Just got a CRST prehire...

Nevermind.........

 

It's not as bad as some say, but you can find better pay if you are wanting to drive teams. For instance, CRST is .22/mi, US Xpress is .48/mile after training.

 

These guys have some good miles and and solid customer base. Truth is that when you first start out, chances are that you will HATE almost every moment of the job. You'll probably be unhappy with the pay until you pay off your contract.But soon as the pay increase kicks in, your veiws on trucking will definately change.

 

If your a student in school then you must be able to read so go back and read all the Crst forums. No one is going to answer this post with anything that has not already be said about CRST.

 

Lets compare who will give you the best advice. Your choices are as follow:

1. The driver who has nothing better to do than take all the BS he/she hears at the fuel island or sitting in the restaurant at Petro at 2 am, decides he/she needs to warn the newbies but has no real knowledge whether it is truly BS or Gospel.

2. The driver who can't understand simple things like, We here at CRST will have you sign a contract, will require repayment of certain expenditures made on your behalf, If you honor your contractual commitment, you'll owe us nothing, quit before this time and you will owe us this amount and oh by the way, starting pay is .22 cents per mile, and after all this, comes here and tells the world how they had it all shoved up their Hoo-Ha and CRST is so bad, but they moved onto this company, come on over and you too can start at .26 cents per mile and make a whole $42.00 more per week just like them and thats before taxes.

3. The driver who has been in this business 41 years, the last thirty at CRST, who tells it like it is, like they see it based upon experience and doesn't give a rats *** if you come or go from CRST, because it has no bearing on their career at CRST and won't make their paycheck any better this week as a result of posting here than it was the week before.

Take your pick Cowboys and Cowgirls, but pick the right dock spot, because doing so might actually help you sort out the decision of do I go to CRST, where there is steady miles and a growing customer base and actually has drivers who have been there at CRST 20 plus years or do I go to somewhere else where I may actually make no more money at .26 or .30 cents per mile than I wouls at CRST's STARTING Rate not ENDING rate of .22 cents per mile.

 

First off, if you actally have 40 years of experience, you wouldn't know how a driver is treated at CRST "nowadays" as you would say. Secondly, the reason why I say this is because you have seniority, those with seniority are treated differently than those without it.

I'm currently at 13 months of employment with them, and the differences between when I started (as a contract student, mind you), and now are dramatic. CRST as a whole is not a horrible company to work for, their equipment (outside of a FL Columbia anyway) is pretty decent, nothing to write home about as the trucks are not optioned out to the hilt and they lack sliding 5th wheels, but its adequate, especially for a newbie.

Their shutdown policy I have nothing but good things to say about, as a driver should have the final decision to shut the truck down for reasons like inclement weather, fatigue and illness. They make no qualms about this, and will not pester you in the slightest for shutting down when you feel it would be unsafe to proceed.

Their guaranteed home time policy is something they also back up, they will get you there within a 72 hour window (90% of the time) of when it is supposed to start. 72 hours meaning that if you are supposed to be home on tuesday by midnight, they may get you there as early as monday at midnight, or as late as wednesday at midnight.

On average, at CRST you will run 5000 mi/wk. Some weeks you will get slightly over 6000, and some weeks you will be around 4000-4500. Unless you piss off your dispatcher, then miles can be thrown out the window completely. so if you are going to work for this company do not let them walk on you, but outside of politely correcting your FM when a mistake is made, or notifying them that you have an issue in a adult, non-inflammatory fashion, do not yell at them, and in my experience they will return the favor.

Down to the math,

CRST (Contract Student pay, up to 3mo)
4000 miles x 22cpm (20cpm effective rate) = $800.00 /2 = $400.00
5000 miles x 22cpm (20cpm effective rate) = $1000.00 /2 = $500.00
6000 miles x 22cpm (20cpm effective rate) = $1200.00 /2 = $600.00

CRST (Contract Student pay, mo 3-6)
4000 miles x23cpm (21cpm effective rate) = $840.00 /2 = $420.00
5000 miles x23cpm (21cpm effective rate) = $1050.00 /2 = $525.00
6000 miles x23cpm (21cpm effective rate) = $1260.00 /2 = $630.00

CRST (Contract Student pay, mo 6-12)
4000 miles x31cpm (29cpm effective rate) = $1160.00 /2 = $580.00
5000 miles x31cpm (29cpm effective rate) = $1450.00 /2 = $725.00
6000 miles x31cpm (29cpm effective rate) = $1740.00 /2 = $870.00

CRST (Non Student pay, mo 13-18 )
4000 miles x34cpm (32cpm effective rate) = $1280.00 /2 = $640.00
5000 miles x34cpm (32cpm effective rate) = $1600.00 /2 = $800.00
6000 miles x34cpm (32cpm effective rate) = $1920.00 /2 = $960.00

Bottom line, is that they are an okay... outfit to work for, but you have to take the good with the bad, and not expect a whole lot for pay for the first year, after that a whole lot of doors are opened assuming ones nose is kept clean.

 

You stated that you are a student already in school. IMHO check and see what companies offer you. Evaluate what you want and your personality... ie do you like being alone or do you prefer to team drive. A truck gets awful small real quick. You won't make any real money the first year but $40 or $50 a week makes a difference in eating or not. If it weren't for my trainer those last few weeks I would have missed several meals. There is good and bad in every company. Oh and don't forget sleeping in a moving truck takes some getting used to.

 

I am well aware of how people are treated these days, because I pay attention. I talk to those drivers who actually have positive and constructive things to say.

I also have a son here and one granddaughter here as well. So I am well aware of things.

Also, I do believe that I have said atleast once that I am not in the same boat as others because of my seniority.

It seems like your doing okay for the time you been here and actually have some good things to say about CRST.

Drive safe out there.

 

You guys are arguing over a post that was started 6 weeks prior?

And the OP hasn't been heard of since!

Ever hear the word "troll" before?