Crete or Marten or Pride or Legend or knight

They’ll occasionally ask you to pull a reefer if you’re on the dry side or vice versa..usually it’s because they’re trying to get you home and that’s what they have to do it with..

 

With Crete/Shaffer (or Creaffer) there is another thing to consider... micromanaging. They micromanage you like you're a total moron. Reminding you how to do everything but how to breathe. They also have every safety nanny device imaginable installed on their trucks...and unless you're lucky, you need to be ready to swap trucks...a lot. I left Shaffer 4 monthis ago after being back there for 20 months. The 1st 3 months I was in 5 different trucks. If the truck hits a shop and is going to be down for more than a day or two because of parts issues, they insist you swap trucks rather than pay you breakdown pay. And they also don't pay any kind of layover pay unless it is a result of something a customer did. Slow freight, sorry, no pay for you...and don't idle your engine too much or they'll ride your butt there too. All their trucks are opti-idle equipped, so you have to deal with the main engine starting and stopping while you try to get some sleep. In my 30 years, Creaffer was the worst company I have ever worked. There is a reason they pay what they do, it's the only way they can attract new drivers to fill the empty trucks from experienced drivers leaving.

 

Where are you located? There are a lot of different options.

 

None of them!

Go to a private carrier, LTL company, or fuel hauling company. Some 3rd party fuel haulers are ok. But private fuel hauling companies are the best.

 

Even if it isn't a private carrier, just stay away from these Mega-carriers. I went from Creaffer to a 200ish truck flatbed company that is owned by a larger holdings company(but they let us run our own show like we're totally independent). Night and day difference. I walk into the main terminal and they know me by my 1st name...not by my truck number. I have an issue, it's looked into and resolved. Truck breaks down, they have it in the shop and a motel reservation if needed(along with a daily pay amount while it is in the shop)...no immediate pressure to swap trucks.

 

Sounds like you made a good move.

But we are have different ideas of what makes a company a good fit. I couldn't see myself working for a mid size company ever again. My experience was too much favoritism and other BS. I don't need people to know my name, being a number is better as long as I am treated respectfully and professionally. We also all have different tolerances for rules and regulations and how they are implemented. I'll take that of a big company any day over my experience with the smaller ones.

 

If the big company respects you, that's cool. But the only respect you get from Creaffer is at the drivers local terminal level. Lincoln respect for the driver is only for show. They praise and boast about how good they treat their driver with one face, and screw the driver over to make an extra dollar with the other. Why do you think drivers like me and @drvrtech77 threw them the keys on the way out the door...and when the economy tanks more, the penny pinching only gets worse, and they pinch it out of the driver's pocket...you can believe that senior management isn't gonna take a pay cut.

 

If it were me, I'd probably look at Marten. They have reefer, dry van, and dedicated. Good looking equipment, and from what one of their for.wr drivers told me, good miles. They go some of everywhere so you'll make the check. I don't look for the most cpm, just as long as it's competitive and they can dish out miles. They are sizable but Schneider size so that works. They kill the Coke loads too. I'm not so sure about this but I believe coke is one of their dedicated runs. I see drivers in STL area going home almost daily running that coke.