Follow me through Central Refrigerated training

When are you supposed to get to the terminal? Sorry I used all the water washing the road off

 

Won't hit bus term til midnite. 645 roll call. I'll hose off in yard. When u leavin?

 

Scheduled to leave around noon Tuesday after my trainers meeting.

 

For some good eats see if you can catch a shuttle to the chinese buffet about two blocks down from the terminal. I assume your doing a 34 while you wait for your trainers meeting?

unloader

 

We went to Chilis tonight were planning on hitting the buffet tomorrow. Also yep working a 34 but already dieing to get back out there.

 

Hey all,

Just wanted to introduce myself, as well as add a little to this thread and to the other Central threads.

First, I'm a bit of a forum lurker. I've been browsing this forum for well over a year, going back to when I first started thinking of driving a truck. Thankfully the knowledge I gained from here, allowed me to avoid one trucking company (which I almost went with) that I will not name at this time...but if you guessed England I wouldn't say wrong guess...lol. Also reading this forum extensively gave me insight into a few companies that, for the most part, train and treat their newbs right. This is what lead me to Central.

A bit of my story. I've spent a good portion of my younger years (9 years to be exact) in the US Army (Military Police). The last 8 years of my life I've spent as an EMT/Paramedic. Between those periods, I've held various other jobs, you name it, I did it...but one thing that I've always wanted to tackle, was driving a truck. Again, thanks to quite a bit of the info I gathered here, plus my own research, led me to choose Central. And having been down Central's career path going on 2 month's now, I thought it would be good to give back to the community here and share a little of my Central story.

I applied to Central back in early Feb. After a bit, I got accepted and climbed aboard Greyhound for the trip to Fontana in early March. My training at Fontana mirrors almost to a T what has been described before, so I'll skip over the fine details in favor of a more generalized overview. As has been said before I'm sure, Central's training, and in particular the school at Fontana, is truly what you make of it. Show up on day 1 with high BP, felonies or DWI's you haven't disclosed, a bad attitude, and you will be heading home as soon as you get there. Our class had 19 people on day 1. Out of that, 7 made it the yard, and 6 made it to their trainer's truck. 6 out of 19. So if you're considering Central, get your stuff squared away before the journey there. See your doc if your BP is out of whack. Disclose ALL your past criminal activities. Don't try and hide stuff. Central will, and DOES call your references as well as your past employers. I spoke to all my friends and past coworkers that were on my application, and they all stated that Central called them. The way I see it, the vast majority of those who get sent home early, get sent home for issues they should have told their recruiters. As far as the training, the classroom stuff is pretty straight forward. Pay attention in class, study a little, and you'll do fine. Once you graduate to the yard (day 5), listen to the instructors there, again pay attention, and relax. It may seem daunting at first, but in no time you'll learn everything you need to know, and passing the CDL exam will be a piece of cake (I passed mine on Friday, 6 training days after I got to the yard). As you'll be told plenty of times, just getting your CDL is one small step. A much larger step will be surviving your trainer...lol. You'll be with your trainer a minimum of 28 days, 200 driving hours, and 40 back-ups. Use this time to your advantage. Pick your trainer's brain. Ask questions. But most importantly be safe and learn all you can. 28 days goes by pretty quick. And in the end, you'll be back at a terminal, upgrading, and getting your own keys.

As far as me, I upgraded on day 28 with my trainer at CRSWVC. Upgrading was no sweat, and I upgraded away from my home so I could get a few loads under my belt before my much needed hometime. That was a few weeks ago, and after hometime I've been out here cruising the countryside earning less than minimum wage (lol not really) and loving every minute of it. Well, maybe not EVERY minute...but close.

So that's my story. As I said before, I felt as if an introduction was in order, and hopefully I can give back in some small way at some point in repayment for all the info I've leached from this place. If you've got any questions or comments, I'd be most happy to answer back...either here or in PM's. And lastly, I'm sure I'll get to meet some of you out there on the road at some point. I look forward to it.

 

Treputt

Welcome to the forum.

 

Do any of u come to the Atlanta area. I would like to know that I'm talking with real people.

 

Isn't the Atlanta group only in Conley for classroom training and then they are bussed up to CRSWVC for their yard training and testing?

I am pretty sure that's the case... so you could potentially run into any of us in west valley.

unloader

 

No sorry I'm west cost only. The farthest east I go is Springfield, Missouri. Even then only once per student so they can get a nice long run in. The majority of what I drive is CA, OR, WA. Like unloader said you can catch me at crswvc every month or so to upgrade/pickup a student.

Unloader can vouch that I am a real flesh and blood driver.

Pm me if you want to chat.