Positive things about CR England

Hi Grandma Debi! How is everything going for you? Are you on your own yet or still in training? If you started around the New Year, you should be just wrapping up the training and getting your own truck, right? Let me know how things are going for you! I'll be in SLC Saturday afternoon

I am not pre-paying it. They told me all I needed was 90 bucks and the rest I have to finance. I don't mind. I'll stick with the company as long as I have to and maybe even longer. Who knows - one person's trash is another person's treasure and I tend to go against the grain anyway. I might actually LIKE working for CR England. I never judge anything until I see it for myself.

I mean, as long as they have decent trucks, pay me at the end of each week, what difference does it make? When you're out on the road, you're out on the road... I dont think the company you work for really matters in the scope of it all. If you get stuck in a blizzard and have to pull over for the night or until they clear the roads - that blizzard would have come through whether you were driving a CRE truck, a SWIFT truck, a Schneider truck, etc etc... You would have been snowbound just the same.

That's how I see it.

Billy

 

Grandma Debi, I just saw this post now, too... You say 'final approval'? That means that even after 14 days of class, 3 days of orientation, and then 6 weeks over the road training - you're still not considered a definate employee? ... You see, all this makes me nervous. I really would hate to think that anyone would have to go through all that and then be denied at the every end.

Anyway, maybe we'll see eachother! I start classes on the 3rd!!!

I'm sure you'll be approved! I just didn't realize that there was still yet another 'approval' phase even after the 6 weeks OTR training. I thought after orientation, when you "Go to Hire", that was the final stage.

Billy

 

Yes, thank you! I have heard of them firing people off the bat for things that would seem kind of innocent. I also understand that just because they do allow someone to take their class, they still are under no obligation to hire that person. They can not hire them and the person will still owe them the money for the course.

I try to always see the glass as being 1/2 full. I know I can do this and be a decent employee for them, but if for some reason or another, they feel I am not fit to drive for them, I come back home with a class A license. And there is plenty of opportunity - both local and OTR - once you have that.

Billy

 

"I guess that's do-able, but how many wannabes and newbies are going to have the advantage of a local company willing to take a chance on them if they bomb out in a short time driving OTR?"

Wait wait - whoa whoa... let's not jump the gun here LOL - The thing is... I wasn't worried about 'bombing out' once I am hired. I was worried about them simply not hiring me after the training period was up. I know for a fact once I work for them, I'm not going to 'bomb out' because I'm not going to give them any reason to fire me. I'm a decent employee and I do have a good job record, and an almost-perfect driving record. A 2 pointer in 2000 and a 2 pointer in 2004.... I'm also rather book smart, so I know I will pass the written exam without a problem.

Yes, the only thing is the actual, physical driving of the rig. It will take practice, it will take some time, but everyone had to start somewhere and there is nothing about me that makes me incapable of learning how to do it. I'm no less capable than the other 3 million truckers out there who also were newbies once. As far as everything else goes, paperwork, invoices, knowing how to load and secure cargo, reading a map, etc etc etc - I'm not going to have any problems. It's driving the truck itself. But I'll learn it

Yes, being a newbie - as I like to call myself (A wannabe is someone who WANTS to do something, but CAN'T... While I know I CAN) - does put me at a disadvantage......... but only for now. Eventually, I'll have a year experience - then 3 years - then 10 years... time marches on - and if 3,000,000 other Americans can do it, no reason why I can't.

I plan on being a good employee no matter who I work for. Let's worry about the "bombing out" when and IF it happens. LOL

And if it does, I still doubt I will have much of a problem finding a driving job somewhere else. The industry is in desperate need for them and I have some money in the bank - worse comes to worse, I'll offer to ride with someone for 2 or 3 weeks without pay - just to get my foot in the door. I have no doubts about this at all. I was only expressing concern that CRE might decide - for whatever reason - to not put me to hire. Not that I'll screw up once I'm on the road... I think I'll do just fine out there. And besides, with all the nightmare stories I heard about CRE, I never heard many bad things about their training program. I understand their program is pretty good.

I didnt mean to sound like I am going on the defensive here, but I'm going to pass and probably within the top 15%. I plan on being a good employee and if still - I don't get accepted in the final approval phase, I'll worry about it then - right now my attitude is it is not going to happen. If and when I leave CR England, it will be at my choosing.

I'm not being over-confident, just that I am not going to worry, either. I know what I am capable of and yes, there are a lot of local companies that hire newbies as soon as they get their license. If CR England does not accept me, I dont think it would go down as neccesarily a 'firing'... How can one be fired from a company they only got training from but never worked for?

lol

Yes, Bill, as far as hauling gas goes, I don't know if that is on the front burner as of yet. Dont get me wrong, $300 a day sounds awesome, but like the other poster said. I am a newbie.

Billy