CRETE - A Year in Review - Page 2 - Truckers' Trucking Forum | Message Board

myminpins · **^ Top** #11 01.12.2008

Thank you for posting this. It really is possible to earn money as a company driver then. I was beginning to think it couldn't happen. NO layovers!!! That is REALLY impressive!!!!

supersnackbar · **^ Top** #12 01.12.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by evertruckerr

OK, My first full calender year with Crete (Jan-Dec) 2007 has passed and I thought I would show the actual numbers.

Anyone that has spent any time on this forum knows that there are endless opinions , good and bad, about every trucking company. What is often lacking is actual facts.

Anyone that has read my posts know that I am pro Crete. I am not a recruiter, just a driver that is proud of my carrier. They are not perfect, as a matter of fact they can actually get me hot under the collar on a regular basis. But what it actually comes down to is the paycheck at the end of the week.

With that said.

The intention of the following information is to give just that. Facts without opinions. I would love to see other drivers for all companies do the same, to some extent anyway. Let the other drivers on this board know what kind of money can be made. If people would stop driving for the bottom feeders, the day would come when these companies might have to stop paying slave wages.

The chart below shows the miles for each run of the past year. Please note miles are posted on the day the load was delivered and monthly totals are not adjusted to show partial miles for trips that begin in one month and end in another.

The following will show various breakdowns of the mileage chart above.

Days lost due to Breakdown: 0

Total Layover days: 0

I was going to post my final paystub also, but it seems the payroll website is acting up today and I can't pull it up. But for now, here an approximate but very close to actual pay information for the year. Please note that my pay increased from 41cpm to 42cpm in September.

My final pay check on 12/27/07 for miles run through 12/21/07 was aprox $61,500.

Final Pay 2007 $61,500.00
Less: First paycheck 2007 for last week of 2006 - 575.23
Add: First paycheck 2008 for last week of 2007
including 1week pd/vac # $1154 + 1612.59
-------------

Gross pay for 2007 $62,537.36

Some of you will note that if you add 139,453 by 41cpm that it doesn't come up to 61K+. The additional pay is due to Detention pay, Stop Pay and other various accessorial pay that is more detailed than I care to get into.

A word of warning. I use to get those kind of miles when I first started here at crete. Now, I was within 2 weeks of my anniversary date before I got the required miles to get my raise. (121000) Thats 121000 in 50 weeks, staying out 4 to 6 weeks at a time and not refusing load offers(usually 1 instead of the possible 3) because I didn't like the area. Then only taking the max. 4 days off once I remembered where home was. You ask any of the drivers that have been here a few years, most of them will tell you the same thing. The closer you get to the top pay rate, the lower your miles get. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Tonn knows who makes him the most money. The load nets better when you have cheaper drivers running it. And if you see me in the terminals, look for truck 84403 and say hi...It's a shaffer truck, but I'm a crete driver...They were just out of red trucks when it was time to trade. So it was a blue truck, or a greyhound. They were too cheap to resticker. And if I don't see ya', I'll see ya' later.

I know they probably read this, but I am beyond caring at this point. That's why I didn't hesitate to put my truck number down.

knighton5 · **^ Top** #13 01.12.2008

Just another thought about those miles you ran last year. I thought the economy is going down hill? Well, someone was treating you nice, and also, I believe your making more money then a couple of PRIME drivers that mentioned there earnings on these boards. How does Crete pay so well, but others are still maxing out at 37-39 cpm? Anyway, Drive Safe

BlueKat · **^ Top** #14 01.12.2008

Thanks so much for sharing your spreadsheet. It's very helpful for a newer than new newbie like me.

evertruckerr · **^ Top** #15 01.12.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinghunter

What kind of truck were you in? Also, do they hire from Florida and offer regional? The only reason I ask is that I am trying to find a company that does regional in Fl. Those are some impressive numbers and I admire your work you put into this post.

Hunter

Crete runs Century Freightliners with a few exceptions. They have just bought a couple of the new Cascadia models to try them out.

These are the no frill base models. No bells and whistles, just better pay checks.

Crete does have a yard in Deland, Fl. It's a little north of Orlando. You can run regional or national from there.

Keep in mind that the regional fleets make 3cpm less than the national drivers and the mileage will not be as high.

evertruckerr · **^ Top** #16 01.12.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by knighton5

EverTrucker, where is the majority of there freight? Or freight lanes? I live on the west coast, so my question is, would I be stuck on the east coast until my hometime? Also, do you get a choice of 3 loads? Are they really 3 different destinations? Just curious, Ive been aproved by Crete recruiters, now I'm waiting on the Safety Dept. I'm looking foward to making .41+ cpm. Drive Safe

If you run the national board you will spend most of your time east of the Mississippi. That is where most of the people in this country live and where most of the freight goes. If you want to stay away from that part of the country you can work the western fleet, but the pay is 3cpm lower and you will get fewer miles.

One thing about being on the west coast. When you head out after your home time you can count on a nice 2000+mile run going east and the same thing when you head home. Although getting home can be rough, it really depends on where you live.

On running on the East side, it really runs in spurts for me. I've spent as much as a month solid without getting west of Columbus, OH and then I go weeks on end without going that way. As a matter of fact, I haven't gone north of I-20 since mid November with the exception of this last week when I went from Dallas to Kansas City to Minneapolis to Kalamazoo, MI and am now sitting in Mississippi on my way to Louisiana in the morning. Even when I do run the NE it'st not that bad for the most part. I have never had to go into New York City or Long Island, although I have talked to drivers that have.

With regards to the load select. It's starting to make a turn for the better again. That too runs in spurts depending on the freight availability. As a general rule I would say that I get a choice of 3 loads 25% of the time, 2 loads 35% and 1 load offers 40%.

evertruckerr · **^ Top** #17 01.12.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfie

I assume that Crete does not have a Training Facility for newbies?
What is there minimum driving experience (1-2 years)
Thanks!

Crete requires 1year OTR driving. They will hire drivers with less experience but will require them to drive with a Crete trainer. How long depends upon previous experience.

Crete will also hire select student drivers.

Crete does not have a Training Facility, they expect you to get your own training and pay for it yourself. On top of that, the school you attend must be a PTDI certified school or a school of similar quality that has been pre-approved by Crete.

evertruckerr · **^ Top** #18 01.12.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by knighton5

Just another thought about those miles you ran last year. I thought the economy is going down hill? Well, someone was treating you nice, and also, I believe your making more money then a couple of PRIME drivers that mentioned there earnings on these boards. How does Crete pay so well, but others are still maxing out at 37-39 cpm? Anyway, Drive Safe

There has been a definite slowdown and I have been feeling it, maybe not as much as some though.

Crete seems to be holding up well so far. One of the reasons is that Crete concentrates on consumable freight. The kind of things that people buy regardless of the economy. Things like food, medical supplies, etc.

Crete pays well because they save money by governing the speeds of their trucks, using Opti-Idle to save fuel, have a tightly regulated fueling system to save money, buy trucks with no frills and here is the big one, they are cash company. No credit debt, no interest charges. They pay cash for everything.

Another big kicker is that Crete is a privately held company. No one has to bow to share holders. They can run the business with the future in mind and not the next quarterly earnings report. If all companies were run like that, this country would be in much better shape than it is now. (that's an entirely different subject though, isn't it)

knighton5 · **^ Top** #19 01.14.2008

Thanks for the info

.

Tip · **^ Top** #20 01.14.2008

Relatively speaking, those figures are about what I made. I have to adjust my pay rate, as it was lower, but my miles were good, and Crete often gave me a choice of loads. Usually I had three options when I was offered a choice. About 25% of my runs were drop-and-hook loads as well.

You won't go wrong at Crete. They will work with you, at least that's what I found. Go in with a good attitude and they'll do their part. They're not perfect, but they're light-years beyond an outfit such as SwiftQuit.

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