CRETE - A Year in Review

I'm back...

Sorry for the delay...my brand spanking new Thunderbolt had a stroke and locked up solid as a brick(the Android techey's actually call it 'bricking'). It decided to do this on a Friday, and I was scheduled to leave out on Sunday... Verizon and FudEx(be vewy vewy qwiet....I'm hawing fweight....eeeeeeeheahah---ok, so my elmer fudd doesn't look as funny typed out as it sounds in person)anyway, Fudex must use the same dispatch/planning system as Lincoln....because the next-day Saturday delivery(that I paid extra for) didn't get delivered until Tuesday...2 days after I leave...so I don't have much of a chance to get on. My laptop's 5 yr old hard drive is on it's last leg...so I'm babying it....I have a new drive, but haven't had the time to backup and install yet.

Anyway...Leave out on Sunday...run decent...but end up in NE Mass again...that's twice in July... but even still, I got a 2371 mile 6 day-week out of it. Then this last week of July, I managed a 3442 mile week. Ending up with 10966 for the month, and 4 days off at home.

All in all, the only issues I've had here lately, at least from the Operations department, only involve 2nd shift's inability to respond to the Q/comm, and the robo-message from safety about me getting my physical done last month...which expires at the end of August, but since I've been here, I've always done it a week or two before it's due. This year, things are different. They wanted it 30 days early, and the computer keeps reminding me. I'm guessing that it has something to do with the new sleep study profiling they are doing. But I didn't find out about this until after my daughter made wedding plans, had the reservations set, invitations sent, everything ordered and dated for the end of August...done that way on purpose so they had no excuse for delaying me getting home... So, my terminal manager got it ok'd to postpone my physical until just before it is due. Without a doubt, I have to say nothing but good things about all my people(in the office) in Deland

I did have an interesting day late last week. I delivered to Edwardsville, IL (St. Louis area), and was given a 'hazmat' load right back out of the same place. When I pulled out my little yellow/orange Hazmat book to verify the info on the b/l...low and behold, the UN number didn't match the description of the product they had listed, and the UN number required 2 different class placards(8 and 4.2), and they had only provided me with one. When I went back to the shipping office to get it straight...walked up said 'we have a problem, your UN number doesn't match the product description', the guy just stared at me as said...'How do you know it isn't right'...duh...I'm holding a hazmat book...So they had to get the warehouse manager, who by the way was very polite and professional and very understanding about the whole deal. Unfortunately the warehouse I was picking up at was a 3rd party warehouse for P&G, and they were using P&G's database, and P&G doesn't come in until 7 or 8, and it was 3 a.m. So, Crete pulled me off the load and actually got a choice Marcy, NY or Sealy, TX. I left it there with decent run to Sealy, TX...that was 3800 lbs overgross(from the same warehouse). My Century can haul 46-46500 lbs of freight (net weight w/our new trailers is in the 33500 lbs neighborhood) If I was 3800 lbs overgross, that means they had close to 50,000lbs on that trailer. So it took them 4 hours to reload me and find out what extra stuff was on my trailer, because the b/l only showed 44,250. Now I'm sitting outside St. Louis again (after delivering to Sealy and getting a load right back out without delay) waiting on delivering at 8 am to Earth City, MO Monday morning..an 846 mile load.

I have been getting my share of loads that Redbeard and Jdzr wouldn't want, but the rest of us love....the 1300-1500+ mile runs. At least 1 a week, and then turn around and get at least 1 700ish mile run that picks up today, and has to be there tomorrow. Kinda' nice change of pace instead of having 2 or 3 days to run 700 miles. I've also been getting my fair share of the 2-400 mile runs as well...All in all, I'm tearing up the logbook, and never enough time to do a reset.

 

I have pulled out of that whse as well... EVERY time, it is screwed up weight-wise....absolute bunch of nothings there....

 

SS, Are you training?

 

What is name of warehouse?

 

Hey guys...this is a great thread and I have been reading a lot of it. Casey at Crete called me today to tell me that safety approved me and I can come Monday or wednesday for Orientation. I have my little girl for the last time this summer, so I am going to start next week (probably Monday). Just as a FYI, I drove for Prime for the past three years, but got tired of being out for months and being in the hole for most if it.

Anyway, here are a few questions for you Crete veterans...

1. what day does the week end for pay? When are the trip reports due to get paid for the week?

2. Pay issued on Fridays?

3. Can I get money on my comdata card and the rest deposited?

4. What is the policy on cash advances?

5. Do I have to pay for load locks, chains, etc?

6. What, if any, are my out of pocket expenses once I am assigned a truck?

7. Am i assigned a truck, or can I pick?

8. Are they issuing more Cascadias now than any other?

9. Is Crete on E-LOGS YET?

10. How are the people at the Marietta terminal? I live about 2.5 miles from that terminal. what is it like there? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
Thanks for any help. Im sure that I will have more questions but this will do for now.

 

If you have driven for Prime for the last 3 years and come into the same fleet i.e OTR, 48, Nationwide...whatever they refer to the whole enchelada; I believe Crete is heads above. Just on pay alone. Now Prime might have some rewards programs, but what do they pay per mile, (practical?) I don't know of any company where you can pick, unless you are leasing. Don't know if Cascadias outnumber the Prostars. E-Logs are being implemented, but not universal yet....getting used to the paper ones, but I still prefer Electronic. The company already has tracking...ie, qualcom. E-logs allow actual time for tasks in lieu of 15 minute chucks.

 

Yeah, I was leasing at Prime and for the last two months was in the hole...basically driving for free while going deeper in debt. I can't blame that entirely on Prime, but still I need something a little more consistent with the pay, ya know?

I would take 2-3 days off at home and as soon as I crank the truck up, I would be deep in the hole. It would take me three weeks to catch up and then I needed a few days home again. Something just wasn't right with that.

Anyway, as L/O I was paid by the trip, not by the mile. All fuel, including reefer fuel, came out of my pay as well as anything that was done to the truck that wasn't under warranty.

 

All these questions will or can be answered in Orientation. Welcome to the Company. I think with your attitude...ie a good Father, you will do well in this organization.

 

Yeah, I was just wanting to find out about it before then. Just things I wonder about.

 

And NO, I am not a recruiter. I am a driver, but am a recruiting driver because I think this is a good place to work, especially as a company driver.