CR England - The real story

Right about here I wish I could tell you that you're mistaken, but instead I think you're correct. As unpleasant as it is to imagine anyone reacting to news of a terrible crash with glee, I too wonder if that's the first reaction for some of them.

And when the special interest group that shows interest first enlists the families of the victims, who are still in a state of shock and grief and probably not thinking as clearly with an open mind as should be the case, the grieving family is subjected to the press, complete with photos that would pull on the heart-strings of even the most insensitive clod on Earth, opinions are formed based on an emotion rather than facts. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but they don't mention whether those thousand words are correct.

What we need is an official scorekeeper.
And an official play-by-play recap would help keep us up to speed as well.

When the case was over and all points tallied, C.R.E. was declared the case winner. Which, of course, means decency lost another round.

Man-0-Man, Phroziac --- I traveled over a million miles and during that time, the number of times I ran into anyone like that could be counted using the fingers on one hand, maybe two hands with a few fingers left over.

As a Big truck truck driver who prefers not to be spending a lot of time my trailer, --- especially in hot, muggy Indy weather --- folding close to 200 furniture pads, --- I can't begin to express the emotional relief realized when, in this case, another driver offered to help fold those pads. When he approached the tail of the trailer and asked, I only saw him, but he asked if I'd accept help from "us". That's plural.

When I assured him I sure would, he climbed in the trailer, turned toward the open doors, stuck his hand out --- and pulled his really cute girlfriend up into the trailer. Right then I knew there really IS a God. Thank you Lord!

As it turned out, both of them had bubbly personalities. We laughed and joked and before we knew it those pads were all neatly folded.
Ahhh shux. And we were having such a good time. Too bad it's over.
His girlfriend then suggested we un-bundle the pads and re-fold them --- she even acted like she was going to un-bundle the ones nearest to her. We both lunged toward her yelling NO! Don't do that!
And we all laughed 'till our sides hurt.

I offered them cash for their help, but they declined my offer.
But they agreed to allow me to buy them lunch. I said it's a deal if they leave room for ice cream afterward.
They did.

Let me tell y'all, --- that offer of help made my whole day. Actually, how that changed my mood from dark to bright stayed with me for a long time and reminded me how what seems to be a simple gesture can mean so much. I'd prefer that feeling over some expensive gift ANY day.

The next best feeling is when I see another driver in a similar situation, and offer to help, --- albeit without a cute girlfriend.
Funny thing is, I can almost hear them wondering what's wrong with someone who offers to help a stranger do an unpleasant task. I remember that's what I was thinkin' that hot, muggy day in Indy.

I've collected so many mile-markers in my back pocket that it's affected my dad-burned memory. So many miles, ---- so many places, that I don't recognize the places I've been to before, and the places I visit for the first time seem familiar.
Go figure.

Memory ----
Second thing to go
Doncha know.

 

The Carrollton, KenThe Carrollton, Kentucky, bus collision was one of the deadliest bus disasters in us history.
About 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday May 14, 1988
resulted in the death of 27 people and injured 34 of 67 passengers


NTSB summary conclusion

The NTSB determined "the probable cause of the collision between the pickup truck and the church activity bus was the alcohol-impaired condition of the pickup truck driver who, operated his vehicle opposite to the direction of traffic flow on an interstate highway."
"Contributing to the severity of the accident was the puncture of the bus fuel tank and ensuing fire in the bus, the partial blockage by the rear bench seats of the area leading to the rear emergency door which impeded rapid passenger egress, and the flammability of the materials in the bus seat cushions."



"The safety issues discussed in the report include:

• effects of alcohol on driver performance,
• effectiveness of driving-under-the-influence program in Kentucky,
• current Federal standards used in school bus manufacture,
• flammability and toxicity of school bus seating materials,
• emergency egress on school buses, and
• fuel system integrity of school buses

Just asking which one your thinking of is all

 

what about the crash on I65 in ky last summer, was backed up for like 30 miles.

Anyone know what i'm talkin bout? All I heard was it was some 4 wheelers, a

few trucks and that there were fatalities.

 

dis is so true it aint funny.dis many people sayinfg the same or similar aint wrong

 

well typically there will be a fatality when there is a car a semi accident but mostly if there have luck or there is a miricale on dere side but mostly not they wont make it

 

I start my classes in Utah at C.R. England this Monday - Jan. 11th - I compared Swift and Knight in Phoenix, AZ (where I live) and still selected C. R. England. I look forward to OTR as I briefly experienced it for a few months with my x-boyfriend who is an O/O.

 

Are you getting nervous as that big day approaches? You've made what can be a life changing decision, so I assume you are confident in your abilities to successfully complete training. You obviously have a Plan A, and it sounds like Plan A is coming together. That can be encouraging and even exciting, ...... but I wonder if you were wise enough to also have a Plan B figured out just in case something unforeseen pops up and changes the whole complexion of your main plan? Lacking a Plan B could put you betwixt a rock and a hard place in the blink of an eye. If a Plan B is simply having a round trip ticket to ride home, or access to the funds necessary to assure you won't get stranded somewhere with no reserve funds to fall back on, it's better than not having an alternate plan at all.

What was it about C.R. England that caused you to pick that company over Swift or Knight? At the time you made that decision had you done much research on any of the three companies on your short list? Had you read any of the comments, pro and con, here at The Trucker's Report, yet?
Just curious, but after reading all the negative reports on CRE from posters who have experienced the CRE experience first-hand, are you still satisfied that you made the right choice?

I hope you realize that there's a huge difference betwixt a brief experience as a ride-along in a Big truck, and actually being in charge of and responsible for the loads and equipment assigned to you. I also hope you're aware that the truckin' company you've chosen to sign on with has one of, if not the worst reputations, of all the larger Big truck truckin' companies in existence and CRE is well known in the industry for their lies, misrepresenting, and abandonment of their drivers. Folks who are knowledgeable of the truckin' industry are well aware of CRE's antics and avoid that company like the plague. With a disproportionate number of trainees being kicked to the curb in the beginning of their new career choice, often financially ruined and in debt for their training received, the future looks bleak at best. If CRE gives 'em a DAC ding, finding another truckin' company that will even consider hiring a rejected driver will be difficult if not impossible.

I wish you good luck and success.
Please keep us informed of your progress.

 

Something else to consider, and very great post and info, aftershock...is the Safestat score of CRE - my truck and paperwork were always in order, but because of all the knuckleheads running CRE trucks, their Safestat score was one of, if not THE worst in the nation (according to a CHP sergeant I spoke with).

That means, you're doing it all by the book, have Pre-pass communicating with the weigh stations for you, but STILL get red-lighted and pulled in 9 times out of 10 because of all the wrecks and DOT violations of the other CRE drivers.

My buddy at Knight didn't experience that ratio of passes versus stops. He's now an owner-operator, lives right outside Phoenix.

 

England's Driver SEA on SaferStat is 71. Not great, but not the worst. Vehicle SEA is only 34, so at least they maintain their equipment!

 

Over 75 on an SEA is unsatisfactory . U.S. Xpress had an 84 in Safety Management after a 2006 audit but used their influence
(Pat Quinn was an ATA chairman at the time ) to be rerated ASAP .