Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

cowboy,

nice to meet you. i am hunter aka kinghunter.

KH

 

jess, forgot to mention. in case you haven't found it already. in google earth. you click on the tools button. then click options. 3d view tab. in the middle it says show elevation. switch it from meters to feet. then you have the american inerpretation. i just wiped out my hard drive and reloaded windows. reloaded google and noticed it automatically sets at metric.

p.s. jess, would you be so kind as to pm bullet888 my email addy please, he sent a pm but i don't have enough change to respond back yet.

 

LOL I'm used to working in meters!

I have been playing with it every now and again since I am on the PC all the time.

I wish they updated the pics on a more regular basis, But I did get to check out my Bro's new house in Australia so that was cool.

 

Hey everyone! So many pages of chat to read after one week! Oh my

Made it through week one! No worries. Passed my permit test on the first try. Been in the truck twice now. The shifting is getting better and I can straightline back back like its going out of style. Offset backing, now that's another story. First time was great. Second and third time my setup was spot on, but then I blew it straightening out and going through the cones. Oh well, it'll happen. I'm not to worried about it.

Glad to hear that everyone is doing well.

Stay safe out there!

 

Good to hear its going well Techiekate!

JJ and 1bad are both going to be at WVC on Monday so go say hi!

 

Answering the question, "Why train if you have 15 years?" (I actually know the answer to this one...lol) Central won't hire experienced drivers. Everyone has to go through their training if they want employment. Part of that is that the company needs to save money, and new hires are cheaper than experienced drivers. In addition, they get goverment stipends for running the school. Central is considered a training company.
I would also like to add something. This is not get anyone paranoid or stir up fear. I believe being informed helps you to make better decisions. I did quite a bit of research on the industry and tried to get as much info on Central's financial state. Many of you already know that the industry has been effected by the economy, and so has Central. Many company's that had dedicated loads, say like paper, folded when the company closed down or drastically downsized due to do the economy. When the trucking companies no longer had these dedicated loads they began competing with other companies for loads, including Central, at a cheaper rate. According to the gov. document I read, the most affected areas were Southern Cal, parts of the Midwest, and (not sure if it was southern or northern) Eastern states. So loads are not as abundant. The good news is that refrigerated companies are doing much better than those that are not. In addition, the turn over rate for Central is almost 100% within a year. So it's not like Central is hiring more drivers that stay. IN another article I read, it said that all companies like Central have to do is close down their school for a month, and they can downsize quickly due to their turn over rate. IN yet another DOT doc I read, a major concern was the number of inexperienced drivers on the road is increasing and there is a strong correlation between those numbers and the increase in accidents. Now this is my conclusion, nothing I read. I am sure that an increase in accidents causes the company money in several ways, but two that I can think of at the moment: repairs, and insurance premiums. It probably causes a raised eyebrow from the DOT. Anyway, it's in my nature to get infomed, and not by hearsay, but by better sources. Along the way I did get some insteresting info. The goverment is planning on commercializing the public reststops ... providing restaurants, etc. The Truck Stops are up at arms at this new goverment move because they think it will provide feerce compitition since it is much more convenient to just pull over than to reach a truck stop. However, and this ISN"T something I read, just my brain concluding. These reststops may not be able to provide the needed space for trucks to park overnight. You guys know how full it gets after a certain time. IF some truck stops go out of business, will the reststops the goverment commercializes be able to provide the space? I am not sure what to think about our goverment going into business to make money...lol. In a way it would be making money twice - the goods, and then the tax.

 

I am seriously looking into taking the Central training class here in WVC since I live only 10 minutes away. I was curious as to the current crop of instructors and how they're working out for everyone?

I've been studying the CDL manual for a couple of weeks and taking the various on-line test samples. I'm averaging about 98% overall, so I feel good about the book learning portion. I've never driven anything larger than a crew-cab long-bed pickup with a 22' RV trailer behind it, so this could be quite an experience.

I've read nearly all 350+ pages to find out if Central is a better-than-average training company to start out with for a couple of years. It appears to be much better than most company-provided training situations.

I guess the real question would be, how much better/worse off would I be if I got trained at a place like Roadmasters and then tried entering the trucking world?

Thank you for the discussions. I've learned a whole lot from you all.

 

Is there any way I could meet with you two while you are here?
I live in WVC and meeting you anywhere in the valley would be no problem and very much appreciated.

I would like to speak with some truely informed Central drivers.

If you PM me, I will give you my various contact information if needed/wanted.

Thank you!!!

 

Very informative post thank you!!

It all depends on how fast you can learn as Techiekate and many others have said the Central school is accelerated.

I have Pmed you JJ's # you cant reply to a pm until you have 50 posts.

 

This was a good post and informative, until you put your opinion in about commercialized rest areas. This would not affect the truck stops at all. Truck stops as well as rest areas are full at night. I personally stayed at rest areas as much as possible. Easier to save money, also I personally dont believe this will have a negative impact on truck stops. But I believe the rest areas they are talking about are the bigger ones that already have the commercial food places already in place, that was my bit of insider opinion!