CRETE - A Year in Review

WOW tell me that isn't the sound of "completely given up on life"

 

Advice/Suggestions for Newbies or Wannabees


Because it seems that there are several persons reading these posts who are interested in becoming drivers I thought these comments may be of some assistance. They are not by any means intended to be an attack on any one or any post on this forum and should not be construed as such.

• Do not take any one's experience as the way things work for everyone or that any one company has the same or similar policies, pay, benefits, miles, or anything else as compared to any other company.
• Do not presume that because one driver gets any number of miles or amount of pay you can expect anything near the same. Drivers bragging about high miles or pay may just be embellishing the true story.
  • In life, as welll as this business, you learn that those who talk the most do the least. Those who do the most have no need to brag in order to convince others (or themselves) how important or special they are.
  • Truckers are like fishermen: You should see the one that got away!
    • I once had a driver tell me how he drove an overweight and oversize load 85-mph with a police escort, and how he used to drive 135-mph across Texas. Sure it's possible, but not very likely.
• Truck company advertisements that state that their top driver made some enormous amount of money are likely hiding the true facts. If a top driver is making unbelieveable pay s/he probably has little or no home time and little life outside of the truck. They may be making plenty of money, but have no time to enjoy it.
• There are no such things as always and never.
• Trust your gut feeling: If anything sounds too good to be true, be wary.

And, regarding some previous posts about driving schools: If a person can't learn truck driving in eight weeks, they won't catch on in another four. Some people have natural abilities and can grasp concepts and procedures quickly while others cannot.

As someone said, it is not the schooling that teaches a person how to drive, it is the driving itself with an experienced trainer (after proper basics are learned through classroom instruction).

Driving a truck is not for everyone, even those who really want to do so. While there are many, many good points of driving, there are also some not-so-good experiences that should be investigated fully and seriously considered before spending money on a school or making the jump to what appears to be greener pastures. In other words, 'don't quit your day job' until you know as much as possible what you are getting in to.

Good luck.

 

Good post TallMan, you only left out the part about the CB badmouths and ghetto appearance of drivers who ruin the rep for the rest who want to be proffessional. I often wonder how some of the guys I hear managed to pass the CDL test.
But we have a thread on that too.

 

Gee , you've been here over 2 years and have no thank yous for a useful post . I've been here less than a year with over 1,000 thank yous . 'nuff said .

 

Fair question and deserving of an answer . I have never worked for a megacarrier and never will . Small fleets will treat you with respect . I worked for Eastern Seaboard Packaging in MA back in the 80's and 90's . I was getting $.40 a mile plus stop pay running day cabs and sleeping in motels back then . They supply boxes and moving supplies to U-Haul and movers . When I started with them they only had the U-Haul contracts for New England . They expanded and now supply all U-Hauls on the East Coast and over into MS and AL . I relocated to FL and GA when they opened branches there . They treat every employee as family and have company outings a couple of times a year for employees and their families . I only left there because I couldn't see myself throwing bundles of corrugated boxes around until retirement .
Now I'm working for a Quality Carriers affiliate with 50 employees . In the drivers' handbook it says deliveries are expected to be made on time . The only excuses accepted are breakdowns , weather conditions , or FAMILY EMERGENCIES . Families get priority . If you have an emergency they tell you to take care of it and let them worry about the loads . They also tell you if you get tired , stop and rest even if it makes you late for an appointment . Nobody has ever been penalized for this . All my loads are dedicated and all the empty trailers come back to a terminal 10 minutes from my house . Before assigning me a load the dispatcher will call me and ask if is acceptable . When I told the owner I would need surgery he personally took the time to do research and talked to his doctor to help me make the right decisions . They never say a word about idle time . They did send one memo when fuel was highest asking drivers to try to conserve fuel and run in the sweet spot between 1400 -1500 rpm's . That's between 63 -68 mph . If somebody doing 62 decides they want to do 70 when we try to pass them we can do 75 . I could go on but I've made my point . I don't have solutions for everybody but opportunities are there for people with too much self respect to accept substandard conditions .

 

You need examples:
Last July, 2 weeks after taking my 2nd full week of vacation, I contracted MRSA on my left leg requiring me to take 13 days off for treatment and isolation. My terminal called me several times to check to see how I was doing, whether it was concern for my health or wanting to make sure I was coming back I'm not sure. All of which, I was allowed to keep my truck at home. Last month, I needed to take another 2 weeks off to handle some legal matters from my past, again while keeping my truck at home. Every week I am thanked for my efforts in sticking to the fueling solutions, every week I am repeatedly thanked for my low idle (even with an APU we are still held to a limit, a lower limit than non-APU trucks - an idle percentage which is affected just as much by sitting in traffic, red lights etc. as non-APU trucks) I am often asked and thanked for my help with shags.(because some drivers like to run off most of the miles then T'call at the closest terminal) I am often asked and thanked for doing yard checks at customers. I often am thanked for my help when it comes to trading loads with drivers trying to get home. Even though I get the short end of the stick, I do it. I often get more than 1 response from dispatch when I ask a question.(I.E. earlier in the month I questioned op's about delivering early to the Kimberly Clark in Ogden instead of calling and bothering the customer - 3 people responded - I asked before doing it because more and more customers are giving service failures for early deliveries)

Why do I do all the extra stuff like this, because it's part of the job. I often have to clean out nasty trailers because many drivers don't know which end of the broom to use, or refuse to do it because "they're a driver, not a custodian" or aren't paid extra to do it... It's part of the freakin job. Do I ask for extra pay, or even mention it to Op's - nope, I just do what needs to be done and move on.

Before '08 none of those things I listed would've happened. I see plenty of changes for the good. Is there room for improvement...sure, but it's a far cry better than it use to be here.

You talk about the speed reduction and the 9th gear restriction like it's a major issue, but it's tough to see how much of an effect it has on total miles when freight has been so erratic. For me it's just a minor inconvenience. Sorta' like driving a blue truck pulling a red trailer...where people think Shaffer drivers pulling Crete freight is why all the Crete drivers are sitting so much, even though we're not really Shaffer drivers. It's still possible to run miles with these restrictions, just look at ET's miles last year. His truck was turned back just as much as ours and still made great miles last year. He has just learned how to use the system to his advantage. He does the shags and extra stuff as well, and things seem to be working out for him here as well... (I think, since we haven't heard a peep out of him for so long, I am beginning to wonder myself.)

As far as detention time, I get delayed over a couple hours maybe 10% of the time. Many companies make you give up 2 or 4 hours before they pay you anything, here 1 hour. If you turn in a detention form for it and it doesn't get paid, call your terminal, if they don't remedy the problem, go over their head. Your terminal manager isn't the end-all and be-all, it's the beginning of the chain of command. I have found out time and again that lack of communication from my end causes as much of a problem as the problem itself. If I don't follow up, it doesn't get resolved...but following up is my responsibility. I also found out that only complaining about it here doesn't help solve anything but make you feel better - believe me, I've done plenty of complaining on this thread, so I know. But if there's an issue that needs resolved with the company, bring it up to the company. Start at the bottom and work your way up until you get results. That's the way it was when Mr. A was running things, that's the way it is now.

By the way, I hear that Schneider, US Xpress and Swift are hiring in your area...If it's so bad here, go on over there...I'm sure they'll treat you so much better (see I still have a hint of sarcastic humor in me )

As for my update on miles, I got a little run from Pittston, PA to Chester, PA and I'm now in the Elkton, MD T/A and just got beeped with my 3rd message since noon yesterday about the lack of available freight, all without me saying a word. (2 from Cory - no less) I expected to be down for the entire weekend after I delivered to Gouldsboro last Friday, so I'm not torn up about it...I may just run over to the local roach motel and chill there, it's suppose to be in the low 90's here today, and this new digital TV crap sucks when you try to pick it up from the trucks antennas and I'm running out of DVD's to watch.

 

I am in a situation like RickG. I have never worked for a mega-carrier. I run for a company with 12 trucks or so. We run predictable freight. Home on week-ends. If you have a family emergency the company helps you address it.
The difference between me and RickG he is much more blunt when he responds to these threads. I know that trucking is a lot different now then when myself and RickG started. It is almost impossible for a person to start a truck-driving carreer nowdays unless you go to a mega-carrier. The odds are againt you from the start.
I started trucking as a teenager. You just can't do that anymore.
If I had to give a person advice on how to become a truck-driver I would start by telling them to find a mentor. Someone that they trust. Some one that is out here doing the job. Someone that they can trust to give them advice when they are in a jam.
I would like to see a little more positive responses. I think the posts about how many miles a driver is running and how long they are sitting is valuable information.

 

We are treated so poorly because we are in a very fragmented industry. We also have a history of voting against our self-interest. If truckers were an organized voting block (like Conservative Religious Groups, Queers, etc.) we could effect legislative change to improved conditions (pay) in our industry.

 

4,500 posts in less than 1 year? interesting......

 

RickG and ampm, you both have great jobs. Congratulations. I would never suggest that the types of jobs you have don't exist. However, they are few and far between, and command only the best drivers with experience (mainly because the carriers insurance company demands it), a point ampm already made.

But I think you are comparing apples to oranges. You both work for companies with deffined routes, not irregular otr, which is what ET's, and others experiences on this thread have been about. Sooo, I again ask, who in the otr irregular route segment of this industry is better than Crete? I'm not nieve (sp) to think there isn't atleast one or two. Then again, they may not meet my needs, and therefore, not work for me.