Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

Sorry Mikey had already answered.

 

Waving at you from 70 miles north of you :smt039

 

May have to go to the 49er so I can use my Xmas bonus!

 

I'm sorry if this question has already been asked but there's an awful darn lotta posts here and I can't read every single one cause it would take forever to do that. That being said - can someone tell me the differences (in the amount of work you have to do) between van and reefer? My hubby is new to OTR and will only drive van because all he WANTS to do is drop and hook which is fine if you can find it but that doesn't happen often. I'm a bit more willing to work, shall we say, but I don't want to kill myself either. Flatbeds are OUT - there is no way I could handle the tarps and tie downs and stuff.... I'm too old for that. Not interested in car carriers since I've been told you have to load and unload them yourself and I wouldn't want to damage any new vehicles. So, I'm down to trying to decide between a reefer and a van. Starting driving school in Jan or Feb 2011 (whenever I can get the financing finalized) and am "researching" what I want to do NOW so I know who to apply to later. Which pays better, is it possible to do some "local" stuff with reefers (need to be home every night since hubby is OTR), what kind of responsibilities do you have on a reefer vs what you have with a van..etc. Perhaps you could explain to me what it would be like to take a typical load on a reefer, versus a typical load on a van. Thanks in advance!

 

Not that much difference between a van and a reefer. A reefer just has another motor on it that you'll need to check, learn how to read the codes, how to set the temps, and a few other things. Reefer can be used both as a reefer or as a dry box.

 

reefer loads deliver most of the time between 11pm to 4am at night and you will hire a lumber to unload it which will take (HOURS) dry box much better, daytime deliverys straight pull off any where from 15 min. to 1 hour depending on how the guy fews that day, (at grocery warehouse's) homeless people are treated 100 times better than a truck driver, you will be treated like CRAP

 

As you will be a new driver, don't plan on local work and being home everyninght, as a new driver you will be over the road for at least a year to get expeirence, most places that hire local want two years expierience however.

You may be better off checking with like Coke, or Pepsi or your local beer distributor to drive local. I know pepsi will train you, don't know about coke.

 

Of course you could call, and get some shipping manager who has no idea how trucks get to his shop. I had one person tell me to go the wrong way on a one way street.

See my signature

 

You know I must be experiencing a different universe than you. The produce shippers I have been to were friendly and loaded us quickly. the biggest issue we had with shipper and receiver was dry and it took forever to load and unload. The produce places loaded us at 1pm and 6pm. Even had a conversation with one about ways to prep and cook his produce. One of the other produce shippers came out to us as I was backing in to the waiting area..

Even our Bud load and unload was done quickly.

Course I could tell they weren't use to a friendly trucker..

 

never did like going to the safeway in tracy, always an early AM appointment and they are slow as molasses in winter