K&B refer

Not sure if there's another thread on here about K&B so I thought I would write one. Based in Sioux city IA. They haul a lot of Tyson, ect. They haul broker stuff too, but mostly they have their own deals. Decent ins at 50 bucks a week. Safety bonus program, and they guarantee 2500 miles a week at .41 to start. You'll get your minimum. I had a week at 3200 miles. Been here a couple months and all is well on that front. Have been treated pretty well. No complaints. Equipment is as good as any, better than a lot I've seen. Cascadia mid roof. I recommend Joe for a dispatcher, if you can get assigned to him. Worth asking for. Nothing against the new kids, but I prefer dealing with seniors as I am one myself. Also, Joe understands certain things about being out here. Stuff you cant get from a training course. The kids do just fine, but they are for the generation after me.

They are pretty strict on their logs, but that's cool. They give plenty of time for you to get there and they take care of trip planning for you. Their good about that. All you have to do is keep the door shut and drive the speed limit. It's that simple. Plenty of time for restroom breaks.

Here's why I'm quitting. I wanted to try something other than dry van so I tried refer. I had heard that refers run mostly at night and that is definitely the case here. I underestimated how much night driving there was. If fact, there are several issues with refer in general that I don't / didn't understand. Lots of little things I don't like.
Will start a thread on that later. I know different drivers prefer driving at different times. Myself, I have no problem with heavy daytime traffic. I enjoy watching the leaves change and seeing storms blow in. I like looking at old cars and trucks and enjoy driving over the rivers and thru the woods. I have no problem with chaining up, in the daytime. { Just for the record, chaining up is voluntary at K&B } Constant night driving offers none of that. Tonight, I am going to drive thru Kentucky. Normally I look forward to that. At night, I will miss it. Again.

They are a regional company, mostly the cornbelt and surrounding states. I miss Or, Ca, Va, ect. I miss the desert. I miss the mountains. While being here, I have learned that my personal region has BIG water on two sides of it and the other two sides have border guards. Cant believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss the endless nothing that is I90.

At K&B, get used to empty fuel lanes and truck stops. The lot is packed full, but there's nobody around. No fresh food. No civilian's in short skirts. McDonalds only has breakfast. If your on this forum, you probly know what 3am is like at the pilot. Kinda dead. Kinda barren.

If you are the solitary type, If you like driving at night, If you can sleep thru the day, This might be a good option for you. I didn't care for it. I need the sun, more than half the time. The pattern here seems to be load in late afternoon, evening, drive 3, 4, maybe 500 a night and deliver in the morning. 3 or 400 seems to be about the average. Then lay out till you do it again. That's my other problem. I cant lay still that long. Too many years working all day. I sleep as much as I can, but then I get squirmy. The result of that is a constant fight with the sandman around 4/5 o'clock am. { Gonna start a thread on that too, unless there already is one. } Occasionally, I can put up a good fight. But the constant struggle is leaving me with doubts. A man can only drink so many monsters and then it gets dicey.

Anyway, that's my personal thing with K&B. Pretty decent bunch of folks, just not my cup of tea. Others might find them perfect.

 

http://askthetrucker.com/trucker-tells-all-about-safety-in-trucking-on-abcs-2020/

Had no idea. That driver was much nicer than I would have been. MUCH NICER. I would have exploded. Thank you for making me aware of this.
I drove for crst before this and if you called in they generally thanked you for showing good judgment and would adjust the delivery time accordingly. A couple hrs nap can make a huge difference. My response to the kb dispatcher would have been do you want me out of the truck right here or brought in to the terminal after I nap?

Gotta say, so far I have not had any kind of experience like that. Hope I never do. Doubt I could be as graceful as that driver. My hats off to him for playing it cool.

 

A person sent me a pm and I don't have the post count to reply. Hopes he checks back on this thread.

Your hearing problem is the only stopper that I see. Might want to get tested at a dot physical place. If only checking your hearing, the cost shouldn't be that much. I have no knowledge of hearing aids or if they are allowed. Your work history s no problem. CRST only goes back 3 months. They are whats called a driver mill and the easiest to get into. If you can climb in and out of the back of a trailer, your good. Call them if you wish and they can answer most of your questions. Each one is slightly different. Craigslist is a great source of phone numbers for trucking companies. All the big dogs are there in the transportation section. I think K&B requires one year otr. They don't train.

 

T Trucker, That's interesting. Goes to show how things can be so different in this business.
Shout out to PattyJ And her man!! Cant be all bad if he stayed 12 yrs. I spoke with another driver who had 5/6 yrs with them. He loves it. I guess it's just about what each person likes.