Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

If your in west memphis, chug over to Olive branch, MS central has a drop yard there, you can't stay in the drop yard, but across the street from it there is a dirt lot you can park in, nobody will bother you and you will sleep like a baby, I forget the code but it's Nabor Brothers truck services, of course the flying J in Olive branch isn't bad either. On your way to drop yard, stop in at one of the two pilots next to each other and grab a quick shower then slip on down 78 to old 78 and take your break there.

 

If you think the truck stops there are bad, go a few blocks West. There are armed guards at the grocery store.

 

Ok I got the inside scoop on the wrecked trailer at Conley. The driver was broke down on 285. He was off the rode far enough, and had his triangles out. SouthEastern driver choose the moment he was about to pass him to pay attention to his phone and took off the side of the trailer..

Course if the SouthEastern driver had pulled over like he should have ..... well you know the rest..

I saw the pictures and the product actually looked untouched...

 

Been to the J in Olive Branch.. fairly quiet and clean... The restuarant is closed though..

 

I made a comment in the past about CPM not being the end all of pay.
I have a good example of that from an interview that I did the other day.

Ok, for basic information about where I am starting from in this.
At the moment I am making .425 cpm.
My company will pay stop pay for all extra stops. Not for pickup or final. Pretty standard.
No detention pay. But not detained more than once or twice a month for a few hours.
40 bucks layover pay. You get it when they feel like it.
Medical is 94 bucks a week and will not cover crap. Has a 1000 dollar per person deductible.


Ok. Company I interviewed with the other day.
.32 cpm single, .435 cpm double (turnpike double 48's)
10 bucks per stop all stops.
10 bucks per hour all wait time.
Pays odometer miles.
Medical is Blue cross. Upper tier. 20 bucks a week. 500 dollar deductible.
Home every weekend, and usually a few nights a week.
pays 52 dollars a night for all nights you are away from home. Basically full perdiem.
If driver wants to unload product they pay the driver the full lumper rate. Or will pay lumpers if you do not want to unload.

Ok, so once I got the basic info I had him pull up pay stubs for drivers.
The single trailer drivers that cannot do doubles are making 650-750 per week. Home most nights.
The drivers that pull doubles are making 1000-1400 per week. Home every weekend and normally 2 nights a week.

I had thought that pulling turnpike doubles would pay better than they do. But it is still not looking too bad.
They have very comprehensive benefits. Not too large of a company.
You work for an account. You are dedicated to that account.
This one happens to be icecream. Not really my favorite.
Loaded out. And most of the time empty back. Pay is the same both ways.

It looks to me that with the way the benefits are set up and the rates. I will probably net about the same money each week as I do now. Maybe more some weeks.
Even though the normal single per mile rate is 10 cpm lower than I get now.
Plus I can have a life again. You get home Friday afternoon and head out monday morning.
May be what I am looking for.
Working on setting up a second interview now. First was a phone one. Second will be meeting on the road somewhere. Or at their terminal. About 30 miles from the house.

Have another line on a local running Mattresses. Not sure on that yet. Have not found out the rate. It is local and home every day. Hourly pay.

 

CAT say I am at 81080. So here I sit waiting for Kraft to get around to off loading some of this weight

 

Springfield MO?

 

I was stupid today! ##### Proctor and gamble! Got a ticket for being overweight on my drive axles... Used the scale at the shipper and it was at 34000. Stopped in Altoona, IA for 55 gallons of fuel since the whole load is about 46k in a reefer . Parked the truck. went in to get my fuel receipt. wet to eat lunch. Got back in the truck... and drove off. Drove all the way to the state scales in Lincoln, NE. And this happens....

DOT: Driver pull around back and bring in your registration, log book and license.
Me: **F -me!**
drive around and park, go inside the building.
DOT: The reason I pulled you in was because you were 34,700 on your drive axles.
Me: But i have this slip from a state certified scale in IA.
DOT: We need to go by what our scale says here.
Me: **Sigh** hands license and registration. "My log book is electronic"
DOT: *goes to check license and reg then comes back** "the fine is $123, or if you post bond, It is $150. You can pay by cash, credit card, or certified check. What would you like to do.?
Me: Well I was going to give this to my lawyers. so Ill post bond.
DOT: we can only take cash if you are posting bond. And I knew you'd say that so I didnt write anything up yet. You ARE going to get a ticket though. If you just pay the $123 I wont write up the inspection so it doesnt go onto your CSA record.
Me: Where do I sign?

 

Norcross.. I think they are completely redoing the load.. I will rescale it anyway..

$123 is better than the $299 lesson I learned.. Only certified scale worth being on says CAT on it.. That way if you get a ticket they will pay it.

 

Mike, Got one in Feb. Actually scaled on CAT in PA. 34 on the tandems. Get to Ohio with 36 on tandems. Same thing, but didn't have to fork over right away. Sent the the copy to CAT and they paid ....no question. Same thing about the inspection...no CSA. Picked up loaded and sealed. Dropped same. Load shift? No clue. CAT paid. Always use the CAT!