rest area by 2. I tried to tell him he had to get all the ice out of the drums until the wheels turned. He was still at it at 3:30 when I left. Glad someone taught me about that before winter ever got here. Anyway, be safe y'all!

 

it doesn't take long either, to freeze those tandems!!

 

that'll teach him for applying the trailers. and it may not have been frozen brakes. it's also a common problem for a valve under neath the tractor to ice up. so that the trailer doesn't receive any air at all to release the brakes or air up the suspension. that always ends up being my problem.

and a can of spray brake cleaner works really good at dissolving ice.

 

I almost got paid back. I turned the truck off last night, -5 degrees. Well my air bled down and the brakes got stuck! Lol. Luckily they had frozen before they released so I was actually able to rock back and forth and get them to let go. Then I had to pull over because one of my drives was melting so much ice I thought it was on fire. Ice fell out and I only had to stop long enough to watch it let go. Where's that valve at Snowwy? Does it depend on the trailer?

 

underneath the truck. usually on the drivers side. but that's pete and kw. never driven a FL.

if the company keeps up on the water driers. you probably won't have any problems. as long as you drain the air tanks of any water that may have accumulated during your drive time. which not many do.

 

Does Central run northeast much? I live in Mass. I see them on ocasion at Flynn's Truckstop in Shrewsbury.

 

Feels like we run North-everywhere quite often. I spent a few weeks running from GA to Houston but the rest of the time has been in the north, East to West and a lot of Central (anywhere 5 hrs from Chicago).

 

Well we tried to wait out chain controls, and it bit us in the ..... We were able to skirt around Parley (84 to 15 and down), but NV got us. The summit between Wendover and Wells (plus at the time we stopped about 80 other miles across NV). Thinking we could wait, they would plow, and we could go over without chaining... LOL!! Yeah, didn't happen!!! However, we did wait long enough that that was the only place we had to chain... Sigh... What a time to figure out you forgot to put the winter gloves in the truck, and your shoes are woefully lacking for winter wear!! I guess it's time to go shopping, because I have a feeling (especially with the lane we are on) this won't be the last time we have to 'throw iron'...

 

Can you guys explain what the lumpers are and how they work? I thought the company you drop the load at has there own people to unload there stuff? Is a lumper some independent person who does it on behalf of the company? How come I've heard that sometimes the trucker has to pay the lumper to unload it? Don't quite understand the whole lumper thing? Can you guys explain it to me?

Thanks!

 

Lumpers are folks that unload your load for you, for a fee. A while ago, warehouses learned it's cheaper to let a lumping service into their warehouse, and let that lumping service charge drivers to unload than it is for them to hire an unloading crew and unload trucks. So, lumpers are all over.

When you check in you'll find out if the place you're going to uses lumpers or not. They'll ask if you're going to do it, or if you're going to hire a lumper. If you choose the lumper, you take the unloading paperwork to them, and they give you a price. You return with the money, pay them, and they unload your truck, break down the freight. Then, you pick up your paperwork. Sometimes you have to take the paperwork to the reciever to get it signed, other times the lumpers make sure it's done.

With Central, we pay using comcheks, unless some driver really wants to pay cash, and the lumping service accepts it. When we get a price, we go out to the truck, and send in a message requesting the comchek express code. Once it shows up, we fill out the check, take it to the lumpers, and get a receipt. Then, when we turn in our paperwork, we include the receipts, along with the purchase order that was issued when we requested the comchek. That way, when our paperwork is received, they match the receipt to the po number, and we don't get charged for the lumping fee. Sometimes, if you don't get your paperwork in right away, they charge you for the lumper, and reimburse you once the receipt arrives, or the check clears.

As a driver, I've never paid out of pocket for lumping expenses. I can't say that's the same at every company, I've only worked for this one. And I only unload my own truck if it's something tiny, or all I need to do is drag it off the trailer or to the end. Central will pay a lumping company $519 to unload my trailer of candy, but when I was an OTR driver I would get paid something like $16 an hour, max of 4 hours, to do the same load. I'd rather Central pay the lumpers, they generally charge it back to the company anyway.