Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

If they have a manual and auto setting, I'm wondering if they have a European style clutch, where you shift, but there's no clutch pedal. Maybe it will auto shift all the way up, but you can manual shift part or all of the gears for things like traffic, pulling hills, backing in? Since you're upgrading, let us know, because you'll be one of the first in the forum to know.

 

I thought trainers could get rid of their students, it's not just students ditching trainers. I'd imagine there has to be something about the student that the trainer can't handle.

I remember a few years ago I was talking to a trainer, and he got a student, things were fine for 3-4 days, and then the student mentioned he was gay. Didn't hit on the driver, it just came up, and the trainer threw him off his truck, left him at a truck stop. He was telling me this like I should agree with him, because he assumed my co-driver was my sister. It was one of the few times my co-driver ever spoke up. He left after that.

 

Dang. That's messed up. And I'd be surprised if central let them do that without repercussion. That just creates another hassle and/or expense for the company.

I talk all to my trainer a couple times a week. Said he has gone thru 5 students since I left. Not a single one has upgraded. but he's never just left one. He's had students jump ship though. He said he actually took the last one home in Washington. So he could get more miles. So he started looking for a code 2 driver. And I guess now he's back to training. He said his last student hit 2 guard rails!!

 

Twice I've picked up trainees who didn't make it. It was the same exact story each time. Trainee goes over the road and starts missing family events. Family is calling with problems that can't be solved when you're 1200 miles from home. Everybody is unhappy.

Finally trainee just throws his hands up and says, "Just send me home. I don't care how, but I'm going home."

It's rough to see people who don't make it over the road because they don't know what they're getting into.

 

we can get rid of students but not just ditch them at a truckstop. That's not right on many levels..

 

It wasn't a Central trainer, it was some other company. The guy cornered my other half and I in a truck stop, thinking we were an appreciative audience. This was late 2007 or early 2008, so I don't know how much time had passed between the incident and the driver telling us.

I have a friend was training until recently, and one of her last students was incredible. She'd been through 3 trainers in less than 3 weeks. They wanted my friend to take her out for 7-10 days for the last of the training, and she couldn't read a map, trip plan, or do much of anything, including back. My friend tried to teach her, they landed at a terminal, and the student bailed on her, and found trainer #5.

My friend saw the student again when she was upgrading, and while I don't remember all the details, the upgrade process didn't go well, and the student no longer works for the company. She was under the impression that she didn't have to learn most things because her boyfriend was also going through school, and he would take care of most of it.

And that last sentence is why I'd never be a trainer. I don't think the hiring process is selective enough for drivers. People don't know what they're getting into, and they think it's a lot easier out on the road than it is.

 

I can think of a few cases where I'd agree with a driver ditching a student at a truck stop. If a student went ballistic over something and threatened a trainer, and it seemed like a very real threat, I could see the trainer dropping the student at a truck stop, motel, or bus station.

 

I don't think enough emphasis is put on what it means to be over the road. They don't realize that they're giving up everything they love, to sit in a space smaller than a walk in closet, alone, day after day. They don't know it can take a full year to adjust.

And a lot of them think if they can just tough it out a year, they can get local work, or a different job, or a different route, and they can have their life back. And a lot of them don't make it that far.

 

Got in the 386. So here's a question. How do I put the dang thing on high idle? Also I noticed no idling system. How in the heck do they expect a company driver to stay under 30% with no auto shutoff.

 

Hello all... So I finally got a return call from Central recruiting. Took 10 days but hey.

I have spent a week or so going through this forum gathering information about the various companies offering training and settled on Central. I live in Sacramento at the moment so the recruiter said I can either train here or go to Fontana. I have read a bit about the Sac training, but not much.

I would appreciate any input y'all might have on this one. Also, how long does it take to hit the 200 hours of 'skill training'...