Knight Refridgerated: Good Place to work?

Couldn't have said it better myself!!!!

 

truckerdave1970!! Where did you say you were working now?

edit: I am in Rochester right now, and just wondering!

 

I work in a warehouse nowadays. I gave up driving a few years ago. I decided that having a real life, coming home to a real bed, eating real home cooked food, and spending quality time with the love of my life was 1000% better than the crappy Bravo Sierra "lifestyle" of truck driving!

 

Sounds like you went 'thru the mill' and made a quality decision as in 'having a life!'

I've seen 2 basic types of ppl who get into OTR trucking (which EVERYONE must do in starting out in the industry---unless you 'know' someone locally for a trucking job):

1) The young driver, no family and lives paychk-to-paychk, as in being out 3-4 weeks at a time and coming home and blowing their $$ on their 3 days off.

2) The older drivers, who are divorced, or their kids have grown up and are now adults, who are trying to make it to retirement with some kind of a decent paying job.

Those 2 types can make a 'limited' go of it in the OTR trucking industry.

But to the young/middle-age family man with wife and kids at home, it is one of the worst things that a man can do---not being ther to help out or take care of his husband/fatherly 'duties' as protector & handyman! Many of these types will end in failed marriages!

If ppl get into OTR with definte plans to get a local job, knowing that local pays less $, or does as a 'temporary' way to pay bills and catch up, and knowing that it will not last a lifetime, then they can also make it short-term but not as a career.

 

Overdrive, I do agree. I fall into one of the categories where OTR fits me. Always had a bit of the "wanderlust" in me, I guess.

 

What? You don't miss Pilot's Jalapeno corndogs? C'mon, be honest, now.

 

BTW, Be careful as I see you must be getting up in years by your 19 yrs in the industry. Many drivers are taken out of the industry by injuries.

I always kept myself in decent shape (had 2x25 lb dumbbells in my truck) and did my share of driver unloads/tailgates during my years trucking w/o physical injury. Altho I tweaked my back while at home and taking 'short cuts' a couple of times, and then having to go back to work with a stiff/sore back and continue my driving career.

My last 2 yrs in the industry w/Knight I worked with a 'job related' torn rotator cuff injury. Altho my arms were in good shape, I experienced a 'freak' injury while trying to close a warped, left door on a 14' trailer on a cold, windy, winter's day in Ontario, CA. I extended my left arm as high as I could and threw my body into the lower part of the door to get max 'oomph' so as to get the top of the door to seat in the latch. It worked, felt no pain or discomfort, until 30 mins down the road and my left shoulder started stiffening up. Knight sent me to 'their' specialist after my 3 days off time, who took me from x-rays & prescription Ibuprofen to MRI and cortisone shots over the next month (only missed 1 day of driving during that time)...but never any talk of surgery to repair. I continued working my last 2 yrs living on 12-hr Naproxen OTC anti-inflammatory pills and crashing in my recliner when I got back home. Didnt worry about surgery, as the VA is my HMO and I knew would 'cut' on me in the future if I needed it.

6 yrs later, still 'living with it (feeling mostly normal--no discomfort if dont stress it),' taking 1 Naproxen/day, which also helps cover a lifetime of injuries from rearing their ugly heads. As the old joke goes: "Doc, it hurts when I do this"--Doc says, "Then dont do that!" And so I manage my injury by "not doing that."

Said all that to say this: "I was always safety conscious, kept myself in good shape, didnt get any serious back-related work injuries, etc. but a 'freak' incident can shorten or abruptly end a trucker's career." Even 'us' veteran truckers!!

 

Ok I work for Knight Refridgerated and am a rehire. #1 Yes there are some loads that have short time slots to get it there. #2 idling is allowed above 70 degrees and below 50 degrees but does count toward your fuel mileage and will slow your truck to as much as 61 mph. #3 You will have issues at any company you go to. First time with them I had a 670 Volvo 63 inch bunk almost brand new. This time I am in a 2010 387 Pete and have had no issues. as far as there Driver Managers they are mostly young non driver but the majority do care about you and your safety.
Last but not least it is REEFER freight your going to have odd hours and ridiculous schedules. As far as a good company there not bad and they keep me busy. There is the sliding pay scale for milage but it is not near as bad as you would think.

 

Not sure what you mean by running reefer you'll run odd hours? Dry vans don't run exclusively between the hours of 8 and 5 Monday through Friday. I currently pull both van and reefer and there is no difference. In the eight years prior to pulling my first refrigerated load, I made my fair share of those 0300 deliveries.