Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

Same thing here. Load times have tightened to the point that I have had countless repowers in the last 4 months. Never had one before. Never late on a load. I dont know if it is coincidental with the buyout but it started happening shortly afterwords.

In fact, I didn't even think of the reason for tight loads until a swift driver walked up to me and said "Have you noticed any changes?"

At first I said no. Then, that's when it started me thinking of my tight loads and repowers.

Haven't got hometime on the due date since about that time either. Was suppose to be home 12/24 for Christmas. Got home on the 27th. Was home on due date every time before.

My contract is up on 03/15. I'm either going back into business for myself (hated it after 20 years) or taking a local job that has been offered to me.

I remember why I actually did go into business for myself now. I can't stand incompetent employers.

 

Yep... He was and still is very professional. Had a clean truck, stopped for showers and even taught me a few things

Now Klingon's trainer used him as a spare log book!! Had him driving nights for the most part, would play his music LOUD while K was trying to sleep (and needless to say, not the type of music K listens to) and kept the truck inside temp so cold (his trainer wasn't a small man) K said the only time he was warm was in a shower or in the bunk... The upper bunk... Even while the truck was rolling! Thankfully the only learning K needed was the Qualcomm and current regulations (he had been an O/O in the 80's)...

 

TeamKlingon, I think we would all really like to hear what Klingon thinks is the biggest change that he has seen after getting back into the business.

 

My trainer had a whistle too. Its a good thing because there was no other way to wake him up, almost had to punch him w/o a whistle

 

I'll ask him...

 

Thanks, I'd like to hear from another driver who got out and then back in.

One thing that has really changed is how we USED to get our commercial endorsement (this was before the CDL):

I was 18 years old and working at a lumberyard. In the morning I would help pretrip the cabovers, and if a driver was running late I'd drive the cabover out of the yard and out of the way. At the end of the day I would bring the trucks back into the yard for the night.

The boss's boss must have seen this and thought I had a commercial endorsement. He tells me to take one of the trucks across town for new tires. Well, I'm 18 and this is my first job off the farm so I don't argue, I just go. Halfway there I notice that I'm driving right past the DMV. I pull in, no appointment or anything, and take the written test. Then the tester picks up his clipboard and leads me outside to the truck.

I keep waiting for somebody to ask how the truck got there in the first place, considering I didn't have the commercial endorsement yet, but nobody asked. The tester climbed up in the passenger side of the cabover, gave me the nod, and we drove around the block.

Twenty minutes later I walked out of there with my commercial endorsement.

Looking back on it, I still can't believe how easy it used to be!

 

I think its good we moved to more training. My uncle was a driver in the good ol' days of easy endorsements. One day he was going down a mountain too fast and smoking his brakes. Fortunately this was also the time when having a cb and having it on was the norm and another driver explained stab braking to him. Might've saved his life, but a little training before they throw you down a mountain has to have improved safety for the newbies. Now if only we could teach them etiquette...

 

Got my first commercial license back in early eighties as I was delivering kitchen cabinets to worksites. My experience was exactly same. Just walked in and half hour later walked out with what was then called a chauffeurs license but included vehicles up to eighteen wheels and 80,000lbs. Used to joke that I was licensed to drive a semi, even though I didn't know how. Fixed that in 2008 when I first started with Central.
On another note, etiquette SHOULD be taught by the trainers, but in this day of trainees being taught by drivers with only 6 months experience themselves and not being taught by their trainers, it just doesn't get done anymore. Fortunately, my trainer was one of those guys who had been doing it for 30 years, a real old timer. Learned a lot of very valuable info from that guy that I still use today.
My two biggest peeves is four wheelers that merge onto the interstate expecting me to move over or slow down for them. The second is other drivers who blind me with their high beams at night to signal me over when I have passed them. Use brights during the day, but lights off at night.
Just my two bits worth. Rant over.

 

I got my chauffeurs license the same way only DMV guy asked how the truck / trailer got there I drove it from home so I told him that I drove it he said GOOD ENOUGH lets do the REST of your road test , and since you passed the written you will be driving it home as well..

 

lol these posts are hilarious