Central Transport

It's a garbage company with garbage equipment

 

Best hope you don’t have to deliver to my shop…I still have a “favor” to do for the next time I get a central transport delivery which is hopefully never because I specifically specify on any kind of shipping paperwork not to use central transport and that the load will be refused.
Sorry, they have earned it, don’t take this to seriously but I would rather see someone stock shelves at Walmart than work for that ####hole company. I don’t really have a problem with the drivers…it’s the company and I have never worked for them, just my experience as a customer

 

Central used to be bottom of the barrel. I will say they have made improvements to their equipment at least around my area. I wouldn’t dismiss them out of hand. Talk to some of the local drivers and get their input. Are you looking at city or linehaul?

 

Central is not really that bad. I do run linehaul run for them. I don't really know much about city p&d driving side. You have to work at the dock at some of the terminals at linehaul, they have shorter runs. When you work at the dock, they pay handsomely. I don't know exact driver dock pay, I think at least $33hr. At my terminal in Texas, we don't work at the dock as linehaul driver. Central trucks are all close to brand new. I think the oldest ones are 2019. Mostly 2023 and 2022 model peterbilts. We slip seat with day drivers. Trailers aren't great for linehaul. But after your pretrip, the shop is pretty fast to fix anything. City drivers get late model trailers. So those are worry free.
People will give you their preconceived opinions about Central Transport, mostly negative. Some of them are true but not all that bad in my experience. I have just finished my first year with them. Linehaul will pay at least $1500 for five days. Ask me if you need more information.

 

Glad to hear that they’re working for you. My experience in LTL since the 80’s is that as time went on and especially about the last 8 years or so the real dumpster fire was YRC, not Central.

 

I started at YRC as my first cdl job in 2022. I was a city driver, plus occasional dock work. Let me tell you it was hard those first 2 months. Then it got better. I had to learn how to navigate 53ft in Dallas area, back up all kind of docks, and learn 10 speed in those YRC trucks. Those trucks were awful lol. And every truck they have was a little different to change the gears. It was some experience lol. Then I got laid off in winter after 4 months. Then 8 months later they closed the shop lol. I'm still happy that I started with them though. I had to learn everything pretty fast in no time lol.
Like you said though, Yellow management was useless. They brought the company down. There was a really good camaraderie among the workers there. I miss that. Hopefully those drivers found some good jobs.

 

Yeah Yellow used to be one of The premier LTL jobs. Back when I hired on with Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation you didn’t even consider getting a job at Holland or Yellow or Roadway or Consolidated Freight unless you had an in with someone already working there. Those companies had waiting lists a mile long. I was sad to see YRC go away, so many of the old school LTL carriers have gone by the way. ABF is about the only old school one left. It was sad to see what the management did to those companies. Everybody wants to blame the union but it was the management that did those companies in. Dollar Bill Zollars being the most prominent. There was a concerted effort to bust the union with the “double breasting” that went on. That’s when the parent company starts a non union subsidiary A la the ConWay(now XPO) regionals and Consolidated Freightways or Roadway and Viking. They then hit the Union side of revenue then spin it off which is how Yellow acquired Roadway.
Anyways good luck to you

 

Freight moves different in Texas a lot of linehaul drivers don’t know what a forklift is in some southern states. I am up North and the Central Transport terminal near me is always hiring for P&D and Linehaul. Currently the only LTL in my area I’ve seen hiring all year long. Linehaul they tell you to expect 14 hour days, you will start at 7:30, gate at 8PM. Drive about 200-230 miles then work the dock for 3 hours, drive back to home terminal and work the dock again helping load the city trailers. They will keep you on the dock there until your 14 is up. Equipment looks trash i see a CT truck on the shoulder with flashers on at 3-4 times a week. No doubles up here but it wouldn’t seem so bad if you could just drive to a terminal drop/hook and return. Wtf wants to spend 6 hours on a forklift everyday outside of driving 400+ miles ? Working nights is already tough that shxt will burn you out quick

 

In my area central is about the lowest paid for P&d. Not sure on linehaul but it's low, like .60-65 cpm afaik.

Trucks and trailers look kinda ratty but not as bad as a few years ago.

The local p&d guys I see at stops look miserable and they say they show up at 4am most days to load their trailers before doing their city work. Said it's 12hr a day minimum, 60hrs a week. They are in a no overtime state here but the company might pay OT. I doubt it.

I've also seen many CT drivers shuffling pallets around so I don't think they have good scheduling or loading practices. Next stop might be at the nose on a trailer behind 10 pallets of other stuff etc.