Originally Posted by dayzedandconfuzed

Gotta cdl been out of seat awhile...want me to do a $500 refresher course...ill pay cash for...what can expect to realistically bring home..

If you have 2 years verifiable like your profile says then I would guess you are coming in at .36 mi. You do know you will be running team right? If you have a good co driver and you can prove you can run you will consistently get 5500 miles a week...with some weeks coming close to 7000. I never had a problem with miles at CRST...definitley not why I left.

Hi FatDaddy, Why did you leave CRST? I'm considering going there with 6 years experience, may even do the lease purchase offer. Thanks for any info you can provide

i need info on crst fixing to leave for orientation

Originally Posted by LibbynD

Hi FatDaddy, Why did you leave CRST? I'm considering going there with 6 years experience, may even do the lease purchase offer. Thanks for any info you can provide

Quite simply I was tired of driving team. I wanted to go L/P but I kept getting the run around as I later found out my dispatcher kept "forgetting" to put me on the waiting list. So I went L/P with another company. I ran hard when I was there so no complaints.

CRST is a fair company, I ran twice with them and no problems with the company, had a truck that did not want to work but not the company. Not the highest pay but they are a trainer company.

Originally Posted by hardball0025

i need info on crst fixing to leave for orientation

I'm in the same boat... I leave for orientation this Sunday. Ive been study everything I can to get a good feel for the company and the orientation process. I still have a few concerns about load boards and agents and getting paid a decent amount after deductions. This will be my first lease purchase. I will be keeping in touch during the next few weeks for sure. I'm out of Atlanta, GA Area. I was hoping to plan my loads between TX and Atlanta. I'm just speculating with the idea of picking my own loads. I have learned the most success seems to go to the most flexible drivers whom go where the best rates are. Any thoughts on sticking to a set lane verses, going where ever the rates leads you?

Well I have mixed feelings about CRST. I liked their dedicated runs which is all I did there. I was home every weekend and all drop and hook. Only made 980 a week gross but I liked my 2.5 days off I got every week. My truck was decent, International, had good torque on hills. I ran team with a friend of mine on an R&L account. I was pulling doubles but I like doubles. I was paid the same amount every week. Those were the things I liked.

Things I didn't like: no direct deposit, only paid on comdata card. They would also mail your check to your house if you wanted. My co-driver got his mailed and they always forgot to mail it, so he would go a week without pay sometimes. Insurance sucked but I have insurance through my wife so it didn't matter for me. Pay wasn't great. We ran 5500 miles a week and made 980 each. CRST doesn't want to pay for anything!!! You pay and get reimbursed. No pre pass, pike pass, or ez pass.

I don't know about the lease purchase plan but from what I've heard most companies that have one will end up ruining your credit cause you have to run hard to pay off the truck or you end up losing the truck, etc. Basically you won't get home much. Then again in 1999 I leased on with North American van Lines and was making so much money I didn't know what to do with it. However, I was a mover and we made a lot doing it. High stress job though. Have to worry about helpers stealing, messing up furniture, blanket wrapping, etc, etc. In one year I paid my truck off and bought my own trailer. Most guys take the winter off but I would switch to high value products. I always heard as an owner operator the best money makers were movers, heavy haul, over size, and car haulers. I also hear Landstar drivers do pretty good.

thanks cool35, I start lp orientation in the morning. I will follow up onthe details of their lp program.