What's it like to drive truck in Boston, MA?

MikeJ

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So today we got a message sent to us our North East Division based just a tad south of Boston is a little short handed and needs some temporary help.

Basic duties would probably be running routes with maybe maybe maybe a wee wee wee bit of night transit thrown in for good measure, but I'm pretty sure it would be mostly running routes. I don't like doing blind routes so I have no idea why this appeals to me, maybe because it's a different far away land and I do like to live life to the fullest and I haven't seen the north east since 1997 and this would be an experience that is for sure.

However that being said I'm not real hip on running a route in Down Town Boston it's more then traffic where to park who to see what to do where does it all go an 1000 case route in down town Boston to someone who's never been there before wouldn't be able to get it done, the traffic situation up there from my understanding can be horrific, but there must be a way that it's workable Sysco, GFS, Reinhardt and countless others go up there every single day of the week and make deliveries.
 
So today we got a message sent to us our North East Division based just a tad south of Boston is a little short handed and needs some temporary help.

Basic duties would probably be running routes with maybe maybe maybe a wee wee wee bit of night transit thrown in for good measure, but I'm pretty sure it would be mostly running routes. I don't like doing blind routes so I have no idea why this appeals to me, maybe because it's a different far away land and I do like to live life to the fullest and I haven't seen the north east since 1997 and this would be an experience that is for sure.

However that being said I'm not real hip on running a route in Down Town Boston it's more then traffic where to park who to see what to do where does it all go an 1000 case route in down town Boston to someone who's never been there before wouldn't be able to get it done, the traffic situation up there from my understanding can be horrific, but there must be a way that it's workable Sysco, GFS, Reinhardt and countless others go up there every single day of the week and make deliveries.
i had 3 Boston stops, Chinatown, and Southie. but my route was all night time.

slide your tandems all the way up, if they give you a 53 footer. my company ONLY HAD...53 footers..yay me......

be prepared for closed streets, with NO WARNINGS of such.

be prepared to climb sidewalks

be prepared to stop a lot

be prepared to sit while a truck backs across the median to his drop off

be prepared to get lost via your GPS.

be prepared to go into the wrong direction, via GPS.

other than these few things, Boston is unlike NYC, Chicago, Miami

hopefully, the other place HAS DIRECT DIRECTIONS.

frankly, i'd turn down the chance to come here.

and i did it for 3 years, up until i got hurt. night time can be MORE of a horror show, than days, due to the REd Sox in town, or events at the TD Center or the Convention Center, always some crap going on, nights AND days. neither days or nights are holidays in Boston.

much worse i think days, with workers parked along the VERY narrow streets.
 
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those other companies have either 28, 35, 40, 45 or 48 footers for city work, mostly i had seen the 28 footers.
 
those other companies have either 28, 35, 40, 45 or 48 footers for city work, mostly i had seen the 28 footers.

What they should do for deliveries is do what our Canadian Division does in down town Toronto and use 10 wheelers. Our Boston division uses different equipment then the rest of the company and probably a smart person would pass ha-ha.
 
What they should do for deliveries is do what our Canadian Division does in down town Toronto and use 10 wheelers. Our Boston division uses different equipment then the rest of the company and probably a smart person would pass ha-ha.
yes, many straight trucks in Boston, makes sense, streets not even wide enough sometimes for a full sized pick up truck, let alone a 6 wheeler box truck!!!!!
 
Downtown Boston produce market. No thanks.
i had a driver once ask me, where is the fish market. i really did not know. we were both at the traffic light on a service road, and the next left took you to Fenway park. on the right, as he was asking me, the fish market was on the right, down below the highway. still do not know how to get there, even after over 3 years of driving through there.

i always figured, if i don't have to go there, i don't need to know how to get there.
 
i had a driver once ask me, where is the fish market. i really did not know. we were both at the traffic light on a service road, and the next left took you to Fenway park. on the right, as he was asking me, the fish market was on the right, down below the highway. still do not know how to get there, even after over 3 years of driving through there.

i always figured, if i don't have to go there, i don't need to know how to get there.

33 Beacham st. Chelsea Ma.
 
The warehouse is also close to Rhode Island, Providence to be exact there could be Rhode Island action as well, what do you know about driving in Rhode Island?
 
The warehouse is also close to Rhode Island, Providence to be exact there could be Rhode Island action as well, what do you know about driving in Rhode Island?
RI is just as bad, narrow streets as well. if you needed (for instance) to go to Coke or Pepsi, those can be tricky to get to, too many roads closed right now. can't help ya.

all of New England sucks, and i live here. all the roads were built for yes...horse and buggy, or straight trucks. buildings in the old parts of the cities have loading docks for yes, horse and buggy. all the newer areas, are much better, much wider.

like i say, do as you wish, but i live here, and don't want to drive here.
 
I'm not going to Boston headed to Baltimore/Washington DC area instead maybe some Phillidelphia action, but the warehouse in Maryland needed help too and it's all busy, but would rather go down out in Maryland instead.
 
i pity that decision as well.

It's only temporary for a week's time they have a lot of injuries or what ever out there, I also had my choice of Huston, Texas believe it or not of all places. I'm kind of wondering how come the distribution centers in Florida, Kentucky and Southern Ohio never need help yet Boston, Huston and Maryland are hard up?
I looked at the map the warehouse in Maryland is half way between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

It might not be Boston North East, but it's still plenty busy out that way.
 
It's only temporary for a week's time they have a lot of injuries or what ever out there, I also had my choice of Huston, Texas believe it or not of all places. I'm kind of wondering how come the distribution centers in Florida, Kentucky and Southern Ohio never need help yet Boston, Huston and Maryland are hard up?
I looked at the map the warehouse in Maryland is half way between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

It might not be Boston North East, but it's still plenty busy out that way.
i can only recall one time an employer asked me to go from Richmond, VA (my usual terminal to go to) and from there, they wanted to know if i'd go to Louisville KY and help out for a few days.

told them..."nope".

that ended any more requests for help.

same pay, further from home, and to top it off, ONLY a bunk room..????

Bull crappola to that.
 
i can only recall one time an employer asked me to go from Richmond, VA (my usual terminal to go to) and from there, they wanted to know if i'd go to Louisville KY and help out for a few days.

told them..."nope".

that ended any more requests for help.

same pay, further from home, and to top it off, ONLY a bunk room..????

Bull crappola to that.
GFS pays us extra on top of what we would make $200-$300 dollars a week extra and pays for meals hotel room airplane ticket to get out there. My boss said he wanted to go too,but is to busy running our yard right now with the Republican Convention and Schools soon to start up.
 
GFS pays us extra on top of what we would make $200-$300 dollars a week extra and pays for meals hotel room airplane ticket to get out there. My boss said he wanted to go too,but is to busy running our yard right now with the Republican Convention and Schools soon to start up.
not enough to even get me out of bed. when you factor in the taxes taken out, you end up with about 150-250 extra. maybe less depending on your particular tax base.
 
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