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Choosing a Truck Driving Job Part VI - Dry Van and Refrigerated Companies

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To some extent our series, Choosing A Truck Driving Job Part I: Factors That Effect All Companies, we talked about different factors and considerations that will affect your experience at any company you visit work for.

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To some extent 2 of our series, "Picking A Truck Driving Job Part II: You and "Your People" Are The Most Crucial Factor", we mentioned surrounding yourself with the right people, understanding factors affecting the freight you'll receive, and actions you can take to place yourself in the most effective position to achieve success.

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In part three, "Choosing A Truck Driving Job Part III: The Way Your Lifestyle and Family Will Affect Your Choice", we considered your personality and lifestyle. Are you currently married? Do you have children?

Do you love adventure? How long do you want to be out and about? These questions all figure into the entire process of choosing the right truck driving job.

To some extent 4, "Selecting A Truck Driving Job Part IV: Advantages of Large Trucking Companies", we obviously discussed the main advantages of working with a large trucking company.

Partly 5, "Picking A Truck Driving Job Part V: Comparing Large Trucking Companies To Small Ones", we compared employed by companies of different sizes.

Now, to some extent 6, we'll discuss several different types of jobs you'll find out there and exactly how each will affect your daily life on the streets.

Basically, you'll find five different types of trailers it is possible to pull - dry vans, refrigerated (reeferflatbeds, ) and doubles and tankers. Since we're focusing more about new or inexperienced drivers, we're not going to talk about doubles right now. A lot of companies that pull doubles require more experience, so for the vast majority of you which are looking over this series, those jobs really won't apply to you simply yet. So let's cover the other four and talk a little bit about the lifestyle you can expect from each. In this part we'll cover dry vans and refrigerated, partly 7 we'll cover tankers and flatbeds.

Dry Vans Carriers

Dry vans are the most often found trailer available. These are a huge, empty box - plain and simple. No temperature control or anything like this. There are many dry van companies than any other type of company, and for that reason you can find the broadest variety of opportunities in this region. They are also the most difficult to define in any general way - there is such a broad range of jobs and lifestyles within this category, because of the large variety of companies pulling these trailers.

Dry van jobs tend to give the greatest range of opportunities for individuals who would like regional, dedicated, and local runs versus long-distance, within the road jobs. A lot of these businesses, particularly the bigger companies, haveregional and local, and over-the-road divisions in the company.

This, obviously, is probably the reasons I prefer the greater dry van companies. As an example, maybe you decide you need to run over the road and you're gone three weeks at a time. Well, per year later you meet your perfect girl and you would like to get back home more regularly to find out her. In many of the larger companies, it isn't too difficult to switch over in to a regional job that gets you home on the weekends, or possibly also a local job that gets you home each night.

Usually you won't be unloading trailers. You will see times you'll have to do some manual labor, and how often that might be depends upon the patient companies themselves. But typically, you won't be touching most of the freight. And you'll be hauling anything and everything. From diapers, to sulphuric acid, to pet food, to magazines. You'll be hauling it if you can put it in a box and move it!

Refrigerated Carriers

Refrigerated companies can haul either temperature sensitive freight, or dry freight, and you will usually find some good of every every now and then. Being able to haul both types of goods gives refrigerated companies more versatility using their freight. But make no mistake about this - they can make better cash with their temperature sensitive freight, so that's their primary focus.

The first thing I think of is grocery warehouses and farmer's markets, having worked for a refrigerated carrier before. Oh Lord help me to! Grocery warehouses certainly are a nightmare! Occasionally, so are farmer's markets. In most of my years of driving, these places were always puzzling in my opinion. The grocery market is distinct from all of those other companies you will get from and deliver to. There is a different structure altogether. To make some broad generalizations - their workers are often union guys, they don't like truck drivers very much, and they couldn't care less if you sit in their parking lot for two days waiting to be unloaded. Many of them actually prefer causing you to sit there and wait - believe

that it's funny! You believe I'm kidding? Besides having delivered to dozens and dozens of these places, I'm friends with a couple of guys that work for a local grocery warehouse and they've told me hundreds of stories about tormenting the drivers. It's their most favorite type of entertainment! So, don't say I didn't warn ya!

With most of these places, you'll usually have an alternative - you either unload the truck yourself, help someone unload the truck, or pay someone to get it done. Man, what a hassle these places are, although your company will generally pay for it! A total nightmare. And sometimes you'll have no choice but to aid unload. You either help them unload! Alternatively, you don't get unloaded at all!

If you're going to go with a refrigerated company is to go with a very large carrier, or work directly for one of the grocery chains themselves - like Kroger or Wegman's, my recommendation. The larger ones will at least have contracts setup with the lumpers (the organization that unloads the truck), so that you won't be hassled as much and the process of paying them is easier. However, if you benefit a little carrier, the grocery warehouses and farmer's markets will probably be tougher to cope with.

Another difference in terms of hauling refrigerated goods is definitely the average period of haul.

Refrigerated carriers tend to haul goods longer distances compared to the other kinds of trucking companies. Much of this is related to California, and also the west coast in general. California is probably the richest produce capitals in the world. A massive portion of the vegetables you consume come out of this state, and many of the refrigerated companies pull produce out of there. You will find year-round growing seasons in elements of their state, so the freight keeps flowing on a regular basis.

, and Idaho also grow a lot of produce - especiallyonions and fruits, and potatoes.Oregon and Washington A lot of the produce from the west coast gets hauled to the east coast where those varieties of fruits and vegetables do not grow nearly as well. Once you're on the east coast, your company will try to work you back to the west coast for more of that wonderful produce then. So, the average length of

haul for a refrigerated company is longer than for the other types of trucking companies.

You also usually have more multiple-stop loads when hauling for any refrigerated company. Often times you will either make many different pickups, a number of different deliveries, or both. You will either be picking up a variety of produce that will all deliver to one company, or pickup one huge load of one type of produce and deliver a little bit to each of several companies,. That's what tends to happen. You will definitely get paid extra for the extra pickups and deliveries, as well as the amount can vary based on the organization you work with.

So, there are a number of differences between dry van and refrigerated carriers, as you can see. In general, if you're looking to stay closer to home and get home more often, the dry van companies will be the better choice. The refrigerated companies will be the better choice if you'd like to see as much of the country as possible. Do the research to find the company that seems best suited to your lifestyle, and stay with that company for at least one year so you can really get to know them and whether or not they're the right choice for you as always.