Carolina Cargo - Rock Hill, SC.

~The pay is still good ~Home 2x week
~New trucks
~Transport their own products
You would be lucky, if they were hiring, if they would accept you as an employee.
Inspections don't worry me, as long as the job gets done and I get paid. They have it flowing and keep it rolling. Very little turnover. Solo drivers after training.
DOT has stepped up alot of inspections recently.
Ride safe!
KC

 

with all the naysaying about Carolina Cargo, I just want to say that the main complaints I hear are about defective drivers that carolina hires. They did give these problem children a chance that no one else would. I question why someone who has no felony and is the salt of the Earth would go to work for Carolina Cargo in the first place.
Im talking about someone who is an experienced over the road driver with a perfect record who goes to work for CC making at the most 13 cents a mile.
sounds fishy to me.
you see boys and girls, 13 cents is what I make if I wanted to go back because I have a perfect work record with CC and I have respect there. 13 cents dont sound like much when you compare that to what other truciking companies pay but with their perdeim system you end up taking home lots of money and you owe no taxes at the end of the year. No one has mentioned one of their best benifits wich is being able to spend as much time home as you feel like. Their trucks are ok in my book and they dont have the best trailers but the key is finding the right codriver that you can work with and steering clear of the bad numbers. Its sad that there are so many people who go to prison and let that system make them a worse creature than when they went in. It proves to me that maybe that is where they should have remained.

 

I went to High School with one of the Crowder boys, who's the owner?

 

lol

you got respect over there huh???

You obviously have not drivin a decent truck and dealt with decent people. I was at the pilot in amarillo one night about 2 or 3 in the morning and had been running with a cc team nice guys. We both fueled up and went inside to use the boys room and i got my reciept well on the way in there was another cc truck in there.

The guy i was running with and myself stopped to see where they were heading. Come to find out they both that week got hired on out of driving school. Now school thats great you gotta start somewhere but to lost arse student in the same truck??? that redicolous.

After we found that out the cc driver i was with checked their reefer fuel it was down to 1/4 tank he said yall need to top that off just tryin to help you know. Well the answer back shut us both up and i quote

student" what you talkin bout man?"
old timer "put fuel in the trailer tank"
student "what for dont it run off the lectric cord with everything else?"
old timer " no it need diesel fuel just like the truck"
student "ok thanks man"
ol timer as he looks at me " well we got aton of those here, i'm bettin' cc buys that load before its over with"
me "lmao"


I can honestly say i cant stand the pressure to work at that great organization

 

Like I said before, they were given a chance.
as for decent trucks, I took a brand new columbia out on its first trip to cali.
it blew a hose and lost its coolent while pulling that hill past Needles going west.head gasket blew out. had to be towed all the way to Bakersfield and Jim put us up in a motel for two days. had a nice little vacation there.
I agree that there are more problem children than quality drivers there but when you have a steady partner,that no longer becomes your concern.
I have someone who rents a room from me and he trains for them.
he loves being out there and only comes home every three months.

 

I want to make myself clear. In my reference to Carolina Cargo Inc as "Criminal Cargo", I was not referring to the poor guys/gals w/ a jaded past. I was referring to the company and it's truck driver trng school, CDI (Carolina Driving Inst), Linwood,NC. exploiting these individuals and using them as "slave labor". The school will accept you w/ a 3 year MVR + felony if you go to work for CCI. Any other applicant must fax in a 5 year MVR.
They did almost 200 contracts w/ Prison/Pardon/Parole. The school bragged about its #'s to its students. These poor "contract drivers" had to work for over a year to pay back their loans to the school. Many of the drivers got other jobs and ran. Several contract drivers have stated that Jim said he "would take their CDL's, if they did not honor their contracts". ???
Anyone with a past that has earned their right to be released deserves a chance to regain their lives in society.
The per diem that you speak of is not graciously given to the driver by CCI. This per diem is allowed by the Federal Govt. To all trucking companies. The Federal Govt. allows up to $ 52.00 of your earnings, per every overnight OTR stay, to be non taxed. This does help a little with the pitiful pay that CCI offers.
The pay is not "rocket science"! At 0.10 per mi, if a driver would run 4000-6000 they would then earn $400.-600. per trip.
NOTE: CCI's "turn around" (Coast to Coast & back to yard) is approx. 4000-4500 mi available per trip. Then the driver is charged for:
~ Taxes! Except for the $52.00,of the driver's earnings, per overnight stay that the Federal Govt. Allows to be called "per diem"; therefore not subject to tax.
~ Out of Route miles. Anytime a driver gets off the interstate or gets lost they are docked pay for the fuel used. Position is constantly monitored.
~ idling the truck, again- dock pay for fuel used, according to CCI's calculations.
~ Damages to equipment. As well as a $25.00 charge for a dirty truck. Always note in pre trip any and all damages and general condition.
The trucks/trailers are filthy and torn up. Broken air conditioning/ heat systems...
Driver beware and note everything before you accept responsibility for any truck for any company.
~ Any "after hours calls (4pm)" to dispatch or Human Res. Pay docked $25.00 per call. Only calls allowed are for safety to report accidents. Then the driver is docked pay for the damages incurred.
NO SUPPORT FROM THE PORCH!!!
This company can be USED as a STEPPING STONE to start a career. I suggest that if you have exhausted all other avenues, that W/I 3 months of OTR experience w/ CCI a driver could accumulate many a mile under their belt. Maintain a good safety/drug record and your past can remain the past and your experience and safety record could excel your career. Put out those applications while you still have a job, no matter how pitiful the job is, it gives you an advantage.
Do not be a victim of a trucking company or afraid of the system. Get informed, do your homework and research. Set goals for your career. Out smart and out run the situation.
Never underestimate the knowledge and compassion that "Old School" drivers have to offer to all of us newbies.
All the Best!
KC

 

13 FRIGGIN CENTS PER MILE????
I make 40, grossed almost $50K last year (average about $700 per week TAKE HOME), I didn't owe any taxes at the end of the year, in fact, I got almost $5k BACK. And the company I drive for doesn't "per diem".
PER DIEM is just one way to rip drivers off, if you need to collect Workman's Comp, Unemployment benefits and even Social Security.

 

Im decent and I dont concern myself with the antics of other CC drivers.
They dont work for me.

 

everyone go to youtube and check out my trucking video out west and back.
its called "trucking across america"

 

greetings luvtheroad.you are partially correct in that carolina was from cherryHILL,nc.I am almost positive as i was employed by them when they shut their doors.You are partially correct again in that they were not bought by ABF.It was more of an absorbtion.They combined the two union lines of ABF and CFCC.Carolina was the lowest revenue producing of the union lines at the time even though during the union strike of '93 i believe,they had huge revenue gains.WHY? Because they were the only union line allowed to work during the strike.I was not layed off-just not called in to work.I went back otr during the strike because i was low man on the board.After the strike,things were somewhat normal for about a year or longer.My memory fails me from time to time so i am sketchy on the timeline.
Carolina Freight was a union line and I was employed at their Calhoun,Ga. facility and ran the routes for those out and worked the dock as well.GREAT mixture.GREAT job.GREAT money that I earned as they worked a man.I loved it as i made more than most of the regular route guys w/all the overtime.But anyways-
YES it was most difficult in becoming gainfully employed after CFCC due to the union.NOT a single trucking outfit would touch me for about a full year because i had been in the union.Several were upfront w/that newsflash as to why i was not hired.I still would work at a union line again simply for the pay,overtime after 8 hours,etc.but unions are on the way out and I understand why.

Edited to add: IT may have been cherryville,nc. I am attempting to locate some old paycheck stubs to verify either way.You purged deep thought and i am checking. They did not simply close the doors as the abf drivers from chattanooga,tn came down to calhoun,ga. terminal and rolled every driver we had.Some had been there for 18-19 years which means that the 'nooga terminal had some LONG TERM drivers.There were many crybaby drivers that were vocal (as in crybabying) after being rolled for a route that they had been running for a decade or longer.I laughed heartily at many as they acted invincible b4 that time simply due to their decades in the union which is why unions are on the way out.well maybe not since HUSSEIN Obama got in office and he has a lot of payback to do.

Edited times 2: yeah LTR-it was cherryville,nc.I googled it.DUH.I'll catch on one day.The google site stated that abf "merged" w/its subsidary carolina freight.I kind of remember the absorbed aspect myself. regardless,due to the merger/absorbtion,i was not called anymore and continually demanded by the union based out of chattanooga to continue to pay my dues.NOT HARDLY as i asked them about the location of my job.
Anyway,I id get a few of the metal trucks of CFCC,scaled down collectibles,that should rise in value one day.Not that I'd sell as i collect trucking items like that-
I just noticed the addition of my posts that have added zero to the post.I excell at that I reckon.
hammer hammer out there.