CRETE - A Year in Review

bduke · Dec 19, 2009

evertruckerr said: ↑

Hey,

Thought I'd stop by and see what's hapnin'

I've had a tough time getting online of late. I downloaded a new software program for my blackberry a while back and it seems to have done and ugly number on my computer.

I can't seem to get the dumb thing back to speed and the stupid thing freezes up on me constantly and there have been times where it takes me 30 minutes just to get online long enough to take care of some Transflows. I'm amazed I was able to keep it working long enough to make it to the thread. I'm on my way to Phoenix for my Christmas Vacation and will get it straightened out, I hope!

That and the fact that I've been incredibly busy for the last three weeks. With the exception of a day or two of down waiting to deliver a load I've had plenty of miles to occupy my time. The most recent numbers have been 2600+ miles, 3700+, 3300 and I'm now on a 1800 mi 2 run load back to the house. HO! HO! HO! The only hang up in that plan is that I have to spend a day in KC waiting for my next load. I contacted dispatch and let them know I was willing to help out with some shag work tomorrow and they were more than happy to oblige. It's better than sitting around with nothing to do.

Mooniac wrote:

With regards to my concern about getting a load out of Washington last week.

You nailed that one. I did loose most of the day just making the 2stop delivery. I had arrived in the area shortly after noon on Tuesday and sat there until noon on Wednesday before starting my deliveries. I wasn't empty until 7pm but was immediately given a load out of 2300 miles to OH.

Redbeard wrote:

I spent the better part of a day at that very Rutter's in the beginning of November. A Church and Dwight load landed me there. Not a thing to do in the area either, but then you now know that.

How much do you miss GM?

bduke wrote:

Don't for a second think that he is the only one that is bothered! But then, that is your sole purpose on any thread that you choose to grace your presents with, isn't it?

So others are bothered? Why? Maybe I don't get it? I guess it is hard for me to understand the otr driver. Yet I have so much sympathy for them.

I don't know how they do it? My hat is off to them for having to put up with all of the BS that they do. You included.

Where else can you get paid by the mile but not the actual miles you drove? Where else can you can you sit at a customer to load or unload for free? Where else can you sit for days waiting for a load? Where else can you give up free time like pre and post trips, fueling, DOT scale inspections, inclement weather and traffic delays etc? Where else can you be expected to pay out of pocket for fingerprinting, haz mat and TWIC certification? Where else can you be expected to pay for tolls? Where else can you be expected to pay for incidentals that the company refuses to pay for when those items are needed to perform your job? Where else can you be expected to pay for idle air in order to keep warm or cool? Where else can you be penalized for excessive idle to do the above? Where else can you expect to find drivers needing advancement on their pay for anything? Where else can you expect to be gone for weeks at a time, away from family, and receive the meager pay that most otr drivers receive? Where else can you spend a lot of your pay on food and showers at truckstops? Where else can you expect to pay a high cost for benefits? Where else can you expect to receive little to no paid time off? Who else can you work for where the recruiter is paid to lie in order for you to come to work for them? Where else can you work where the turnover is over 100% or better? Where else can you work where the company needs to advertise for more drivers? Not because that their business is picking up but because their drivers are leaving in droves. Where else can you work where the company rules can be changed at any time the company see's fit in order to change their bottom line (union drivers, please don't comment. Thanks.) and where else can your pay come out to less than minimum wage for a lot of folks? The list goes on and on and on.

novoids wrote:

It's always good to see someone else's prospective. It's not always easy, but do your best to keep it updated.
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/crete/80798-my-first-days-at-crete.html

WHAT HAPPENED! We must have really pizd off SS. He's MIA again.
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Maybe being a bother to others is a good thing. If otr is what you want to do, go be the best otr driver you can be. Just remember what you are getting into. Research, research and do more research. The only one that will benefit from it is you.

moonshadow · Dec 19, 2009

bduke said: ↑

Maybe being a bother to others is a good thing. If otr is what you want to do, go be the best otr driver you can be. Just remember what you are getting into. Research, research and do more research. The only one that will benefit from it is you.
Click to expand...

Is it just me (yawn) or is this getting to the silly part!

supersnackbar · Dec 19, 2009

Greetings gang

It's official, I became Grandpa Snackbar at 1pm on Friday - the 18th. My daughter had a baby girl. Because she was 6 weeks premature, they had to life flight my granddaughter to a hospital 60 miles away that is better equipped to handle premature babies...but nothing major is wrong except the usual precautions to make sure she keeps breathing on her own, which is one of the biggest hurdles preemie's have to overcome. ----What does that have to do with a Crete thread you may ask...Well, I perhaps jumped the gun when I was critical of how I expected Crete to handle getting me home:

Unlike the way they handled my getting home for my Grandma's death last year, they handled this above and beyond my wildest expectations. Once I received word that they couldn't stop labor and my daughter was going in for an emergency C-Section, (when I was almost at the delivery in Hialeah) I immediately called Deland, and within a few minutes, at 1pm on a Friday afternoon, in south FL, a week before Christmas...they had me a load that was, not only ready, but wasn't out of route for my trip home...So I not only made it home as quickly as possible (in my truck that is)but paid for an extra 280 miles to boot. So, in keeping with my true reporting of what goes on with me here with Crete, both positive and negative... I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my terminal manager Rae in Deland, and Jim in Lincoln that handles the FL region for getting home with very, very short notice... Jim, Rae - Feel free to remind me how much you did for me the next time I get grumpy....I owe you at least one. (I actually owe Jim 2, because he's the one that tried to help on Labor day, but I bailed on the load--the load I got written up on)

Now I have to practice being a grandpa...'get out of my yard....turn down that loud music...slow down, what's your hurry'....oh wait, I'm already good at yelling and complaining...sorry

So, it's going to be a very busy week for me traveling between my daughter's hospital, and my granddaughters hospital. If I don't have the chance between now and then... A Merry Christmas to all.

dodgeram440rt · Dec 19, 2009

Congratulations Snackbar! That is really great and it's good to hear that Crete was so helpful getting you home. There is truly nothing better than a new baby in the family. They are such a blessing. I just became a Grampa myself last month, Nov 18 and he is such a little man! You just can't help but smile watching him sleep. Of course you know what the best part of being a grandparent is, right? You get to spoil the grandkids then send them home! Of course my daughter still lives at home with us, so we can just spoil him then send him to her room!

Congrats again and Merry Christmas!

Longbow · Dec 19, 2009

jdrentzjr said: ↑

Well all good things must come to an end. After a drop and hook Tuesday afternoon in Fairburn,GA I had to wait till 1000 Wed. morning to live load in Kennesaw,GA delivering in Greensboro,NC the next morning at 0600. Not the best but it did have an extra stop in route at the Gwinnett County Jail, so the extra $60 stop pay for thirty minutes work was a bonus.

Thursday I live loaded on a drop trailer in Winston Salem for a short 217 miles to Newport,TN that delivered the same day at 1700. Well due to the gorge being closed the trip totaled 250 loaded miles and what was supposed to be a 1700 unload turned into a 1915 unload because recieving said that security did not notify them that I had arrived. BS!!!! I watched the officer make the phone call at which time recieving told him to tell me which door to go to. Once unloaded I had enough time to drive to Knoxville for the night before heading onto Etowah,TN where I will be picking up my load home. Well Laredo, then home.

This is where it all went wrong. I arose at 0800 ect and called shipper to see if load would be ready early. It was scheduled for pick up 1300-1700. Shipper said it was preloaded and ready to go. I arrive at 1000 ect only to find out it is not ready and won't be until after midnight. It was decided that Crete would cancel the load and charge shipper for truck ordered not used and reschedule pick up for tomorrow. It was also decided I would wait to pick it up tomorrow since it was a load to get me home. I will was told there would be no detention but that I would get a portion of what Crete gets on the trk ordered not used billing. The last time something like this happened I got $100 for my trouble.
So, over the last three days I've logged 700 miles, and will finish the week with 2500 miles for the week. Still not bad considering the delays.
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Good luck on that "truck ordered not used" nonsense. I have had three of them in the last 6 months and I haven't seen a dime from any of them.

haze1 · Dec 19, 2009

Hey Supersnackbar, congrats on the new granddaughter! Best wishes and a Merry Christmas/happy NewYear

squaredeal · Dec 20, 2009

evertruckerr said: ↑

Nothing personal SS, but I ran out of hours (3660 miles for the week since leaving the house) and have nothing better to do than pick on you while I'm doing my reset.

Supersnake wrote:

You don't honestly think we are the only ones taking a paycut this year do you?

Welcome to the new economy. Like almost every other driver out here,I too felt the crunch. Maybe not as much as you but this years mileage total (calender) over last year will be dramatic.

It's not just us either. My wife was just informed yesterday the she will not be getting her yearly pay raise for the second year in a row now (a 5% pay raise has always been a yearly standard prior to this). She is now making $5000/yr less than what we had planned on. She will not be getting her yearly bonus, which up to this year was a substantial infusion of year end cash. Her health insurance premiums will take a big jump and the deductible just went from $0 to $1500. But she still has a job. (I secretly hope she gets laid off so we can drive team again) So don't think the world is just picking on truckdrivers.

The years not over yet, but my mileage total will fall somewhere in the ballpark of a 25,000 mile discrepancy from last year resulting in a painful $10,000 plus shortfall over last year. But that number will be softened significantly by the 3 weeks of vacation time that I cashed in this year which added up to $3600+ (That sure beats the $400-$500/wk that many companies pay.)

The economy has done its share to bolster my mileage shortfall, but I also made a conscious effort to spend more time at home this year. I was only home for 40 days during 2008 as opposed to this year which will end with approximately 67 days in my own bed. So in effect, I could have tacked on another 10,000 miles to this years total.

All in all, not bad when I look around me and see whats happening.

Supersnake wrote:

Definitely not a pleasant phrase. As a matter of fact it was the last thing I heard coming out of the CEO's mouth of the last place I worked at before deciding to embark on my illustrious career as a truck driver. I'm one of those "principles" kind of guys. I place my values over monetary gain. That particular decision cut my pay by more than half for years to come, but I have never regretted it. As a matter of fact, the look on the guys face as I said "All right!", turned and walked out the door was worth every penny. He never saw it coming.

Anyway, that statement is probability the worst and most condescending thing any employer (or agent thereof) could possibly confront an employee with. But the use of it puts the decision solely in your lap. You obviously chose to stay and should realize that you probably will not be seeing any significant changes in the near future. Weather your short fall in miles is dispatch induced or self inflicted it still up for debate (sorry SS, but there are times that I wonder if you might not contribute in some part although I'm sure you will adamantly deny this).

The self proclaimed fact that you have heard it "more than a couple dozen times" makes me wonder. It seems to me that you find yourself in confrontational situation far more often than what one might deem normal. Just sayin'

In the time that I've been here I've never even come close to such a situation. It's not that I haven't had numerous reasons to take it to that level, but such a confrontation is a last resort(and almost always futile). That doesn't mean that I haven't gone on endless rants containing a multitude of choice words, but it is heard by no one other than myself.

It's not past me to be a major pain in someones back side and persistence is my forte', but it is always done with the utmost professionalism, regardless of the attitude I'm getting back from dispatch. I refuse to lower myself to those levels. Time and time again, patience and polite persistance wins out.

A shining example of this happened to me just this week. It was my longest and most stubborn battle to date, I will go into detail in a later post. Long story short, I won the battle and no one was upset or offended in the process and I got my miles.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is pick your battles and keep it civil. Threats, insults and bad attitude will only garner like minded reactions. Don't forget your place in the pecking order. This rule is a stead fast fact in all aspects of life. Never offend those that control your paycheck, or in our case, your miles. It may be a tough pill to swallow, but it's life. Is it fair, Nope, but nothing in life is. Make your own luck.

And for the "if you don't like it, leave". Have you taken a good look at what's out there. Things may be bad, but don't forget how good you have it. Even with your lollygaggin around the country with your 111,868 miles for the year at your pay level with 3 weeks payed vacation you still pulled in $55,000 plus. Not to mention the cash you've pulled in for referals (couldn't resist). You may not be getting rich, but do you have any idea of how many driver are out here making $30K or less. I'm sure there are a few reading this thread that would love to get your paycheck. Sorry, it may not make you feel any better, it's just my optimistic way of looking at things pushing its way through.

Nope, there is no "but". The facts of life are laid out in front of us. Reality is front and center. There are NO buts. There is only one thing to do. Take the situation that is presented to us and make it work to our advantage as best we can. Oh yeah, I guess there are two things you can do (within the confines of the truck driving world that is). Start your own trucking company. Anyone want to take any bets on how fast your point of view will change. It's always been "us" and "them". Just remember, from the trucking companies point of view, we are "them".

I'm not trying to stick up for Crete, or any other company for that matter. I'm just trying to point out the reality of everyones situation. These companies are in business to make money. No one should be surprised when companies take steps that are in their best financial interests. Just think about the decisions you would be making if it was your company trying to survive in these rough economic times.

There you have it, mindless ramblings of a bored truck driver sitting in the back of a truck (in a dirt lot in the middle of KS to make it that much worse).
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Our local LTL company is closing terminals, cutting service areas and cutting the hours we can work. They have always treated their drivers with respect and treated us almost as family. The pay is good for local driving with good benefits. I found this web site because I am concerned about providing for my family. Drove over the road for 10 years from 1987-1997 and considering Crete. I appreciate your balanced and comprehensive response. Praying for guidance.

MacDriver48 · Dec 21, 2009

Congrats and God Bless.

RiverOtter · Dec 21, 2009

Thanksgiving night the airbag on the seat on the new Int'l ProStar blew out - which I think is God's way of telling me I need to go on a diet.

Went to the T/A in beautiful Willcox, AZ to try to get it fixed. Roadservice wouldn't authorize them to pull the airbag off of the passenger seat, or swap seats, because it "...would void the warranty". I have to take it to an Int'l dealer for warrranty repair.

Well, fudge! I'm not going to sit on the floor, so I persuade Roadservice to let me have the T/A try to engineer something that will raise the seat up so I can drive - and they reluctantly agree. The T/A cuts a couple of pieces of 2x4 about 9" long, and while I lift up on the seat, the mechanic slides them underneath the seat rails and the seat is now at about normal height.

The T/A charges Crete a mere $66 for the 2x4's - $58 for a 1/2-hour minimum labor, the balance for parts and all-encompassing "shop supplies" fee. Needless to say, Roadservice isn't thrilled about two $33 pieces of 2x4, but...

So after I get out of the shop, I send in a quick message about how the truck is fixed with the 2x4's, and I'm rolling.

Here comes a message from someone in Ops who questions whether or not that is a legal repair, and says I should contact safety - who, for some odd reason, aren't working at 11pm CST Thanksgiving night! I can't understand why not! I mean... if I have to work TurkeyDay, doesn't everybody work TurkeyDay?

Anyway...

I send them back a nice message, stating that 1) - I don't think T/A would or could make a repair in violation of DOT regulations, 2) - There isn't anyone in safety until tomorrow morning, by which time I'll be somewhere east of El Paso, and, 3) - It's decision time in Operations! If they don't think the vehicle is safe to drive, then we need to immediately make arrangements to repower this load, and have me towed to the nearest Int'l dealer - probably Tucson or Las Cruces - and have the truck repaired. Since it's a holiday weekend, I'll need a motel room for the weekend, and authorization for breakdown pay.

To which their reply was - "Well, if you think the truck is safe to drive...".

They are more slippery than a greased pig, and harder to pin down than warm Jello! God love 'em!

BTW - If you ever go through Tucson on Thanksgiving - the turkey enchiladas at the Triple-T truck stop are really good! They taste just like chicken... (doesn't everything?)

bduke · Dec 21, 2009

moonshadow said: ↑

Is it just me (yawn) or is this getting to the silly part!
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It's just you. Nothing silly about about wanting other drivers to be paid what they are worth. I am sure others are feeling that they get treated improperly where they work. This site is full of them. Glad you are happy where you work as a driver. Wherever that is?

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