TWT Refrigerated Services
 

Any information on TWT out of Spokane, WA. Their site says they run I-5 with refrigerated vans.

I've heard good things about their flatbed division, System Transport, unless you want to haul refer on the slowest interstate in the nation.
Personaly I hate driving in OR/CA it's a 3$ per hour cut in pay.
At least you're doing your research, and you have good companies on your list, now the big question...do you like blue trucks or red trucks, I'm North of Sacramento and surrounded by blue trucks, what does that tell you. :roll: BTW there's only one other W/S truck here.
Good Luck

Thanks for your information. I am narrowing it down to Gordon and TWT because of their I-5 corridor runs.

Don't know a whole lot about them but I do hear they $13 an hour for every hour your in the dock starting right away which is a first for the OTR guys .

I worked for them back in 2005 for 3 weeks. I left for a local job.

I agree about the slowness of running OR & CA. You can safely run 64 mph in most of WA, but that's only a couple hundred miles of trip. The bulk of your driving time is spent at 59 mph max. Somewhere near that speed.

If you're fine taking longer to do the same job, go for it. Nice equipment. Although, my 2006 Peterbilt 379 could not keep the cab/sleeper cool in Los Angeles during August. Brutal. Nice riding and it did keep me cool when rolling.

I would recommend them.

Fancy Pete-cars and reefers = outlaw outfit. Low .cpm and they're gonna push you to run hot. Even at a semi-legit refrigerated carrier (are there any left?) the new HOS makes it nearly impossible to run a legal book with a reefer on your back.

Run away and don't look back!

You should probably stop right there. You're just being ridiculous. "Nearly impossible to run a legal logbook?" Weak.

Life is not always about pay or being home every night. You are not all people. Your way is great for you, but likely not for everyone.

Colin,

I like your answers and you are the type of driver that we respect.

You like Colin's answers because he tells you what you want to hear. I'm the man in black round these here parts because I speak the truth and nothing but. And as the old saying goes, the truth hurts.

Refrigerated is a very low-margin business - even worse than dry-van. So when you see a smaller company running new Petes and pay for all dock time it should raise some red flags and sound alarm bells. Because to justify all that chrome and hourly pay, they're going to want you to cook the book to git er done. And they're also going to want you to pull for peanuts as well - something your good buddy Colin forgot to mention.

You see, the problem with reefer is too many stops and too many strange appt times with long waits. Not that much drop-n-hook and you must fuel the reefer which means additional logbook entries. Many perishable loads which are extremely time-sensitive and thus appt times are very rigid and inflexible on both the shippper and receivers end. For example, if you're hauling a load of paper towels in a dry van, they can usually move the appoint time around. If you're hauling a load of produce, it's a whole different ballgame. And with the new HOS, you can't stop the 14-hour clock once it starts.

Been there, done that. If you're still interested in reefer, look for a more respectable carrier such as Marten or Shaffer. Or go ahead and listen to Colin. It's no skin off my back as I'm only here to send the message. It's up to you to take the info and make the best decision for yourself and your family. Best o' luck to ya' either way.

you must fuel the reefer which means additional logbook entries. When you fuel the reefer any company I ever worked for you can show the tractor and reffer fueling all in the same 15 min

I appreciate your input on the reefers and it is information for me to seriously consider in my selection of companies. That's why I am seeking lots of good answers from the pros who have been their and have done it.

Holy effing christ.

It's funny that you mention the truth, CFM. I tell the truth too.

Not all reefer is multi stop.
Lots of companies do drop and hook reefer. TWT being one.
As lucky13 said, you can fuel the reefer tank the same time you fuel the tractor tanks. Even in 100 degree days running the reefer at -10, once a day fueling is all that's needed.

Or CFM, maybe the flatbed side and bulk liquid tanker side of the company is where the money is made and any loss the reefer side has is a write off. Is that possible? TWT does a lot of beef and wine. It's all doom and effing gloom. No other way than yours. Arrgh.

CFM: Again with the pay concerns. Pulling for peanuts ACCORDING TO YOU may not be the same for another person. What if this person's spouse brings in $70k a year and he wants to make a little extra?

Petes and chrome don't mean outlaw reefer outfit. TMC???? :wink:

Crap trucks runnin scales = outlaw outift :wink:

I took a two week inside look at the flatbed side of the house(System Transport) and was less than impressed. Gorgeous building for the suit and tie crowd, the drivers got a double wide mobile on the other side of the lot which seemed to show very well how the outfit thinks of their drivers.

This is no small outfit either, over 800 trucks between the three divisions.

Did I say ALL reefer is multi-stop?

Yes I'm sure they do drop-n-hook. But the point is that there's much LESS drop-n-hook than in dry-van. It's just the nature of refrigerated freight. Reefer = grocery warehouses, lumpers, pallet swaps, washouts, max-weight on the axles, and strange appt time. And everytime you drop that trailer at a customer, you MUST FUEL IT UP.

The reefer is one more mechanical component that can break down that a dry-van driver doesn't have to deal with. So how much do you get for cooling your heels at the Thermo-King dealer?

OK Colin. You worked for TWT. Care to tell the studio audience how much they pay?

I worked for TWT back in the early mid 80's, and yes back then we were allowed to run as hard as we wanted, like most other companies back then who are still around today!! If I remember right the pay was around 29 or 30 cpm, which was then though! They have been around for a while and Made good money, they paid the unloading and other things, which was good in that day. I have talked with some of their drivers through the yrs and they seemed to like working for them. I live in Indiana now and still see their trucks here, so just the I-5 thing is not true. No mater what CFM tells you, there is still money to be made on the road! The road drivers where I work make more than CFM ever thought of. As a matter of fact if you lived in Indianapolis, In I would SHOW YOU HOW to make this money!!!! Blow your heart out CFM....lol What he wants you to believe is there is only 1 way to skin a cat, and as most know that is not true! Would I want to be on the road all my life, the answer is NO! You have to decide what fits in your life, and what will work for you. With these good paying ltl or local jobs CFM talks of making all this money has a trade off which most will not tell you about because they think it is worth it to THEM! Companies don’t give you money for nothing. You don’t work 8 hrs and make 70k and more a year with the limited time CFM has been in this business! Most of these drivers making this money are putting in 12 to 14hrs a day, then drive home, eat, clean up, and then sleep so they can do it all over again the next day. Most like that get less sleep than a road driver JUST to spend a little time with the family! How safe is that??? I don’t agree with some people here, especially Colin, but what he is telling you is sound......Did I Say That......lol wont happen again....lol

CFM, you seem to have all the answers right or wrong so who do you drive for and how long have you been in the business and what do they pay you?

No. And I didn't say you did, either. I was listing some truths.

QUIT BEING OBTUSE! You have never worked at TWT. You don't know how they operate. And of course it's less d&h than dry. Dry van = warehouses, lumpers, sweep outs, max weight on the axles, strange appointment times. What's the difference? Oh, wash vs. sweep. Gotcha. I only ran reefer for 7 months, but I never did a pallet swap. I think I would have seen one in that amount of time.

I for one liked my driving jobs. Yes, it can put pressure on you as far as delivery time is concerned if there is a reefer breakdown, but I didn't care. I DIDN'T CARE. I loved hauling cold loads.

In 2005, I made $.33 cpm, $13 per hour detention pay (I don't recall after how long), and $10 extra stop pay. I was perfectly happy. Nice truck (except for the A/C problem), easy runs, what's not to love. In 2 weeks of employment ( I guessed wrong before with 3 weeks), I ran 5077 (4413/664) paid miles (58 mph I-5 miles) and had 3 full days at home.

I'm certain the pay is different now. Oh wait, they're now buying new 387 Petes for a money losing division. I guess they won't give raises this year...

You might want to keep your blanket statements to yourself. Keep posting how good LTL is and leave the rest of the topics alone.

CFM since you have never worked for TWT let the others that have or someone with some informative information about TWT state the facts, that is all I was asking. You have just come on here to start a pissing contest with others so forget it.

I don't need to stick my hand into a rattlesnake's nest to know it's gonna hurt. Look at Colin - that guy thinks .33 cpm and $10.00 stop pay is like winning the sweepstakes. And don't forget the 10% soaking off the hub mileage due to HHG. Now you see the problem with that side of the biz: too many guys put straight pipes and Yosemite Sam mudflaps over pay, bennies, and hometime. Heck, I know a guy who took a .05 cpm pay cut just so he could tool around in his buddy's StarCar.

Oh well. Happy Trails!!!!

I see that ColdFrostyMug never answered the question.... another internet BBR. :lol: :roll: :lol: :roll:

This is the question I'm waiting to see answered.


What SS had to say is pretty accurate. If you drive truck hourly and make an average gross wage of $70,000.00, you are working a minimum of 55 hours a week, if your wage is in the $25.00 an hour range. There are not many compny's out there paying that sort of wage. If your doing the food service bit, where you get paid by the mile + your stop pay & cents per pound's unloaded pay..your gonna work hard for $70,000.00.

I've never worked for any of the Williams companies. My younger brother worked for JJ Williams Tanklines for 4 months. He left them for far better working conditions. That was in 1988. I know several folks whom are doing the O/O routine at System Transport. They are all happy with their routine. One guy I know, lives in Deer Park WA, owns 7 trucks, all leased into System Transport, and he enjoy's his fishing time. He also spends time cutting hay on his farm in Chewelah.

Back in 2000 when I devloped Epilepsy and retired due to it I was working for Earl Henderson. I was a finsihing trainer and solo driver and in the 10 months I gave myself Epilepsy for my 25th birthday nice present Huh :x :D . I made 48K in 10 months there that year and was on track to hit well over 55K that year. Now at current scale I would be making in the area of 75K and not killing myself doing it yeah at times I had a trainee in the truck but when I got them I got them after their first trainer stated they needed some more work. If they survived me they in a year were a 1st seater if not they were on a bus. I was tougher on them than any other trainer in the company but they were told FLAT out I was their last chance they flunked me they were gone and 80% of them did not make it.

What's hiliarous is that in 20 years, the pay at TWT went up .03 cents per mile. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh but they do run fancy PeterCars. :roll:

Brad M, if you want to make some real money, home everynight and every weekend with your family, and paid for all of your time on the job then hit me up with a PM, good buddy. If you wanna pull for .36 cpm 20 years from now then listen to these supertruckin' diehards.