Why do you even pull reefers?

I guess its just what u rather do.. Ill take tarping in windstorm for 3 hours with a smile on my face then pull a box anyday of the week.. The unhappy flatbedders should go back to van. Some of us dont feel like we worked unless were dirty.

 

Truth is I would probably still be doing flatbed if I could handle the weight of the tarps. My health is in rapid decline just sitting and my shoulders are absolutely shot after roofing for 30 years.

May be hanging it up when my insurance renewal comes due along with my tag renewal.

Wanting to find a driving gig company driver or leased on to someone where I can run Nov to May and take my summers to enjoy what I got at home.

 

I would have to have someone perform an exorcism on my trailer if somebody laid a tarp on it. But I would drag half inch chains all day long. Ha

 

Yeah not going to tell you that I didn't lose a third of my life to grocery DC incompetence. In my new job I pull a reefer now doing multi-stops and don't spend more than 30 minutes at a stop. I'm getting paid for nearly everything I do. I love my job again.

 

Roll into receiver Sunday night, 28 pallets, walk inside and tell them I have 2 more pallets for them the following night since for some reason the system wouldn’t put them together “oh no we can’t take it with different appointments” whatever, move the 2 to get the 4 out of the nose for the other stop, go back to the yard and mess around servicing the truck and what not until 500 and head the 15 miles back over for a 730 apt

get a call around 11, no power, no problem call me when it comes back on, “oh no we’re not taking it tonight” ok when will you take it? We don’t know you have to reschedule, whatever I’ll come get my bills, call office in the morning, yup we’ll try and set up redelivery later in week or bring it back, was truck, drop reefer, hook to low bed for following day and go home (about an hour commute), get a call from the office at 400 pm that there’s a 530 redelivery apt that the system will not let them change it so I can either try it or bring it back my choice. Told them they will see it Friday, went in there twice Already and did everything I could for them to get it off the truck.

 

I must of had it easy when I was running reefer never had to wait more than 2 hours get to loaded or unloaded, only twice I can think of that I took longer, once when I chose to unload myself and as you know the lumpers will do their best to hide all the pallet jacks, and I got stuck behind other trucks and could not get onto the loading dock and missed my time slot. The other one I did not really get held up waiting to load rather it was frozen produce load and I had to get the van temp down to a certain temp before I could leave the warehouse, took about 3 hours or more while I tried all sorts of things to get the temp down the fact that it was a good 100 f outside did not help either. So other than those two situations I had a pretty good deal loading and unloading. I hear lots of folks talking about how long it takes to unload reefer but can't see how unloading a dry van would be any faster, the best thing about reefer is that you have a better chance of picking up a load as you can do, dry, chilled and frozen freight. However I get the fact that some might find trying to sleep with the fridge motor running all the time an issue, and having to pull forward and fuel up the reefer tank thats so hard hey. If no one was prepared to do it we'd have a lot of empty fridges at the supermarkets huh?

 

The same could happen on the reefer side. Only time will tell on this.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.

 

If youre picking up in wyoming with a flatbed, its highly unlikely you got paid enough to smile

On the other hand, it should have paid well enough going in...

Ive had my fair share of days that make me grumpy, but just got to remember the big picture to keep a smile, or at least avoid being too sour

 

It pays to work for a company that has multiple accounts and doesn’t put all of its eggs in one basket!