Any advice for a new reefer driver

If I've said it once, I've said it a 100 times, and I'll say it again. Your temp controlled experience is all going to depend on who you're working for and what kind of freight and customers constitutes the bulk of their business, and if they do a lot of broker loads.

 

Just remember Broker loads in the food business suck... so whoever you haul for ask them if they have customers or brokers. I haul cereal every now and then.. and Just about every single time I go to a new place they suck.. Horrible wait times, receiver always complains about a crinkled box, just a mess.. If it were me I'd go dry van.. less headache of the 2

 

Lock your doors in the Salinas valley and learn the split sleeper berth rule

Count on 430 am drops and no drop and hook

 

If your sitting too long at a stop,tell them your reefer just ran out of fuel and you won't be responsible for the freight.Also,it's good to get a couple of thermometers and put one in the back and one halfway so you always have a good idea what the trailers temperature actually is.If your hauling produce make sure the product isn't ripe,for example tomatoes shouldn't be red when you pick them up,or they'll be rotten by the time you reach the dock.Every product is different,so don't be afraid to talk to other drivers.Make certain because usually any rotton freight will be on you(or your company).Good luck and be safe.

 

Produce picks can go 15-20 hours . Like 5/7 picks . On average to fill a trailer . Then haul ### to Chicago or Jersey. It’s pretty country but if you’re parked in the street waiting on a pick just be secure . Never had problems just CYA.

 

You need to start putting on pants, trainer does nothing on one load. Or three four etc. You need to know if you can move 48K in soda cans to small wood in a few hours and then drive a full day.

When something snags a hair ball into the shipper or reciever, then your trainer will step in and monitor you as you deal with the problem. It's the only way you will learn.

My last student was my spouse (Excluding a whole bunch of CDL temps for auto and manual at Auction house on truck sale days. (I was crew boss) and once I understood what she was made of with driving, I went ahead and built a reefer team inside of two weeks on her. By the third she was solving problems at shippers and receivers to my satisfaction. The one thing I did not impose on her is a full 48000 pound live unload or load to or from the reefer floor. We shared that work due to limitations etc. Being married in those years I already knew what she was capable of and did not want to hurt her physically going beyond because FFE intended us to be a reefer team.

 

Try to get weekly salary $1700 at minummi. With the refeer no way you going to get 3000 miles a week.

 

Taint so.

We were a reefer team and ran LA to Avenel NJ every or so hours, do a round trip of about oh... 2700 miles in about 6 days and change. Call it 48 hours one way. 6400 miles more or less.

The money takes care of itself running that hard. Locals on both ends took care of the live loading or unloading while we just rolled.

Between Little Rock and Memphis supporting a drop yard with high dollar trailers for teams going west I would turn in 3000 miles a week. I was not paid miles however for that particular work. They handed me a certain amount each day and I did not have too much to worry about. Except Memphis.