My six month experience with CRE, getting my cdl and drivng team otr company driver

Discussion in 'CR England' started by A Bug, Apr 5, 2014.

  1. A Bug

    A Bug Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 15, 2014
    Sevierville TN
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    I did not have a perfect work history when I applied for cdl training so cr england was the only ones that would take me. There started out in Cedar Hill TX a class of about 60 students on the first day. I had studied ahead of time before arriving so I was able to get my permit the first time I took all those tests for the cdl exam. About half of the rest of the students failed one or more parts of the exam and a lot of them left at that point shrinking the class to about 40.

    We spent about four days on the backing range. The instructors were professional and all. I had heard stories about them yelling and making people cry but that never happened. The first time I tried backing the truck in a straight line I ended up getting the thing all jack knifed and heading into other students' lanes. The head instructor just came on over to me and said "looks like you need some help here". He got into the truck and walked me through a couple times until I was good and the rest of the day went just fine.

    By the time they assigned five of us each to a truck with a driving instructor the class was down to about 25. Over half the folks were gone for one reason or another that initially started. The next couple days of grinding the gears and impeding traffic got us ready for the driving test. Our trainer took each of us individually through the entire test several times so we had it down near perfect. All five of us passed and got our cdls. Out of the entire class that started there were only 16 that ended up graduating.

    Phase one and two training lasted almost two months. I got a trainer the day after getting my cdl and went all over the country in the next four weeks. Now and then the trainer got a little impatient with me but he taught me a lot of stuff that got me ready for driving on my own. By the time I got to my phase two trainer I was able to drive safely enough that we were both able to just relax and have fun going cross country between new york and washington for about two weeks.

    After all the training was done we had to return to Salt Lake City for some paperwork and to get a truck. I do not really remember ever hearing much about leasing trucks from them, they asked if any of us was interested in doing that and those that raised their hand they took down their names. The rest of us were company drivers, and that was it, no further pressure or persuasion. I met another student who just finished up his training and so we decided to drive team together. They gave us a brabdnew freightliner with only 80 miles on it.

    Now one of the bad things I must point out is that my partner was from salt lake city and i was from dallas tx, Durring the next few months I never did get a chance to go home, but the other guy got a few days every month since he was by their headquarters.

    We were paid 30 cpm split. After six months that would increase to 33 cpm split. So on a good day that we drove a thousand miles we each would make about $150. Average for the week would be $400-$500. Our dispatcher was alright, she never had us sitting around for a long time and would give us both long and short runs. There were a couple good weeks that I made between $800-$900 but those were the times that we never got delayed at the customer and we were doing back to back cross country drives.

    A nice thing about cre was that they only required us six months of working for them and they would cancel the tuition for the cdl training. I never got pissed at them like a lot of folks here do but I also was not really feeling unconditional attachment to them. After my half year was done I was able to get a dedicated route in Texas with jb hunt that pays $800-$900 every week and I get to be home each weekend now.

    I was able to get a lot of driving experience, and that was the main reason for sticking it out with them.
     
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  3. slim shady

    slim shady Road Train Member

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    Chicago, Il.
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    Congrats, Not many stories like yours.
     
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  4. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    Thanks for the honesty.

    30 cpm split. Good lord.
     
    Milkman719, slim shady and unloader Thank this.
  5. Stile

    Stile Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 8, 2014
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    You also don't get many people telling the manager of a restaurant what a great waitress they had. But a bad one....

    People are always quick to complain and slow to complement.


    I posted long ago that I liked driving for CR England overall, the only problem I had with them was their lease program. New drivers can do well there to get their start.
     
    slim shady Thanks this.
  6. popcorn169

    popcorn169 Road Train Member

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    Sep 5, 2011
    state of confusion
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    Sounds as if you had a better experience with them. Nice to hear a story like that every once in a while.
     
    slim shady Thanks this.
  7. MysticHZ

    MysticHZ Road Train Member

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    May 28, 2010
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    The training is good - you get your CDL. Compared to most other options fairly inexpensively, 6 months or as I did paid the $1800 out of pocket back when you had to do a year.

    Also he hit CRE's sweet spot. Team and company driver. CRE needs teams and their pay though not great, is in the range for an new inexperienced driver.

    Congrats on using CRE to get to a better place.
     
  8. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    South west Missouri
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    To quote the wolf from one of my favorite movies -

    "Hang on there gentlemen, let's not go sucking each others _____ adjust yet" . . . .
     
  9. Dewey120

    Dewey120 Road Train Member

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    Pulp Fiction?
     
  10. Moving Forward

    Moving Forward Heavy Load Member

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    New England, USA
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    What do you know, that story makes it sound like CR England is no longer the worst trucking/training company in all of America... unless we have another troll at work here.
     
  11. slim shady

    slim shady Road Train Member

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    Chicago, Il.
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    I'm sure theres are a lot more who have succeeded with cre but are afraid to come on here

    Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Board Express
     
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