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Central Transport | Thinking about applying for a Job here any recomindations?

Goodwrench

Goodwrench

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I was thinking about applying for a job here,Can anyone tell me something good about this place.Or should I not even apply here? what are the pros and cons about this company? I see all the bickering about this place but you guy's are still there so it must not be that bad.Or is it?
 
The reason why we are still here is because of the economy and the lack of jobs. All the LTL companies have lowered their starting pay and/or not hiring.

I may not like working here but it pays the bills for now.

If you have been driving a long time and have a clean license, expect to start at $15/hour with no raises. They have a wage freeze going on for almost 2 years.

Why take steps backwards? Because the economy is bad and the LTL companies are not paying drivers according to their experience. Also, you have to pay the bills. No excuse. Why should you make the same amount as a driver with one year experience and a bad CDL or work ethics.

Use caution when you go to interviews. Make sure you have a list of questions already prepared. There is nothing worse than starting at a company and having to quit imediately and start the process all over again. Not to mention, it does not look good on your resume.

Read my earlier post again.

Let me know if you have specific questions. I'll be glad to answer them.

Good Luck.
 
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not that bad, no raises, wont fix anything, short your pay,lost my trailer in a hole in yard. it better than some other companys
 
DON'T!!! I worked for CT, it was the worst job I ever had, and I've had some lack luster jobs. The terminal manager lied to me left and right. They try to screw you out of money any chance they get. I've never met someone that worked there that said it was a good job. I suggest any of the other LTL carriers before CT.

Goodwrench said:
I was thinking about applying for a job here,Can anyone tell me something good about this place.Or should I not even apply here? what are the pros and cons about this company? I see all the bickering about this place but you guy's are still there so it must not be that bad.Or is it?
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A complete guess here, but NO , i don't think so. Watkins could buy, but i do not think Central is for sale. The guy who owns central and all of its components is not hurting for money. If central was sold what exactly would they get. Central does own its buildings,crown enterprises does. i don't think central owns its trailers but i think Great Lakes Sale And Leasing does GLS Leaseco. you have probably seen this on some trailers. whats left?
 
All I can say is, if you want to work at CTII, then you must be pretty desperate! I used to work there, and I'm SOOOOOO glad I don't anymore!

When I got hired on (April 2006), it was a NICE company. You did NO dock work, as they had dock workers. At that time, they still had the O/O's there, driving the crappy LN8000-9000 trucks. Matty (Marone) did that to break up the union, and once he got the union out, started hiring back the O/O's, and turned them back to company drivers. There were NO computers, you did everything with pen, and paper. You had company Nextel's, and you had dispatchers. The only downside, was you used all 'barn door' 53's, for P&D work. No roll ups.

At that time, you actually worked for a company called "JWA", and the trucks had "Charlette Express" on them. The only thing that said "Central Transport", were the trailers. You got paid by direct deposit, and the nice thing, was you didn't have to take a lunch. When you got back, bumped the dock, unhooked the tractor, and turned in your paperwork, you just looked at the manager, and (let's say it was 6:30) you would say: "no lunch-7:00", and walked out the door! This WAS the absolute DREAM JOB I've wanted all my life! I had absolutely NO COMPLAINTS at all!

Then came along a little thing called "the dolphin" (a hand-held computer), and that's when the company went to hell. Whatever Matty's reasons were, he decided to change everything over to Central Transport. Drivers, trucks, etc. We had to fill out new applications (even though we worked there), take new physicals, **** tests. Now that we were getting paid by Central, direct deposit was gone, now back to paper paychecks. Everyone I tell this to, can't believe they went 'backwards'! All of the sudden, the dockworkers were gone, and guess what? WE had to start working the dock! P&D drivers unloading their trailers, and re-loading the outbound linehaul trailers. We got issued books of bar codes, and everything got coded. Us drivers would come up with innovative ideas as to expedite the freight transferring, but when corporate got wind of it, would re program our dolphins so we couldn't do that anymore. Everything got slower on the dock! The WORSE thing they did, was have a '10 second wait time' between scans. I still don't know what their reasoning was behind that, but now the dock work just took FOREVER!

Then came lunches. Either you took your lunch, or you just donated 2-1/2 hours a week to the company 'cause'!! There was even a screen on the dolphin, that had a lunch break on there. You logged in to lunch, then had to keep a mental note as to when the 1/2 hour would be up, then start looking at the timer, so you can punch back out on time! Everything was based on "stops per hour" for P&D drivers, and "handling units per hour" for dock work, and linehaul drivers. Our moronic terminal manager would have 'one on one' meetings once a week, with each driver, to discuss our stops per hour, and to push us to do more. My route was the only route in the terminal that had a WEEKLY tailgate/inside deliveries (at two different stores), and also went to a grocery distribution warehouse, and when you delivered there, had to 'sort and segregate' the load. That stop alone, cost a minimum of 2-1/2 hours, sorting everything, then waiting on the receiver to scan everything in, with his computer. The idiotic terminal manager would say that my stops per hour were a little low last week, or the week before. All I would tell him, is if I remember I had that grocery warehouse, and of course, the weekly tailgate/inside deliveries. He would then say I COULD NOT use that as an excuse! I would say "OK, then that's the reason". He didn't like that, either! On days that I didn't have those stops, my 'stops per hour' were always higher than the 'terminal average' (sometimes double), even though I found out that punching out for lunch, didn't stop the stops per hour clock! Plus, the city I was doing the P&D route in, was a heavy delivery route, but not a big pick up route. So, I would get sent 'out of route' to do any pick ups. By the way, ALL pick ups, and deliveries are in the dolphin. When you leave in the morning, all deliveries get downloaded in, then while you are on the route, the pick ups come in, and you HAVE to accept them! Now, both the pick ups, AND even the deliveries, are 'routed' by corporate, in MI! It doesn't matter where your terminal is at, Michigan routes everything! Some clown is at a computer screen, and you are a 'dot'! I don't know how many times I would pass another Central truck, going the opposite way, to the town I was just at, to make a pick up! Yea, that's streamlined!

Since I've left there, I've been told by people still there that a 'new' feature on the dolphins, has if you made the company any money when you log off! Real confidence builder there! Oh, I almost forgot. When they came out with the dolphins, I almost didn't work there, because YOU are FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE for your dolphin, when you get one assigned to you! If you drop it, scratch it, anything happens to it, YOU can get charged up to $500.00 to have it replaced! And, when you get one, you could get a used one, from someone else who quit. So, you better look that thing over, like you're renting a new car! Mark down ANY scratches, etc. that is wrong with it, or you WILL be charged money when you quit! (and, believe me, YOU WILL BE CHARGED!)

There are so many more details that I forgot about already. All the new hires, are getting paid WAY below what I started at, and the 'top pay' is like $4.00 less than when I was there! If you want to bust your ass, freeze it off on a cold dock working freight, with forklifts that don't work and leak battery acid, or sweat your ass off during the summer, then Central is the place for you!

Here's a little "training video" that you NEED to watch, before you even turn in your application!

YouTube - My Life at Central Transport

I can honestly say, as a former employee, that this video IS the REAL TRUTH!

Good luck!

John
 
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socal_pd_driver said:
All this looks like it was taken right out of the SAIA playbook!
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If they're as bad as what I wrote, then I won't be applying there, either! The other thing I forgot to mention, is that the did away with vacation pay, and holiday pay! Instead, if you don't miss more than 11 days in a quarter, then you will get a 'bonus' check, that is supposed to cover your vacation, and holiday pay! But, guess what? If you take your 2 week vacation, it GOES AGAINST your '11 day' minimum! So, make sure that you don't miss another day, or guess what? NO VACATION PAY FOR YOU!! Even if there's no work, and you're sent home, that still counts!

God, I'm glad I'm not there anymore!

John
 
zathlon said:
DON'T!!! I worked for CT, it was the worst job I ever had, and I've had some lack luster jobs. The terminal manager lied to me left and right. They try to screw you out of money any chance they get. I've never met someone that worked there that said it was a good job. I suggest any of the other LTL carriers before CT.
Click to expand...

This is very accurate, what terminal if you don't mind me asking.
 
I worked for Central Transport in Memphis for a few months. They started me off at 36¢ per mile. Shortly after I started, they went to a "flat-rate" pay system. It worked out to about 31.5¢ per mile, with no doubles pay. Dock pay has gone down too.

I'm glad I left.
 
"Cental Transport" is a bottom feeder company into how they treat their employee's...
I guess it would be a good start to a Newbie, it will definately teach him or her as to how the Trucking industry work's....LOL
 
I was so disgusted with the whole Central experience, and now a lot of the other LTL companies are freezing, or even lowering their pay, I guess following Central's lead, that I just bought my own truck for the first time, and am leasing it on to haul containers. I did it before Central, working for an owner/operator, so I know the routine. At least now, I'm the one making the money (I hope!), instead of getting a percentage that I could barely live on.

Like I said before, when I first got hired on with Central, it was a dream job. I absolutely loved it. But, now the company has gone downhill so much, people are leaving in droves. And, with the new CSA 2010, I can only hope that they are the first company to be shut down!

John
 
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matty owns all those companys and leases them back to himself. buildings, trailors, trucks. that guys got more money than we own china. not to mention bridge's, the satellites, the three trucking companys he gave his son. and so on and so on
 
Are things getting any better with the new upper management? Matty's kid was ruining it there from what I seen before I was laid off...just wondering if there is any hope at all for that company.
 
The thing I'd really like to know, is who was put in charge of the "Dolphins"? I'm thinking it was Matty's grand kid? It seemed every week, there was a 'new' programming update (that took away from your time), that made everything slower, with each update. Whenever we would find a way to make the system work easier on the dock, yet another update came along, taking that away! I swear to God, if Matty does have any grandchildren, he put a 15 year old in charge of 'programming' them!

John
 
Hey it just goes along with the drumming down on the Trucking Industry, not what it used to be comes to mind, alot less good jobs out there, and this place is great for a guy that is just glad to have a job, 10 - 4
 
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