Central Refrigerated Truck Stop III

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by Lady K, Feb 19, 2014.

  1. 4noReason

    4noReason Road Train Member

    2,352
    718
    Nov 29, 2012
    0
    man thats why im not trying to leave here. because its hard (for me) to go from local back to otr or regional. Just cant see myself doing it. but if you do go otr. tankers/flatbed is where its at.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Lady K

    Lady K Road Train Member

    The FaceBook pages are:

    Rate per Mile Masters
    Revenue: Knowing Rates and Lanes
    Truckers Load Board
    Trucking with Authority

    Just to name a few, and the better ones for learning rates and lanes.
     
    Arkansas Frost Thanks this.
  4. smadronia

    smadronia Heavy Load Member

    938
    278
    May 26, 2007
    Oregon
    0
    Anything but Swiftral? :biggrin_2559:

    I've heard Terrill is good, I have a friend who bailed on Central before the assimilation, and he likes them.
     
  5. PSUMoose

    PSUMoose Medium Load Member

    665
    339
    Jun 20, 2011
    Tieton, WA
    0
    Humm...Terrill never heard of them.
     
  6. rakusa

    rakusa Light Load Member

    173
    30
    Nov 13, 2005
    0
    Made the move up to Landstar and the more I learn and see, the more I think I will stay and not go for 2 other gigs I was offered that pays very well too. Don't miss Swift at all, Central was better than Swift as ex Central folk know but Landstar is best. The last Swift insult was that trip planning suggestion spam with every load. Must be a lot of idiots at Swift or they think we are idiots to have to tell us when to take our breaks and drive based on the hours we have available. I deleted them immediately annoyed. Talk about micro managing.

    Swift is a company driver company so they can force dispatch their slaves. The following is the short version of what was an intense, 4 hour QC joust on a early Monday morning knowing all in WVC dedicated dispatch room, were reading every message like a swat standoff. I refused all calls wanting to document everything.

    I decided to test the 'no' forced dispatch for LoOO's and was 1for2 getting threatened to get booted off the fleet on the second...but when I lobbed "Phoenix dispatch said no forced dispatch for OO's and Denver safety said same... shall I call them to clairfy and sort me out?" they backed off like vampires when the sun came up. After ##### slapping them with that, I spun it into my doing them a favor by doing that easy Tcall and forced them to dispatch me south for the winter/(until I left for LS :) ) ..... to do it and they agreed=WIN... This happened in mid January

    So I ran south of 40 for the next 5 weeks then resigned signing off a week after... on good terms getting a thanks for your service letter from Richard Stocking 'stamped' signature. When I turned in my QC and all, the tech's in the parts room told me a lot of OO's left for Landstar so I must be one of or the last to go.

    In a nutshell, other than being on the fleet for over 4 years and getting threatened the boot for my second decline (within 4weeks) starting that chess match, they and everyone throughout Central/Swift have been superbly wonderful.

    The bureaucracy of Swift is the not so wonderful but unavoidable in a mammoth company.

    My first load at Landstar, picked it called the agent... got the load info and that was it. Got loaded and texted the agent, delivered a day early (1400mi) and sent a unloaded text. Landstar just wants the signed BOL for pay purposes, scanned and sent to them from my truck . No arrived, unloaded times or any macro's for anything... needed minor fix for the gladhands on trailer and called LS trailer mx and that was it, Boss shops took care of the rest with LS, no macros, no waiting.

    Every number for different reasons I called so far has been answered with no waiting 24/7. Yes they are a smaller company but the beauty of it doesn't change the fact that by not waiting at length every call to get something done relieves me of the torturous waiting at Swift and reminds me of how I took that for granted at Central, although Central does not come close to Landstar in many other ways.

    The only issue is booking my loads can mostly only be done M-F 6-6 but I have only completed one load so I am guessing on this. Picking where and when I want to go with the only small influence being how much I want per mile is bliss. One oddity, with all the people I read on these boards wanting to drive for Landstar, there was only 4 of us in orientation.

    The MC 50, unlike Swift's MC 200 only has HOS, Inbox and compose, no compose mac 0-50+=relief... so buy a truck and see you at the Star.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2015
  7. Lastkidpicked

    Lastkidpicked Medium Load Member

    686
    4,512
    Aug 17, 2007
    Colorado
    0
    Hey, everybody! Wanted to give you all a tip:

    You notice how there are Central Refrigerated logos still around? Mudflaps, thermometers, log books, and all that stuff? Make sure that you hold on to some of that stuff.

    When Central bought us, I was driving for D Simon Trucking and I grabbed a few Simon mudflaps and things like that out of the dumpster. I'm glad I did, because I have that stuff hanging up in my garage and it's kind of cool to see it once in a while.

    So whether you love or hate Central, start collecting things that have the logos on them. I promise you that 10 years from now you'll be glad you did!

    I wish I had even more Simon stuff from the old days. That's why I still have my Simon (Central) truck in my avatar.
     
  8. ChromeDome

    ChromeDome Road Train Member

    3,706
    2,086
    Jun 10, 2007
    Lakeland, FL
    0
    I keep playing the local game lately.
    On my 3rd company since leaving Central heck, 6 years ago now I think. Stayed at Heartland for over 4 years. At a regionally known Furniture company now, running Florida, but leaving in a few weeks for Saddle Creek Logistics in Lakeland FL. Seems like a good move. Close to the same money and only 5 days per week, as apposed to 6-7 days a week now.
    Yea, pay is not OTR money. I make just over 50 per year. But being home every day is nice. And some room to move up in company I am going to.
    I seem to see more Swift trucks hauling the Central trailers these days than I do Central marked trucks.
     
  9. Lastkidpicked

    Lastkidpicked Medium Load Member

    686
    4,512
    Aug 17, 2007
    Colorado
    0
    Nice to see you posting here again, Chrome!
    Hard to believe it's been six years already! Funny how in trucking, the weeks drag on forever but the years just fly by!
     
  10. nomadtrucker

    nomadtrucker Light Load Member

    213
    84
    Feb 19, 2011
    Buffalo, NY
    0
    Originally, Central was going to be a division of Swift but they changed their mind and made everything all the same. There was a mass exodus of experienced drivers and a lot of them went to KoolTrans that is run by Jon Isacson who was the CEO of Central. I am working there now and the family atmosphere is nice. We currently have about 70 drivers and they will be expanding to about 500 when all is said and done.
     
    scottied67 Thanks this.
  11. PSUMoose

    PSUMoose Medium Load Member

    665
    339
    Jun 20, 2011
    Tieton, WA
    0
    What are they paying? Their site just says "top pay"
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.