The Decline Of Crete Carrier - Page 11 - Truckers' Trucking Forum

luvtheroad · **^ Top** #**101** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilbit

Hey, luvtheroad, how about a brief rundown of the years you have spent in the industry . . . basically just the highlights. Isn't your hubby in the industry too?

I personally have been involved in the industry since 1999 when I was a driver for a few years. I've been involved with the industry in other ways before and after my time as a driver. My hubby is a driver, had his CDL for over a year now.

I can honestly say that I have worked in the transportation industry longer than a lot of the people posting on this site have probably been alive. So, yes, I am really old LOL. I'll try to keep it short. I started out as a file clerk and have done every job in the industry except be a professional truck driver. I've been a sales person, terminal manager, brokerage employee, and been in operations both LTL and TL. I have been in management, been a capacity manager and a carrier advocate. I've worked in union and non-union enviornments. When I was in operations, my drivers respected me because I tried to be fair with everyone. Every posistion that I ever had I tried to do the best job possible.
This is a VERY brief summary of my experience in the industry. This being said, it certainly does NOT make me an expert nor have I ever implied that I am.
Lastly, I can drive a truck, but I am not a professional driver. I am going to a local community college to sharpen old skills. And, no, I can not back LOL.
Again, NOT an expert, just a concerned person who still has a passion for this industry.
My husband was a city and otr driver for almost 30yrs. No tickets (luck) and no accidents. Again, probably some luck, but also skill is involved. Don't know how many million miles he drove and without an accident. He doesn't profess to be any kind of an expert either..
So, here we are, two people with regard and respect for an industry that provided us and millions of others with the ability to have a good lifestyle for ourselves and our families.
PS Did I mention that we weren't experts??? LOL

For those of you who took the time to read this, thank you. I am always open to debate. Keep up the excellent posts.

Stay safe...

Capt._Chaos · **^ Top** #**102** 02.10.2009

I have been a driver with Crete for 3 1/2 years now and this thread was brought to my attention by a friend so I registered here.

I will start off by saying that I have worked for several of the major trucking outfits over the years (like U.S. Xpress, Paschall Truck Lines, and Schneider National to name a few) and about the only thing different about any of them is the color their trucks are painted and the decals that go on them. Crete eventually proved to be just like all of the rest.

As a driver who didn't request to go home very often I was able to make myself available to run hard, make some serious money, and surpass financial goals that I had. I found myself to be very happy working for Crete not long after I started.

In the early summer of 2008 when fuel prices were spiking upward the Acklie Companies began cutting the governed speed of their fleet trucks down from 65 to 62 MPH. While that didn't bother me at first, I then thought about the fact that our per-mile pay compensation wasn't adjusted. For someone like myself- a veteran driver being paid $.44/mile and running down the highway that would translate into a $1.32/hour pay cut. Ever since, fuel prices have dropped and our trucks are still set at 62 MPH.

Since August of 2008 I saw a rapid decrease in the available freight the company had- but meanwhile the company STILL kept hiring drivers and filling up Orientation Classes at every terminal week after week. I used to road test new hires whenever I stopped in at a terminal and had time to kill but out of protest I flat-out refuse to do that any more.

The freight levels progressively got worse into the fall months. After a while many of us would find ourselves waiting for as long as 2-3 days after delivering a load before our Qualcomm units would beep with a load offer. then, we would maybe go about 500- 700 miles before sitting for another 2-3 days. This has been a very bad problem in the southeast and east coast regions lately.

With all of us sitting around and waiting for loads for long periods, we're often forced to idle our trucks for climate control and to keep the batteries charged. Then, our Fleet Managers began to whine about idle time, especially when many of us saw it as high as 50- 70% every week. I quickly reminded them that if the company had been wise and temporarily ceased hiring to balance out its driver pool with its current existing freight volume so their existing drivers could stay busy then the high idle times would NOT be an issue.

I pointed out the problem and offered a viable solution from this letter to Tonn Ostegard in which I outlined it but as expected, I got no response:

Quote:

With the trucking economic environment being very difficult to survive in these days, I saw the need to address some problems within our company that I have taken notice of and offer a viable solution. This would benefit both the company’s bottom line as well as its top caliber of drivers during the approaching seasonal freight slowdown being these are ideas that would dramatically reduce fuel consumption with an emphasis on lowering unproductive mileage and idle time.

I’m having trouble understanding why the company continues to hire drivers like they have been doing in the past all while telling their current drivers “freight is slow”. Here’s my suggestion to help address the problem: Cease hiring of any new drivers and owner-operators until the driver pool drops 5- 10 percent from where it is currently and maintain it at that level until freight levels rebound. This would help save a lot in operating costs by allowing dispatchers to preplan trucks on their next load just before the truck is empty and ready for dispatch. As soon as the driver leaves his/her delivery point he/she will know where they need to go for their next load instead of having to search for a legal place to park (often traveling as far as 50- 70 miles) and having to wait for long periods like what has happened lately. Preplanning trucks would save the company a huge sum of money on fuel and the wear & tear of unproductive miles on the equipment.

While many may argue that it would cost the company money to have empty trucks sitting at our terminals, they should also think of how much it costs to have one truck sitting empty versus having a driver in it (which means paying benefits for them) and idling away expensive fuel while they’re waiting on a dispatch. With the number of trucks our company trades off on a normal basis they could put the older ones out of service and not purchase as many new trucks until a rebound in the freight levels would justify it. The company could also save thousands of dollars in advertising/recruiting expenses as well by implementing a temporary hiring freeze.

This would also eventually afford the company an opportunity to be more selective of new-hires and allow for the good riddance of many if not all habitual problem drivers. While we have a huge number of well-qualified drivers who have excellent safety and dependability records that should be retained there’s obviously some others who pose a potential liability, don’t represent our company well, and should be turned loose for various reasons.

A big part of what has motivated me to come up with this idea is the fact that during the last two years while doing everything I could to make myself available to run hard I have not been able to reach the mileage goal required to qualify for the annual pay raise. With that in mind I can only run as hard as the freight offered to me will allow. I have come within 3-4,000 miles of the mileage requirement each time but not close enough. I do try to be proactive in terms of avoiding downtime by arranging for preventive maintenance and repairs to be done at an AMS facility whenever I take time off at a location other than home, which often entails me renting a car at my own expense to travel to wherever my family is getting together while the truck is taken care of in the shop. When I am ready to roll, I do everything I can to be sure my truck is ready as well. I don’t know what else to do other than outline and offer a solution like I did in this letter.

While I have been happy with my decision to come to work for Crete over three years ago after working as a debt-free owner-operator for many years until the economic climate changed unfavorably, I would like to be able to continue to be here for many years to come. Whether or not that happens will depend on how productive I can be with the work made available to me. I take great pride in professionalism and safety while offering courteous & dependable service to our customers but would like to see better opportunities to be more productive.

As anyone who has known me for a while will tell you, I don’t like the idea of complaining about anything unless I can at least offer a viable solution. Please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail. I would also welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss this in further detail.

Thank You & Best Regards,

I know in my own mind that I tried to be patient and attempted to make a difference. Now I strongly believe it's time to move on.

GuysLady · **^ Top** #**103** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longbow

So people who haven't got a freaking clue what the industry is all about should be telling the rest of us how to do our jobs? What alternate universe does that idea come from? That makes absolutely no sense at all and I am surprised that a moderator would even suggest it. Unbelievable.

If you haven't been out here earning a living in this industry for several years you have no right to tell those of us who have anything!

Interesting that you would think Luvtheroad and Lilbit don't have a clue. Perhaps you haven't been paying attention? Lilbit and Luvtheroad are both experienced in this industry.

jdrentzjr · **^ Top** #**104** 02.10.2009

Hi Capt.,
Your name is familiar from another site. Welcome to this one neighbor (I live in NW SA. You may have seen my trk, maroon Internationl # 3**5).

I went to a meeting in Wilmer last month, and many of the issues you raised in your letter were addressed.

There has been a hiring freeze of O/O's in affect since the first of the year. Company drivers are hired only to fill those seats that have been vacated due to health, safety, and turnover issues. They are not growing the fleet.

I realize that continuing to hire drivers for the above reasons does not meet your expectations, however, managments reasoning is that keeping the fleet at current level will allow Crete to be in a position to capitalize when freight turns around. Be that through an increase in volume or a decrease in the number of companies hauling freight. As a businessman myself, this is a logical stratagy to take.

Crete is a financialy solid company, and will be around long after financialy leveraged companies bite the dust.

Here's a tip. The refridgered side of the industry has already seen a turnaround. However, one big company is about to close it's door, which should generate even more miles for the refrigerated segment. So, maybe you should consider the Shaffer side of the company, or another reffer carrier. As for me, I like dry van and will stay put for now.

skibum_63 · **^ Top** #**105** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdrentzjr

However, one big company is about to close it's door

Please give us some hints on who this is. No names just what they drive, and a poosible location.

Pretty certain it won't be my company, since we posted a profit, in the last qtr of 2008

luvtheroad · **^ Top** #**106** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuysLady

Interesting that you would think Luvtheroad and Lilbit don't have a clue. Perhaps you haven't been paying attention? Lilbit and Luvtheroad are both experienced in this industry.

Experienced, yes, but an expert, no... No matter how up to date you may think you are, you can never be an expert. There is always someone out there who knows more than you do.

GuysLady · **^ Top** #**107** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvtheroad

Experienced, yes, but an expert, no... No matter how up to date you may think you are, you can never be an expert. There is always someone out there who knows more than you do.

<<< nods head in agreement.

bigblue19 · **^ Top** #**108** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Life experience counts just as much. Just because someone hasn't been in the seat of a truck doesn't mean they don't know about it.

So your saying that I could go outside and grab someone with life experience off the street and plop them behind the wheel, and they would be able to do the job?

Well heck, lets close all the schools down and fire all the driver trainers if thats the case.

I have watched enough episodes of ER to know about doctors, but I ain't gonna go put on some scrubs and pretend I know what it is like to have someones life in my hands.

So no, I would say that a opinion derived from life's experiences does not count as much as a opinion derived from actually doing the day to day job. But one is still entitled to their opinion.

luvtheroad · **^ Top** #**109** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigblue19

So your saying that I could go outside and grab someone with life experience off the street and plop them behind the wheel, and they would be able to do the job?

Well heck, lets close all the schools down and fire all the driver trainers if thats the case.

I have watched enough episodes of ER to know about doctors, but I ain't gonna go put on some scrubs and pretend I know what it is like to have someones life in my hands.

So no, I would say that a opinion derived from life's experiences does not count as much as a opinion derived from actually doing the day to day job. But one is still entitled to their opinion.

Before I say anything else, have you read this thread from the very beginning? Because if you had you would know where and why all this started and why that quote was made and why I was asked about my experience and my husband's. The statement was not intended to be interpeted the way you did. If you want more detail about this I will be only too glad to provide it.

Lilbit · **^ Top** #**110** 02.10.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigblue19

So your saying that I could go outside and grab someone with life experience off the street and plop them behind the wheel, and they would be able to do the job?

Well heck, lets close all the schools down and fire all the driver trainers if thats the case.

I have watched enough episodes of ER to know about doctors, but I ain't gonna go put on some scrubs and pretend I know what it is like to have someones life in my hands.

So no, I would say that a opinion derived from life's experiences does not count as much as a opinion derived from actually doing the day to day job. But one is still entitled to their opinion.

Also, if you had bothered to read or even look at my profile, you would see that I am a former driver and have also spent time in other aspects of the industry.

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The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to luvtheroad For This Useful Post:
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