CRST MALONE FLATBED DIVISION Lease purchase

Ok, where to start..

orientation week- easy one week deal.

waited on a truck for a week, got $75.00 a day waiting which they considered that my partial sign on bonus, so I never got the partial sign on bonus(250) when I started driving.. Then when I got in a truck it was on empty. But don't worry they will give you a fuel advance for your first load but you'll run through that fast and will have to get another one to get your first load done, which will come out of your pay.. Also DO NOT let orientation tell you that the fuel surcharge is enough to get the load done, that is not true!! Usually it's about $200 shy. Then they still took out the first truck payment the 3rd week of official employment (not after 3 weeks of driving) like orientation said. So when you sign the lease make sure the first payment is not due until the 3rd week of driving, trust me you'll need the time to get used to the operation before they start taking out the payment. Maintenance account is crap.. You pay about $475 a week of your trucks rolling.

Ok, now onto the trucking. First day out they will set you up with a fleet manager that will always be too busy to help you, don't worry just get on the load board yourself, after all it's your truck your business. Ok find a close load, call the agent and expect it to be taken, matter as fact most on the load board are already taken, so the agent will throw some out to you, all of which will be either right at

2.00 a loaded mile or usually less. I could really go on forever about all the hidden crap I could say that they don't tell you in orientation but here I go. 2.00 a loaded mile sucks when the fuel surcharge isn't enough and they get 25% of the profit. They make it look good but fact is after payments, and their percentage you don't make much. So you get to own your truck ? Ok well don't plan on it running after term is done, most lease purchase trucks have 700k miles plus. They're not newer like they describe in their ads. I don't know about you but newer to me would be around 300k miles or less

1. Ofcourse that the fuel surcharges are never enough and the extra you need is your profit. After starting on an empty tank and having fuel surcharges and then advances for fuel it continually cuts into your profit.

2. Agents will tell you line haul with fuel surcharge included then tell you fuel surcharge . Make sure you ask for just the line haul price, no fuel, then ask for fuel. They are sneaky trying to get you to haul the load for cheap. They tell you the agents are crst agents but they're not strictly crst agents. They are they're own company.. They have other drivers they cater to.

3. Payroll is always messing up on your paycheck, at times they will take exact advance they took out week before . Watch them , they are so overwhelmed and busy that it's pure chaos. And good luck getting anything resolved. Talk to fleet manager? Good luck cuz he's got about 500 drivers that have the same problems you do.

4. Most shipping and receiving are stupid hours. Usually 3-5 is cut off time in the afternoon and evening, and when you get to destinations to unload don't plan on getting unloaded anytime soon. Which then puts you in a bind getting to your next pickup. When you find your next pickup by scrolling through the load board and eventually settling with a load an agent gives you because all the loads he she had on load board are already gone, expect to go opposite of where you want and expect it to be cheap. They know you need the load so they screw you.

5. No shipping and receiving on weekends or holidays in 98% of cases. expect to be layed over or no load.

6. If you go home a week remember the payments are still coming out. If you break down remember the payments are still coming out, they say they will work with you but they won't . You will owe them forever. Pretty much sum it up like this: first 2 loads go to payments and extra fuel surcharge so if you can get 4 loads a week or 2 short loads a week and 1 long ld is the best. But being a lease purchaser don't expect to make crazy money cuz it won't happen. It is not up to you, it's up to the people you work with delivering picking up and the pain in the ### agents who don't care about you they want you to haul it cheap.

7. I was out 23 days, 9k miles , and made about 3k take home- Out the whole time, never anywhere close to home.
Always had a load on. They say you'll make 2k a week take home- not as lease purchase driver , after extra fuel, payments, maintenance, insurance, etc. you will make about 1k take home a week, that's only if you don't ever go home, I don't know about you but you can make 1k a week and be home every night in the oilfield. I'm from Oklahoma haha.. I tried out the flatbed freight because it sounded promising, truth is if you had your own truck and trailer you'd do pretty good but not lease purchase. Did I mention there's trailer rent too ? 185 a week or close to 10k a year. So in one week your looking at about 1200-1300 in payments. You've got 385truck+185trailer+400maintenance+insurance, plates, etc.= 1200 weekly every week! Then don't forget you you only get 75% of line haul so your not getting much after everything's done. Anyway i could go in to details more and more but truth is if your doing flat bed freight it's because you have experience and if you have experience and want to make good money don't go to crst their is better money then them. If you have any comments about your experience with them pleas share!

 

Yeah, 10 yrs of trucking in the oilfield. Decided to try something different . Didn't know much about crst other then they made everything sound perfect

 

Hey look dude, my finances and experience have nothing to do with the issues I had with the company. Like I said I have been in oilfield, not with an over the road company, so when I heard about crst they made it seem like a good deal. I didn't go get a truck and trailer because I didn't know what it was going to be like. And it was a walk away program.

 

There won't be another lease purchase.

 

Ok spongebob.. Who said I couldn't buy a tank of fuel? I said they start you out on empty and it automatically sets you back.. Then I go on further into detail. And who said anything about buying a truck outright? Why would I if I could? When considering I didn't even know if I would like it. Why didn't I finance one? Because I didn't know if I like it. Anyone can finance a truck with experience and a little cash down, don't try take away the point of my thread. If you read my thread and conprehend you wouldn't have any undermining things to say. Oh your one of those super truckers that can talk but probably don't have a pot to pee in.. Usually that's how that works.. This thread is to warn anyone about going to crst malone, that what they promise is not true..