Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

We delivered a Freddy's load in Idaho yesterday, and the next drop was 200 miles away, 2 hours later, with the next drop being 90 miles away, 2 hours later... No one ever plans for the space in between.

I once was told to deliver in boise one morning, then deliver in Spoakne 4 hours later. when we told them we couldn't make that, since it's 350 miles away, they argued with us. Someone must have finally dug out a map, because then they decided to schedule delivery like 2 days later...

 

The load planners are professionals, and I wouldn't call them idiots, because they're not. however, they are driving desks, and only one of the 9 is an ex driver, and even he's been off a truck for more than 10 years. They don't always think about the milage involved.

And customer service? Half the time they're the ones scheduling the loads, and I'm pretty sure they don't have a map.

 

There's a test called a work well test, which involves lifting, carrying, and pushing/pulling. Be prepared to carry up to 50-75 pounds up to 53 feet, and to lift the same amount over your head. I think it's only 50, but it's been a while since I did the test. You also have to push and pull with 100 pounds of force. You should be able to do that, just brace yourself and put your weight into it.

For unloading, we don't unload much. Fred Meyer loads, nursery, and christmas trees are the primary unloads. With Freddy's, you pick up the boxes that fall off the pallets, which can be a few or a bunch, depending on how the guys loaded the trailer. For Nursery, it can be as simple as using a pallet jack to tailgate pallets and racks to the end of the trailer, or you might have to offload plants and trees by hand. For christmas trees, if you have to offload by hand, you're slinging trees, usually wrapped in wire.

I've never had to unload a full trailer. My co-driver and I tailgated a couple pallets of sushi once, and we ended up restacking 3 pallets of beer that had tipped (thank you, Coors), but not actual loading or unloading of a full trailer. Central will pay for lumpers, and I figure if the reciever wants it done right, in a reasonable period of time, the lumper is the way to go. I have a driver's license, not a lumping license. All I would do is get in the way.

As long as you can sit 9-14 hours a day, climb in and out of the truck, raise the hood, hook and drop the trailer, and shut the doors, you should be okay. I knew a gal about your size who went to school where I went. she had to hang off the nose of the truck to get the hood up, but she could do it.

 

I swear, I think that they look at your hrs and give you tight loads to make you burn through all your hrs after a 34 in 5 days. Had my 34 on sunday and today I'm up to 49. Next load I'd going to be tight on hrs bumping my 70 again.

 

Mikey, the other thing they do is when you have it all scoped out and a nce plan to even out your hours is reschedule the delivery to an earlier time and throw in an emergency that screws up the whole scheme.

 

even out hours? What's that? I can't even attempt that because it seems most of my loads are planned got 800 miles in a DOT day because of my 200 mile deadheads lol

 

When I shut down last night, I had exactly zero hrs left on my 70. Almost screwed it up to since I wasn't taking into account L4. Tonight, I shut down a little earlier. At the same trk stop in WI that I was at 2 nights ago when I got the APU fixed.

Yea HT. So rdy for it. This time next week, I'll be kicked back in an eazy chair drinking a cold one. Gotta remember to get a DOT physical while home. Mine runs out next month.

 

im starting class on mon in riverside, ca.can any1 give me the heads up on wat to expect?

 

Yup, since I am going through it right now. Expect to keep your mouth shut, eyes open, and ears listening. If you can't memorize a lot of numbers, and if you don't expect to learn how 80% of things on a truck work, then don't start your class. If it isn't something that you want to do, and have a passion for what you will be doing, then don't start your class. If you see the opportunity similarly to the way I do, then enjoy the hell out of it, and you will learn so much that you didn't know. I got behind the wheel for the first time today and it was a rush, even though I never went over 10mph. Some people may not see the job the same way I do, but I am loving every minute of being in a hot yard, crawling under trucks that have been off and on, thus making it an ungodly and hot experience. If you are doing it for something other than the paycheck, then have fun and I will see you on the road!

 

You wonna stay away from Swift