Advice Needed To Start This Career
Topic 23371 | Page 1
Just curious what ya got against reefer?
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
It wasn't a good fit for me. I just didn't enjoy the work. Now it was class B work, so that's all I have to go on. It could be a completely different story on this side of the fence.
More or less the idea is anything but a tanker at first. A van or a reefer or even a flatbed. None of them will you experience surge with. And that's really the concern. With your experience in school imagine going downhill and trying slow down by hitting the brakes, only to speed up.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
It wasn't a good fit for me. I just didn't enjoy the work. Now it was class B work, so that's all I have to go on. It could be a completely different story on this side of the fence.
Class B reefer is a world apart from class A reefer. Keep in mind, you will never touch the freight, unless to check securement, or you work for McLane or similar delivery type company. Reefer has the longest average length of haul, over any other trailer type. You might sit for more live load/unloads, but you will be driving more. I prefer reefer, but I don't mind dry van. My company pulls dry van , and reefer, and my longest runs have always been reefer. I also don't mind sitting for the live load/unload. It allows me to review my routing more thoroughly, while I wait.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
I'm definitely not closed off to any aspect of this. It's all brand new to me. So I'm open to learn any and all aspects of this career. Im just leaning more towards pulling dry van freight. Truthfully I haven't given flatbed a thought, I figured I was too old or maybe just too tired to give it a shot.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
Truthfully I haven't given flatbed a thought, I figured I was too old or maybe just too tired to give it a shot.
Well, I'm a 58 year old flat bedder, and I once met an 82 year old flat bedder down in Pineville, TX. He and I were picking up lumber from the same mill.
Old School---Actually it was you who gave me the advice to steer clear of tanker in the beginning. So for that piece of advice I thank you.
But it all reality i had no idea it would be so hard to pick a company. At least for me it's like being a kid on Christmas morning. Which one to pick. I'm not looking for a special gem, to me there's just so many great options to choose from.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Mini Me, about half of my dispatched loads are reefer.
Although running Walmart Dedicated reefer is different than OTR , I’ve never had to unload the freight. I’ve helped on occasion, but its not a requirement.
Good luck.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Mini me, even dry vans go to food DCs. My company has a lot of loads going to Sysco/Sygma, GFS, RFS, US Foods, McLane, etc.... we happened to carry a lot of stuff to wipe your hands, face and butt. Food DCs all carry these products. I get to deal with a dry van length of haul AND food DCs. At least the reefer has longer hauls.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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So in a previous post I had a question about rookies and tankers. I understand and have taken the advice about getting experience driving a van first. So here's where I am now. I am a week away from completing my school and testing for my class A. The company that I planned on going with has been great, even though I'm not an employee yet. However they don't run dry van. I truly have no interest in running a reefer , previous experience in the class b world wasn't very good. So should I just suck it up for a year to get to the tanker position with that company. Or is it just as acceptable to get my experience with a dry van company and switch companies after a year or two.
My ultimate goal is to run tanker, unless I completely fall in love with dry van. You never know. Anyway thank you for any advice.
And on a separate note. I have used the high road training program and it is fabulous. It helped me to pass all dmv tests and all endorsements with 0 missed questions. I'm truly thankful for this training tool you have provided.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.