Starting CRE Gary on Oct 8th anyone else?

no offense or disrespect intended. but the OP is the best example of why CRE will never run out of seat meat...read all the testimony, talked to family in the biz... and still SIGNED UP!!!! i wish you well, be safe... odds are not in your favor...

 

Good luck, my first year with England was horrible. The only bill I could pay was my cell phone and the rest of my money went to food and miscellaneous items for truck.

 

With so many reports of "trainers" who spend their non-driving time back in the bunk, ..... sleeping, ..... I can't help but wonder what's the difference betwixt "training" and team driving? What do trainees "learn" from a sleeping trainer?

They probably didn't realize that you were so close to your home-20. Had they been aware, they might have waited 'till a load took you to the east coast before they abandoned you. They don't make that mistake very often.

Are you still readin' CrazyMT?
Make sure you have enough cash on hand to get home, .... just in case that happens to you.
ALWAYS display respect toward the person called "trainer" who is renting your log book so as to keep them wheels a-turnin' an' earnin', ..... enough to have a little left over after the Sons-0-Chester skim their share off the top. Trickle-Down economics?
Desperation?

"Be Your Own Boss" ....... they say.
Not hardly.
Lease is just long term renting.
At the end of the lease, tens of thousands of dollars paid out for a Big truck that, at the end of the lease period, you just walk away from. Just like when y'all rent a car. They tell 'em they have an option to purchase a Big truck. No guarantee that a Big truck will be the Big truck that y'all leased. But, they'll let'cha pick from their large inventory of former lease Big trucks that they've pre-selected Big trucks that they'll sell, --- well thrashed by the numerous trainees tryin' to learn to drive a Big truck while their "trainer" dreams about makin' it big by takin' on two trainees to exploit at the same time, leaving the "trainer"more time to concentrate on dreamin', but would probably never dream of actually "training". Which I think is sad.
WhY?

Well, ...... if y'all are lucky enough to get a "trainer" with oh, ......... let's say, ...... six whole months total experience, just imagine all they would have to offer a trainee. It's like they say, if y'all have any questions, QUICK!, ask a newBee, --- while they still know everything. The more they learn, the less they know
don't'cha know.

CrazyMT, you would be wise to re-read Longhorn's entire post.
I'm goin' out on a limb here, but I'm thinkin' you haven't read very many of the CRE negative reports found here at The Trucker's Report, and/or elsewhere, --- like Rip-Off Report. You'd be doin' yourself a huge favor by reading them. As many as you possibly can. And ask questions. If after readin' 'em you're still interested in CRE, at least you'll know what to expect and know to be prepared. That knowledge might help you avoid an unpleasant situation. If you could master doin' that, you might have found a/the way to succeed at CRE.
Odds of that happinin' would probably be about the same as winnin' PowerBall.
A great attitude, a desire to succeed, and all the positive good vibes vibed won't have any effect on the eventual outcome.
It's a crapshoot.
Roll the dice.

 

She's made up her mind.
She doesn't want any advice, because she's done her research and knows what to expect.
She just wants to know if anyone else is going to that bed bug infested crack house of a motel they put you up in there.
Oh and, she may want to bring a gun or pepper spray for personal protection.

 

Is CRE the only company that's shown interest in hiring you? I'm wondering why you haven't set your sights higher.

There have been those who've posted their CRE Adventure who had the same plan and actually pulled it off. They never planned to drive a red Big truck. Just get their CDL-A and that's all.

I guess my biggest concern is that CRE has a reputation for making false DAC reports thereby ending a career before it really starts. But, in your favor, -- perhaps, -- is a rumor that the Sons-0-Chester are replacing the I/C's on dedicated accounts with company drivers. So there might be a need for additional company drivers at this time. Maybe Dewey could provide more insight on that.

As far as realizing your dream of Big truck truckin' ---knowin' what that lifestyle includes and the necessary adjustments to what's considered "normal" to make it work, and you're still anxious to experience it, ...... all I can say is you're in for a treat. I'm one of those who enjoyed what many complain about. "Solitary Confinement, with a view" is how some describe Big truck truckin'. Not that that isn't an accurate assessment, but I get along with myself pretty good. I enjoy my own company. "You're always goin' to sleep and/or wakin' up in a different place, livin' in a closet sized box". Yet, they plan a camping trip for their vacation.
Go figure.
I kinda like that, --- wakin' up in a snow covered area in the morning and callin' it a day somewhere in a desert setting. There's so much to see out there to enjoy, even if you don't have time to stop. It's easy for me to understand why, when some Big truck truckers retire, they get into a motor home and retrace their tracks back to the places they've had to pass by, --- only this time, time is on their side.
The fall colors in the north east, the Gateway To The West in the Sister Cities of St. Louis, alligators on the highway in Florida, scenic I-70 through Colorado into Utah, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, --- and even just the open road in Wyoming or Montana's Big Sky, all are sights waiting to be seen, enjoyed and remembered.
I want you to fulfill your dream. Success stories make my day. I'd be disappointed if C.R. England turned your dream into a nightmare. I'm lookin' forward to readin' your impressions as your dream comes true.

 

Yes beware of the Mormon Mafia when you leave CRE. I have heard a lot of bad stories of blemished DAC's when people quit CRE. Make sure to line up that other job first before you quit CRE and let your new employer know that CRE might ding your DAC when you depart.

 

Also for you guys thinking of leasing and buying the truck at the end. There are a lot of things they do not tell you until its time to actually pay the down payment. Horizon is doing percentages on some tractors where you actually need $14,000 down now. If you had that kind of money saved up you wouldn't be working for England.

Also there is a credit criteria that must be established or they won't sell you the truck. When you sign the lease they act as if all you need is the $7000 or you can use the awards program to bring that number down. It's not that easy anymore like it was with me. I bought my truck before they made it more difficult to purchase one.

 

The OP told us she was headin' to Gary, --- the bedbug infested crack house of a motel they put you in is up there in Salt Lick City.
If she were goin' to Salt Lick City where the bedbugs are, what caliber gun would you suggest for defense against those bugs in bed? :smt066:smt112

 

Just remember once you graduate there are a variety of other companies that would have you as a driver being a recent grad. So even if you get your class A at England lots of people will let you work for them and reimburse your tuition. Also whenever england gets low on recruits they make training free for that week, so if you wait around there is always the chance of getting it free.

You might still be waiting on a female trainer, though England does let some ladies train with a male trainer if both are cool with it, then again they will also let more than one trainiee get on a phase 1 truck when they are busy, and 3 people in a cascadia seems like a real nightmare to me. Not all trainers will take on 2 students at once though.

Just be careful and understand that the only successful people at England seem to have either an antagonistic relationship with them or have found a way to "game the system". FWIW I got several grand in the bank and it all came from England so not everyone there makes nothing and begs for food at truckstops but the fact that anyone does is disturbing enough.