Central Refrigeration Service, Inc. - West Valley, Ut.

I just so everyone is clear so they wont mistake me as a newbie and chrome dome you are quite right about someone who is just starting out in the business to wait for a year before attempting a lease. I how ever have 2.5 years commercial otr prior to going to central. and a lot as a truck driver in the military and in several different countries all totaled of about 15 yrs behind the wheel and to answer any questions they were tractor trailers not jeeps or 5 tons i hauled refers and a lot of tanks and bulldozers. I realize different equipment gets different fuel mileage based of of several factors. could his truck be an exception maybe, i am just stating what i have seen in actual numbers. would all of the w9's do the same i wouldn't think so. He had some motor work done about 9 months ago. could this quite possibly the reason for the fuel mileage increase i don't know. He is a really good trainer and he is smart and highly intelligent. well enough of beating a dead horse. I don't want to argue with anyone on here i just want to share my experiences with others both the good and bad.

With that being said i had a pretty good week made another 3200 miles and after being out 6 wks its time for me and Jess to have a little home time. We got our four legged children back and they were really happy to see us and be back in their own home again. I have to drive a short distance tonight to deliver and then my home time will officially start. I will be back out again on Friday and Jess will stay at home for a few weeks and then she will be back out on the road again as well. I guess that's it for now please stay safe and we will see you all out on the big road. JJRanch.

 

Sounds like everybody is doing pretty well. Please keep us updated.

 

To all,
Just quit with central and they are the scum of all scum. Twice since I was a driver somehow lumper receipts were never scanned or received per central total was $450, they will not get or try to get my money back. As a driver the buisness part of driving is the hardest for me to understand everything else is ok. Now that I have quit, central now has withheld my last check to pay for the school tuition. The contract states upon termination and only applies toward the student for which i'm not. There dispatch is a joke as well as the otrm and inspection bay guys. I was not terminated and quit brought trk/trl back to utah and even cleaned it out. Can anyone answer the legal part of the contract issue. I now have the utah state commision looking into it.

 

That's why you copy all paperwork and when I say all paperwork I mean ALL. I have to agree with you on the inspection safety bay it is a joke, we have had to use the otr maintenance a few times in the last few weeks, weekend in Baltimore Batteries wouldn't hold charge, Batteries were replaced within 4hrs of putting in the Macro, Rawlins Wyoming Tow truck and new starter motor were approved and fixed overnight. My next purchase will be a small hand copier so I can copy and then print out all paperwork.
I even copy all fuel receipts as I have been doing the figures on being a lease Operator, so I actually get the real mpg not what the qualcomm tells me.

 

YankeeRebel,
I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with Central.

I think that you will see that if you leave early then you will have to pay them back for the tuition.

As far as your lumper reciepts, it is too late for you, and I am sorry about that, but EVERYBODY should look at jess-juju's post and do the same thing.

 

I have to admit. I am lazy about making copys. I do however write all my info on the back of all recepts. That way if it falls on the floor at trip pac they will know where it goes. I have not had an issue during my year at Central with doing it this way. Though I have run into a few drivers whos trippacs were completly missing from trips.

With the school pay. If you are a new driver and go to there school, you are responcible for paying back whatever is remaining. It is done every week for the first year, so whatever you have left to pay, you will have to pay. You signed the contract on the first day at the school.

I hope you never plan to drive for another OTR company. You will have a hard time to find one you have no issues with. As for dispatch, they are hit or miss. They have some very good ones, and some poor ones. The dispatcher works for you though, you can allways get another.
There miles are better than most otr companys as well. Most drivers I talk to on the road average over 3400 miles a week. The ones I see that get less than that are the complainers at terminals, they are usually there because they are lazy.

 

You should have the origingals and tell them you will send them registered mail that way you have a person who signed for them as proof and then you can start a civil suit if they do not pay. Then report them to the better business bureau and I would also go as far as reporting them to the IRS, A few years back before Simon trucking was disolved, Kelli Simon and her cronie brothers were involved in a scam to milk investors out of money by fudging their profit and loss statements for the purposes of increasing their stock value and got caught. Then Simon was closed and behold Central Refrigeration was born, with the same crooks as owners, some equipment was sold off for operating start up money, just for show, she is a millionaires already but had to show where her money came from on paper. This is all true and public knowledge.

 

Chromedome, jess-juju, Brickman81, Preacherman, Lastkidpicked & any and all CRSI drivers ......



I would first like to say that I am most appreciative of all of the great information on this (and other) CRSI threads. Thanks !!

My questions have to do with the day to day chores that come along with being a reefer driver. What about ..... temp control, fueling and maintaining the reefer unit, your dock time on both ends, lumpers, etc, etc ..... How often do you need to give the interior a thorough cleaning & how / where do you do this?? Please feel free to include answers to any questions that I should have asked ... but did not.

In advance, thanks for any and all responses.

 

Hi Junipersage,
I can help you with a few of your questions and I'm sure one of the guys can help you with the rest. You will get the temp the reefer is supposed to be set at on your paperwork, you should check the temp every morning, and at least once during the day or night when you stop for a bathroom break, You WILL spend quiet a bit of time being loaded and unloaded, depends on the Shipper/receiver.
Don't get me started on the rip off Lumpers!
Some shippers will demand that you show them a trailer wash out receipt, which you pay for with a com-check (company check) There are a few Blue Beacons about. (Tractor and Trailer wash) The inside of the truck I clean frequently sometimes while we are sitting at the dock waiting to be loaded or unloaded.
The qualcomm often sends you a message saying reefer alarm, 99.9% it is just doing its cycle but check the temp anyway just to make sure, Your supposed to stop every three hrs so I usually check it on the way back from the bathroom, Yeah I'm a female and drink to much Coffee so yep I need that bathroom break every few hrs .
My Fiance JJ is back out on the road now and I'm home until the 31st May, yep you guessed it that's why I'm still out of bed reading the truckers Forum at 12.25am and yeah I was also talking to him on the phone to make sure he was still alert.
We have made some good friends at Central, JJ's trainer Paul and Remy who Paul trained after JJ, Remy was in Boise yesterday and we went and picked him up from the home depot and he came home with us and had dinner and a shower, we took him to Wally world so he could get some supplies and then he stayed the night and JJ took him back to his truck this morning or I should say yesterday morning.
If I have missed anything I'm positive one of the guys will answer your questions.
Have a great weekend
Jess

 

Is that CFI ?