I love reefer <3

Trying to decide Reefer or Dry Van. The Lumper and unloading stories are crazy!

 

I'm a company driver. But, my guess is if you contract to pull a load, you probably should do it provided the broker is living up to the terms of the contract. I don't think it'd be good business to book another load when you've already contracted to pull a load.

Also, there are plenty of times when you'll sit for hours on end waiting to get loaded or unloaded pulling dry van so I wouldn't let that be a determining factor in deciding who to drive for. And, you don't pay the lumper fees unless you're an owner op so I wouldn't let that make my decision either.

In my opinion, you should pick a company using criteria that is important to you. Below are the ones I'm mostly interested in:

- Does the company run the way I want to run? Example, do they mostly run day, or night? Are they a short haul (200-300 mile runs), medium haul (400-800 miles), or a long haul (most loads over 1500 miles or more). I prefer long haul. I ran for a southeast regional gig and liked it pretty well, but still like long haul better. I don't personally like having to screw with 5-6 different loads a week to make a paycheck. I MUCH prefer to have one load a week. My average length of haul now is over 2000 miles. That's how I like to run.
- Do they run the lanes I wish to run? I want to run mostly southeast, west and northwest. If they run mostly northeast, that's not going to work for me no matter how good they are otherwise.
- Do their benefits (medical/dental, vacation, home time, etc...) meet my needs
- Does their pay meet or exceed my needs/desire.
- Are they a no touch freight outfit or do I have to tailgate, or unload myself?
- Finally, I try to find a company that is either based, or has a terminal, close to where I live that meets my criteria. Of course, I won't go to work for some crap hole just because they're close to me.

That's more or less how I pick a company. There are some other criteria I may inquire about (prepass, elogs or paper, truck speed, auto or 10 or 13 speed), but the main stuff listed above are the important ones for me (deal breakers).

 

I'm 20 mins from Swift terminal & Abelene terminal...

Based on what you listed above, I should disregard Swift and go Abelene?

 

I don't have any personal experience with either. I've never heard much good about Swift, however. There's a Abilene thread in the "My Favorite Trucking Company" forum. Might go read it and ask questions since those guys actually drive for them. Abilene runs mostly northeast, to my knowledge, so they wouldn't work for me. I prefer to stay out of the northeast if possible. lol

 

Hey! I used to love reefer as well, but I just couldn't be a motivated or successful person with it being a part of my life. Now days, I'll be delivering a gas station and making $35 an hour on OT, and some broke ### young kids will be hot boxing their car. I'll catch a whiff of these losers and it smells like they're strangling a skunk. I look at the car they're driving, it looks old and broken down. I look at the clothes they're wearing and they are clearly of the lowest socio-economic class., looks like they got their clothes out of the discount bin at K-Mart. I go in and finish up my paperwork with the clerk, and they're counting out quarters and dimes to buy their rolling papers and blunt wraps. They carry themselves like the most uneducated and lowest class. I'm convinced marijuana is just a vice used to keep an entire generation of people too comfortable doing nothing, too apathetic to better themselves, and too sedate and docile to make a difference. And I've heard about "successful" people who smoke pot, I'm pretty sure they were born into money and never had to make their own bones before becoming a stoner. I think it's impossible to make your bones and establish yourself if you're high on weed, unless you're one of the very, very lucky ones.

(yeah, I know the OP is talking about refrigerated freight, but we all know what he was trying to do with that provocative title =) )

 

Great post right there. Great I

 

Drop and hook way it go

 

You guys make an 8 hour delay seem like a big deal. I have been delayed for days after the detention pay reaches is limit and no longer pays me so I sit for free.

 

Wow that sucks. When you become an o/o remember those places. Negotiate good terms on those loads or failing that reject them out of hand. That's what I like about being an o/o with full control over every load I pick. In the last 6 years I've had probably a half dozen instances like that but it turned out OK money wise.

 

Yup I remember them. I log notes in my GPS for all stops.