Another Crete Thread - questions

Hey Ryan,

Hope you get the answers your looking for. I can't help much other than say my hubby is suppose to be getting on with Crete starting orientation for the Southeast regional next Monday. He had to go today to one of their terminals (about an hour and a half away from us) to get a drug test, driving test, and physical done. He had to drive his personal vehicle there. They then tell him that he has to come back up there and provide more info on his application. They want 10 years of info back to august of 97. And they want a detailed copy of why his license was suspended back in 1999. And they tell him that he needs to put a company that he never "worked" for or actually got hired or paid for on his application just because he went to 4 days of orientation and then was sent home.

So, I do say this for a heads up... make sure you have all your dates, detailed information, and all that ready. Mine as well take it with you if you have to go for drug test etc, because they had told him he didn't need that... now they are saying he does. It might save you some time, money, and frustration to just have it "just in case".

So, here goes another day of missing work, more gas/miles on our personal vehicle with no compensation for it, and more hassle on our end for something they now decide they need. But, we are going to try and do it, since he's had such a hard time getting a job since TMC ruined his DAC.

 

Ziggy:

As for taxes. It depends on your exemptions/deductions, but you can get the tax tables at the IRS website. I am posting the basic tables at the bottom of this post for your convenience. Note the different rates for single, married filing jointly, married filing seperately and head of household. Bear in mind these are figures for TAXABLE, which is after your standard exemptions and deductions or after your itemized deductions if you itemize. Your employer withholds based on the weekly payroll schedules which will likely withhold more than you end up owing, so you'll get some back. Also you get to either itemize or take standard deductions. If you have lots of deductible mortgage interest or deductible work related expenses that exceed your standard deductions, you will want to itemize. If not take the standard deductions which are $5,150 if you're single or married filing seperately, $10,300 married filing jointly and $7,550 if you file as head of household. Also if you have dependant children you will get a deduction for each of them, which I can't lay my hands on right now, but it's about $2K per kid. They will also withhold 7.65% of your total wages for SS and Medicare. This you do not get back.

So to simplify if you have gross earnings in a week of $750 and you're single and claim only zero exemption, your check should be as follows:

Gross pay $750.00
Fed W/h - $109.00
FICA W/h - $ 57.38
Net Pay (your check) $583.62

Then at the end of the year if you make the same every week and file a 1040EZ and take just the standard exemption and have no other deductions it will look like this:

Gross earnings $39,000
Less stanard deduction - $ 5,150
Taxable income $ 33,850
Tax per table $ 4,886.25

Amount paid in in W/h 109X52 $ 5,668.00
Means you'd get back $781.75 from the feds at the end of the year.

Now all of this is assuming no exemptions, single and no kids. Check with an accountant, as you probably will have some things that can significantly lower your tax and increase your weekly check. The FICA withholding is totally unavoidable. It's 7.65% of all earned income up to about $96K a year. period. Make sure they do not set you up as an independent contractor or you have to pay 15.3% self employment tax and must report and pay yourself. If a W-2 Employee, they pay half and you pay half 7.65% each. You may also have withholdings for insurance and other items that you elect. Ask how much they pay of your health/life/dental/vision and how much you pay. Some companies pay it al and others charge you up to 50% of it if you want it. Full benefits can cost as much as $1500/mo, so if you pay half, that's a week's pay a month. Most trucking companies ask that yu pay between $50 and $75 a week for your coverage.

Schedule X — Single

If taxable income is over--But not over--The tax is:$0$7,82510% of the amount over $0$7,825$31,850$782.50 plus 15% of the amount over 7,825$31,850$77,100$4,386.25 plus 25% of the amount over 31,850$77,100$160,850$15,698.75 plus 28% of the amount over 77,100$160,850$349,700$39,148.75 plus 33% of the amount over 160,850$349,700no limit$101,469.25 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700

Schedule Y-1 — Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er)

If taxable income is over--But not over--The tax is:$0$15,65010% of the amount over $0$15,650$63,700$1,565.00 plus 15% of the amount over 15,650$63,700$128,500$8,772.50 plus 25% of the amount over 63,700$128,500$195,850$24,972.50 plus 28% of the amount over 128,500$195,850$349,700$43,830.50 plus 33% of the amount over 195,850$349,700no limit$94,601.00 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700

Schedule Y-2 — Married Filing Separately


If taxable income is over--But not over--The tax is:$0$7,82510% of the amount over $0$7,825$31,850$782.50 plus 15% of the amount over 7,825$31,850$64,250$4,386.25 plus 25% of the amount over 31,850$64,250$97,925$12,486.25 plus 28% of the amount over 64,250$97,925$174,850$21,915.25 plus 33% of the amount over 97,925$174,850no limit$47,300.50 plus 35% of the amount over 174,850

Schedule Z — Head of Household


If taxable income is over--But not over--The tax is:$0$11,20010% of the amount over $0$11,200$42,650$1,120.00 plus 15% of the amount over 11,200$42,650$110,100$5,837.50 plus 25% of the amount over 42,650$110,100$178,350$22,700.00 plus 28% of the amount over 110,100$178,350$349,700$41,810.00 plus 33% of the amount over 178,350$349,700no limit$98,355.50 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700

Updated or reviewed 14-NOV-2006​

 

I posted a reply to you answering your questions as a former Crete driver myself ( 1)you should get 36cpm - figure to deduct 20% in taxes and another $40 for beneifits each week - 2) there is a terminal in SLC - 3) 2 months w/trainer for new driver is industry standard).
The forum owner however took exception to my warning you that if you google for "crete western fleet rate" you would find a site that states the pay should be 36-39 cpm, not 34. I'm not going to repost my full reply since the owner seems to want to protect Crete from you knowing that 36cpm is advertised elsewhere and that your recruiter appears to have lied to you.

WHY the owner of this site took down my reply instead of just deleting the reference to the other site, I'll leave you to decide.
I've just decided to not bother coming back here. good luck.bb.
I HATE CENSORSHIP

 

Can one still take the per diem deduction? That's like 52 a day every day you're away from home. That'll add up to about 15,000 in income deduction, which is a lot better than the standard 5K deduction. You'll need to save your log books to prove it. If you can still take this, definitely do it up.

When I worked for CCC, I believe the Cheyenne terminal was actually at a truckstop. Did they build an actual terminal in C-town, WY?

 

The way Crete does their training, even if you have school training, you still ride with a trainer(or he rides w/you i mean) to make sure you know what your doing. Some of these schools don't teach you to drive, they teach you to get your CDL. They just want to make sure you were trained to drive. And that you do it the CRETE way.
They allow you to take your truck home with you, if you don't have a place to park it at home, they do let you park at a truck stop near you, but they want you to make sure you use all their security locks(air brake, trailer if loaded etc.) The one post was right, it might be closer for you to see if the Salt Lake terminal is actually closer, recruiters are like dispatchers, they don't own or know how to read a map. He saw WY on app... he forgets how big that state is. You might want to check out having them get a rental car if its a long drive, I know they ship drivers all over the country for trucks. One post said he lives in CA and they rented him a car to drive to Lincoln, NE for orientation. Not many companies do that. And .34 a mile?? Are you sure thats what they said? I have been doing this a while, but that seems a bit low. I am up to .46 now, but I have 12+ yrs as a professional tourist. I thought they started trainees higher than that. Maybe being new and regional has something to do with that. I know regional driver are paid less, because they are suppose to see home more. Suppose to, not actually do, depends on where you live. Last year I made $60k+. And I am not at the top of the pay scale, I am a penny or two from the top. So it won't take long before you are on the way up in pay. The money is here, you just have to learn their system and how to take advantage of it. GOOD LUCK

 

36 kicks in after one year, a new driver gets the 34. This I know as fact. You will have to do the whole eight weeks, my trainer tried to get me released after three weeks but they have data that says accident rates are higher for new drivers released early so they no longer let a good trainee off early.