Knight Refrigerated?

Kabar, any chance you can check around and see what the team pay rates are? I still have not received an email even with sending a second.

 

I drove for Knight Refrigerated for 6 months out of the Columbus OH Terminal, Derick and Dan were great dispatchers, they let me stay out west in Gods Country to do my running, they gave me plenty of loads and miles, my only problem was the cruise was set at 62 and the foot at 64, this gets old after awhile, also the idle time is a big issue with Knight Ref, they are wanting to maintain a 20 percent cap, no apu either, overall not too bad of a company just those two items gets old after awhile

 

.205 a mile

 

Well I'm done with this company. When I was in Id falls I had no problem taking 4-5 days off and then getting back into the same truck and rolling. Now that I'm in Memphis they act like any more time off then 2 days is a crime against god. Any more time then 3 days and they requirer that you clean out the truck and they will get you another one when you are ready to run. I told them I don't play that game. They also count anytime at you house as home time. So if you have a load that gets you to your house well you have had home time. I told them bs. If I am under disp. then I am not on my time which means I am not on home time. So I told them to kiss my #####. I'll go work for some one else. Some one who understands what home time is.

 

dude, that blows, and i also had to do the same yesterday. although i didn't quit the company. i can't afford to right now. amazingly at swift, a driver can take 4 days off without having to turn in their truck. there were times i've taken a week off without any trouble. i miss the swift days. i thought this company is "pro-driver". i must've heard wrong.

 

I worked there from October 2009 to March 2009 hired on at the Columbus OH terminal, Derrick and Dan up there were good to me they let me stay out west in Gods Country, they always had a load, I just burned out on the 62 mph on cruise and 64 on the foot deal, plus my Moo came back home, you'd have to have listened to my podcast from truckertwotimes to know what that means, but I talk about my life on the road and upload it to the internet, started doing that in 2005 so there's lots of true life stories there as well as what I think about all the companies I have worked for

Knight has 400 ISX with 9 speed trans, they have the Road Pro I think it is called that monitors your idle time as well as the qualcom they want a 20 % max and will mention that to ya from time to time if it is exceeded, they have the espar bunk heaters which I don't care for, in the winter I could at times run a jumper cable from the reefer to the posts on the truck to run all my electrical items and keep idle time down (Trucking is going to #####)

If I were to go back to them I'd stop by fastertrucks and read what they have to offer for sure, then I'd hammer on over

 

Wow, sorry to hear that, you seemed to like it at KR.

 

I've seriously been considering KR as an option to what I am doing now. I currently work for a sort of semi local company but they require you to run teams every so often and there is NO, repeat NO time off - except for what they happen to give you. The longest time I've spent at home has been about 34-40 hours. They work 7 days a week, 365 and all time off is based on seniority. They have vacation after 2 years and PTO after a year but you have to request it off and hope that no one senior than you and or no more than 5 other drivers have requested that day or days off.

The pay is awesome and so are the benefits but I can feel myself getting burned out already. They also slip seat so you never have the same truck and of course most all of the other drivers are slobs. The people in the office aren't bad but there is of course the double standard and there is no reward for hard work as everything is based on seniority.

I don't mean to ramble on about the company I work for now but just wondering if the switch to KR would be any better. The last time I talked to a recruiter I wasn't impressed with the fact that you have to stay out two weeks at a time or the fact that they have a sliding pay scale. I guess I would just like more say in where I have to go, what I have to do, and my home time. I always had that at other companies that I've worked for in the past.

It seems that KR wouldn't be a bad move and in this economy I think pulling reefer's is the way to go. I don't need alot of money, as long as I can pay my bills and have a little left over to save. I see there trucks out here in Texas from time to time so I guess maybe there is the chance to get by the house? It's always a tough decision to leave one job, especially when the money is good to go to another one. I went with the job I have now because of the money and to be honest I have regretted it ever since. I had another offer with a company making about 300 less per week but with plenty of home time. Money isn't everything!

 

I'd go with the other job. KR will keep you out 2-3 weeks and then let you have 2days off maybe 3. Any more then 3 will require you to turn in the truck and get another one when you are ready to go. They have ok miles, problem is it has a wide range. One week 4000 the next 2 2000. When you sit you have to idle the truck and then they get all pissy because your idle time is to high. They do pay layover, Det time and tolls but you have to stay on them to get it. If you forget they will "forget".

 

I hear ya Kabar. My wife keeps telling me the same thing. I've been looking at KLLM, Knight Refr., Martin, and a few other local companies.

It just sucks being at the bottom of the totem pole right now & doesn't help that the economy is in the shape that it's in. The good ole days are long gone. I just recently moved & the company I left didn't have any other branch's so I had to start fresh. Unfortunately, the company I started with after I moved closed it's operation here and moved everything back to PA (only worked there 3 months) - I got lucky and got the job I have now but techinically I've had 3 jobs now in the past year which tends to look like job hopping.

I've even started considering getting out of trucking all together and either going back to school or trying to start over in a new career. I appreciate your comments Kabar - be safe out there and good luck to you & yours!