Central Refrigerated Service INC, Central Leasing INC Lease purchase program RIPOFF-stay away-fake lease agreement West Valley Utah

I have read the complaint written on this site and have to speak out.  There are literally 100's of trucking companies in this country and anyone would be challenged not to find this same type of complaint for any company.  I have been driving for 19 years and have had 4 completed leases during that time.  I now am on my 2nd truck.  It is very common to hear this type of complaining coming from a disgruntled driver.  Out of the hundreds of thousands of truckers in this country, there are those who demand, demand, demand.  Continuously demanding particular routes, loads, schedules, time off, extra pay is the perfect way to get on the permanent bad side of a dispatcher or driver manager.  Being a truck driver is not like any other occupation.  You must be flexible and hard working.  Not everything can go your way every time.  That is not reality.

If you have a DM that you are not satisfied with, find out why.  There are a lot of DM's in this industry who will break their backs for you if you are willing to help them out when they need it.  Over the years, I have hauled hundreds of loads that I absolutly hated because my DM need help.  He knew that he could count on me in a pinch.  In return I have always been rewarded with good miles, honesty and the heads-up on what ever is coming down the pipe.  If I was a driver constantly whined, complained and ran to the safety department every time I didn't like something, do you think he would take care of me when he was able to?  I spoke to a trainee of mine that left the company I trained with after about seven months on the road.  Despite all of the information and advise I gave him over 3 months, he was a complainer.  That was just his personality.  Complained to management about this.  Filed complaints and accusations about his DM to safety for everything.  He admittedly did this on a weekly basis.  After a while, no one wanted to work with him on anything.  He wound up sitting for hours or sometimes for a day or so waiting on a load.  In the mean time, there were drivers coming and going in and out of the yard all day long.  Drivers who are not looking to be treated like a prom queen and cuddled when you don't like something.  I had spoken to his DM during his last week and he had told me that my former trainee wanted to find a lumper to sweep out an empty before he live loaded and have the company pay for the lumper.  Get real.  But his DM told him ok no problem.  I'll try to find you a load that meets your demands.  After sitting for 3 and a half days he finally quit.  On one occasion he had been offered a load going from Fontana, CA. to Brooklyn, NY.  A D&H with a quick turn around. He absolutly refuesed to drive into New York.  The only other load at that time of the day was a run from Fontana to Calexico, CA.  I wonder why he complains about the mileage he gets.  I know this for a fact because I was there 45 min after he left for Calexico and I took the NYC load.  That's some miles.  Do it every time.

One suggestions I have is to talk to your DM.  Get to know him or her when you're in the office if only for a few minutes.  Let the DM know that you will go an extra mile but it's a two lane street.  If you are not happy with your DM, I don't think there is a company out there who will force you to stay with that particular one.  One of the worst things you can do is start filing complaints with the idea, "well I'll show you who's boss."  You may as well jam your hand between a 5th wheel and king pin.  One sure way of ruining your reputation with the company.

Also, I noticed that the "website" was quoted several times in the article.  Is this your first driving job?  News flash.  It is a website.  Advertisement.  No where in this industry can you believe more than 50% of what a driver recruiter or the websites tell you.  Especially a lease operator recruiter.  Another news flash, they are paid commissions for every driver who leases a truck.

To sum it all up, I continuously remain flexible and willing to work with what the DM has to offer.  Never kissing butt but as I stated before, willing to go that extra mile.  I have had several DM's that were completely useless.  I didn't file complaints, I just requested another DM.  After just a little while, management will realize you are serious about being a driver and are willing to haul cargo anywhere.  They will take care of you.  If a driver isn't willing to play the game (and they own the game), you may as well be dropping fries at a burger joint somewhere.  There is no room for you in this industry.

  this is the kind of driver that makes it so hard on the rest of us.  runnung illegal to make his

 dispatcher happy and taking a chance on hurting himself or others to make a paycheck.

the contract that central refrigerated has you sign is what lawyers call a "adhesive contract". these types of contracts have to be fought in an arbitration hearing and the case has to be filed in Utah. there are several lawsuits against central and swift but the fastest way to get into a suit is to go through an arbitration attorney i know i am...

signed    REDNECK

My friend obviously you didnt have a clue on how to run as a lease operator with central refrigerated....First of all, you are never considered a Owner Opertor, you are a Lease Driver.

Secondly, you should have researched the program with other drivers, especially lease drivers who have been in their trucks for a year or about to pay their trucks off.  If you did that properly you would have made some very good money my friend.

I leased a T-2000 back in 2006 for 12 months and most of the time I was actually clearing $1700 - $2200 a week after expenses.  I drove 3500-4200 miles a week. I never said I drove legally, but I got my miles because I did my homework.

That includes changing driver manager till you get one and of course being based out of Salt Lake City. Next, you have to basically get you load to its destination as early as possible so you let your driver manager you mean business and you're a runner.

Now you will get screwed with a load here and there because thats part of trucking. But as a lease driver, you can turn down loads if you dont want it.  The secret is to call the planner for that state or area and bypass your driver manager if you arent getting the miles.

I call the planner all the time until I found one great dispatcher in Salt Lake City. Other driver managers didnt like it that I went over them to get my load but the Planner was always willing to give me a good load because they found out I was a runner.  When I say runner, lets say you get a 1000 mile run and you basically do that within 24 hours.

Now that illegal, but hey I said you gotta do things to get noticed by the people who gives you freight.  All you had to do was say basically, " Im here in Illinois, you got a load going south to florida or west to california, etc etc... I lived in Atlanta and I ran so hard that I got to go home every week through Atlanta when I took a load.

My driver manager worked hard for my loads because he knew I would get the job done. I would drive more miles per week than some teams. One week I drove 5300 miles while using 3 logs. I almost got busted in California but luckily while entering the inspection station, two owner operators passed me and I didnt get pulled in. 

On many occassions I would start driving before the sun came up and didnt stop until after the sun went down, not including fueling. I showered at end of day and kept food in my truck...It didnt feel like a job, more like adventure to me.

The issue I had with Central Refrigerated that ticked my nerve and caused me to terminate my lease was when my dispatcher took a leave of absence and I was given a p***k.  This guy tried to run me in the northwestern part of the country during snow and ice and that was a rule of mine that was noted for all loads. I did not run ice, but would drive in snow only in midwest as far as Minnesota.

I had to wait longer on my loads and constantly argued with him because he was trying to do things differently.  Also, my check was incorrect often and I had to call payroll to get it adjusted on a weekly basis....After a year of this, enough was a enough. I decided I wanted to go to another company since I had my year of experience and basically got caught up in the so called "Cycle", where all the companies I applied to basically would lie to me about there running area, loads, etc..

After tryin to work with 3 other companies, I gave up on the trucking industry and went back into corporate america even though I hated being in a cubicle all day...Now Im looking to go back into trucking but Central Refrigerated wont hire me back because I didnt transfer my lease to another driver.....I was so pissed off by the b.s. from the new dispatcher and having to correct my check everyweek that I basically dropped the truck on the yard in Conley, Ga and walked away.

Now Central Refrigerated isnt the best truck company, I will say its a decent truck company to start out on.  I compared their lease to other companies and actually it seems to be near the top but the only catch is you have to run 3500+ miles per week and drive like a turtle....60 mph....Driving just 5 mph more can cost you $200 a week in fuel cost.

On a final note, the last reason you were suffering as a lease driver was because you didnt know how to fuel.  What I mean is from the day your pay week starts till it ends, you need to know how much fuel you need "NOT" to put in so your check will be larger.  Some guys could get $1500+ check but they make the mistake of putting more fuel in than they need pending their work miles that week and the pay ending period.......So hopefully some of this info will help you in the future or any other driver who thinks about leasing with Central Refrigerated.

So you went to work for them as a lease operator? No one held a gun to your head and Sign here! I have worked for them for almost 20 years now and have stayed a company driver the whole time. If you had any experience at all you should have known that if it sounded to good to be true then it probably is.

Like the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
FYI...There are NO GOOD LEASE DEALS. Period.

Never sign a lease agreement that does not spell out performance of BOTH parties.
They would have to stipulate a minimum rate per mile and minimum number of miles for you to intelligently evaluate the lease in the first place. What numbers did you use to evaluate the deal? The numbers the SALESMAN threw at you?

HOWEVER....I do have a 'way out' for you.

Actually there are a few ways out. Hang in there and do these things, but DO NOT quit YET.

**First, go to the IRS website and download form 'SS-8' titled 'Determination of Worker Status'. Fill it out completely and truthfully, make about 5 copies of it, and then send the first one to the IRS address given in the directions for that form.

The reason you want to do this is to challenge the 'independent contractor' status you allegedly have, and legally be declared an EMPLOYEE. [Just because someone calls you an independent contractor, does not make you one, legally].

With this done, you can legally break the lease under the material misrepresentation clause in contract law and the provisions of the FMCSA regarding 'leasing', and also get your SS taxes 100% paid, as well as your workmans comp prem and unemployment comp prem, as well as wages that equal at least minimum wage for all hours worked.

Contact OOIDA as they have challenged CR England leases in court in a class action and won.




Most company Leases are ILLEGAL, and the control they exert over you alone makes you an employee. This can be verified with the USDOL.

Now, file a complaint with FMCSA regarding your lease. Send them a copy of it, along with your USDOL complaint, and your IRS form SS-8.

Give it about 30-45 days until you get answers from all agencies, and then send a certified mail letter to CR England's legal dept informing them that due to the fact that the lease is illegal and you are actually an employee, you want the lease terminated, and you demand to be paid for all time as an EMPLOYEE.

Now, send all of this to the State Dept of Labor where you live, attn wage and hour division.

Have fun with these morons, then get paid!

I understand your frustration but as an owner operator of more than 13 yrs of my 25 plus years of driving you either were looking at the wrong line on the 2290 info or you are looking at a partial payment based on months the truck was in service. A full year of the 2290 tax or Highway Use Tax is $550. Also as a driver if you wan t the big payments you run the snow, rain, sleet, sunshine, night and day. I have done it for years. I was with a company and used their lease purchase program and got ripped off big time and that was my fault for not talking with actual drivers in the program and doing some research. Companies turn to lease purchases especially during down times in the economy for exactlly the reasons you complained about. ITS FOR YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR BUSINESS NOT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY.

I understand your frustration but as an owner operator of more than 13 yrs of my 25 plus years of driving you either were looking at the wrong line on the 2290 info or you are looking at a partial payment based on months the truck was in service. A full year of the 2290 tax or Highway Use Tax is $550. Also as a driver if you wan t the big payments you run the snow, rain, sleet, sunshine, night and day. I have done it for years. I was with a company and used their lease purchase program and got ripped off big time and that was my fault for not talking with actual drivers in the program and doing some research. Companies turn to lease purchases especially during down times in the economy for exactlly the reasons you complained about. ITS FOR YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR BUSINESS NOT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY.

I understand your frustration but as an owner operator of more than 13 yrs of my 25 plus years of driving you either were looking at the wrong line on the 2290 info or you are looking at a partial payment based on months the truck was in service. A full year of the 2290 tax or Highway Use Tax is $550. Also as a driver if you wan t the big payments you run the snow, rain, sleet, sunshine, night and day. I have done it for years. I was with a company and used their lease purchase program and got ripped off big time and that was my fault for not talking with actual drivers in the program and doing some research. Companies turn to lease purchases especially during down times in the economy for exactlly the reasons you complained about. ITS FOR YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR BUSINESS NOT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY.

I understand your frustration but as an owner operator of more than 13 yrs of my 25 plus years of driving you either were looking at the wrong line on the 2290 info or you are looking at a partial payment based on months the truck was in service. A full year of the 2290 tax or Highway Use Tax is $550. Also as a driver if you wan t the big payments you run the snow, rain, sleet, sunshine, night and day. I have done it for years. I was with a company and used their lease purchase program and got ripped off big time and that was my fault for not talking with actual drivers in the program and doing some research. Companies turn to lease purchases especially during down times in the economy for exactlly the reasons you complained about. ITS FOR YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR BUSINESS NOT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY.