Central Refrigerated Truck Stop III

It used to be that Central required Hazmat and paid for it. Then, as Ice Train said, it suddenly became more expensive as it requires fingerprinting and a background check.

So then it was no longer required (and not paid for), and load planners could see if you have hasmat or not, and knew if they could set you on a load that needed the endorsement.

It came up one time when Central had me pick up a load of car batteries for Kmart/Sears. They asked if I had the endorsement before they assigned me the load.

Then I'm pretty sure we sold our dry vans, so it may not matter any more.

BUT...

Why not make yourself more marketable? Take all the endorsements you can get, because it might make the difference between taking another job or not. Or at the very least, it might make the difference between taking a hazmat load or sitting another two days for a non hazmat load.

 

I ran a couple hazmat load last year as back hauls when I was on coors. I refused to haul the loads unless they paid up, I was reimbursed an extra 100 bucks for each load. I don't think it's right for a low baller company to force hazmat on you just because you have the endorsements. In my opinion if you have something that they need and didn't require you to get they should pay you for it period!! Hauling hazmat loads requires a lot more diligence and attention than a reg non HM load. IE the routes you can take, the places you can park and god forbid if you happen to be explosive or flammable placarded and you want a cigarette lol.

 

What I remember most was that the shipper was very specific about the route.

"If there is a lot of traffic when you leave, then the left turn is hard to make. But don't turn right or you'll go through a school zone and this hazmat load is not allowed through the school zone."

And Ice Man, you are correct. It paid a bonus that was on a separate line. Mine was only $60, but I accepted the load without knowing about the bonus, so it was just a little extra honey on the biscuit for me.

 

I have doubles/triples, have since before I went to work for Central. I had Hazmat for 5 years, but I gave it up this past fall because we never needed it, and I didn't see the point in paying for another background check and fingerprinting. I guess I'm hard to fingerprint, so I didn't feel like giving it a shot again. No sense, because I'm not hauling hazmat with Swiftral, and if I leave, I'm not staying in the industry

 

I just got mine in ohio a few months ago in ohio. Then when I moved to Illinois. Had to have a fresh fingerprint so I had to pay for it all over again. But they ended up coming back the next day. Even though they said 4-6 weeks.

I almost got got use out of it last week when they had a local hazmat load. But I was out with the 24hr flu for a day so I couldn't do it(that 24hr flu kicks your butt). They ended up giving it to another carrier. Guess no one else in the area has it.

 

Hazmat and doubles ar like gold here at Haney. I have seen drivers dead head over 400 miles to get a load on a set or that is hazmat, and that is a ton considering our average haul is 250-300 miles.

On a side note I saw my first Swiftral truck today in Tieton, WA (where I live) a white freightliner. I was going to takedown the truck number, but then he tried to merge into me so I sped up.

 

swiftral as in a swift pulling a central trailer? or a truck with swift and central logos on it?

 

Saw this today and realized I must not have received all my decals

 

What a week... Put my truck in a terminal shop with a minor issue, while running a systems check on the truck, they discover an electrical issue and it gets sent off to Freightliner. So I sit in a hotel for a 6 days calling to check on the status of my truck, waiting on a part, no sign of it coming back anytime soon. Yesterday, I ask my DM to find me a truck, he tells me to clean out my truck, put whatever I can't carry in storage at the terminal. So I get a shuttle to take me to Freightliner, which is an hour drive one way, and while in the process of cleaning out my truck the dm comes back with a greyhound ticket from a bus terminal an hour and half from the terminals location. He puts $100 for cab fare for when I arrive in the city where the truck is located. Well there was no way I could make it to the bus terminal in time, even if I had a ride to get there, since the terminal shuttle wouldn't take me that far, and cab fare was quoted for at least $120, which would have left me no cab fare for when I arrived and out $20(after my reimbursement issue, which has yet to be resolved, I'm not paying out of pocket if I can avoid it). Talking with the locals at the terminal, I find that there's a greyhound station they will take me too that's only 30 mins away. I call greyhound to see what I can do about switching the ticket over. Nothing, ticket is paid for and is good for a year as long its that route but I can pay $20 to take that route at a different time. Still I have no way to get there. So I end up staying another night at the hotel with plans to fix it all in the morning. Easier said than done... Phone call after phone.... round and round... I'm getting kicked back one from person to the next and back again. No one has answers on how to get me a new ticket the closer greyhound terminal. Around noon, eastern, they stopped answering my calls... I couldn't get hold of anyone in my home terminal. So I sit, keep dialing every 15 mins or so... talked with the swifty driver window a few times, he tries sending some messages over the computer, no one is answering, no one is calling back. Apparently someone from the office staff brought my situation to the terminal manager here... Within 5 mins of talking with the guy, I was seated in a truck on site. As I'm walking around trying to locate the truck, I see my truck pulling into the terminal, fresh from Freightliner.... Not sure all this hassle was worth it at this point... On the bright side of things, the truck I'm now assigned to is newer, has some fancy features, and a better radio! I suppose I'm now ready to face whatever trials and tribulations that are thrown my way and since I sent in a home time request as soon as stepped into this truck, I'm probably facing one sooner than later.