CRETE - A Year in Review

ET,I hope the people in your flock (Jarhead,NYroadie,and the newbie Dryver)are aware the miles,gross pay,etc. that you post, are based on team and not solo drivers pay. To these new people and former Swift,Werner, and JB drivers those goals are not achievable running solo. The week 14 that you show is what is average at Crete for a solo. And in Cretes defense, that is a good wage for a good days work. I could'nt agree more "nothing stays the same". However it should not keep getting worse as time goes on. Just because drivers are a dime a dozen, don't mean they they shoud not be rewarded for their loyalty and time served. Guarendamntee you all the office and administration get their raises and bonuses every year, contrary to what you hear. Just sayin! (PS great pics by the way!!)

 

Ok, I gota chime in on this....Crete gives some drivers the tools they need to succeed, for a while...then they rip them away. Case-in-point....after I delivered in New Albany, MS..a load that was set up as a drop, but Wally was running behind(not Crete's fault). 4 or 5 hours later, I got my same trailer back empty...Offered a load that picked up the next nite at 7 pm, had to deliver 344 miles away, 15 hours later in the middle of nowhere....(344 miles on the back roads, with a typical Briggs/Stratton powered put-put mobile..IE-Crete company issue cookie cutter trucks)would take roughly 6 hours....15 - 6 = 9....and no place to park either at the shipper or receiver, so that means...not enough time to take a break in between, and no parking at the customer....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....I asked if they were joking, got another load, pickup in Jackson, TN the next morning(Sunday), deliver to Ennis, TX Tuesday... another Cretin picked up same place, suppose to deliver at the same place 30 min earlier than my appointment...but he was allowed to T'call in Wilmer (new hire, less than 6 mos w/Crete) I was not allowed to T'call even though I was in Wilmer a good hour or more before him..(I've been here 7 1/2 yrs) Now you tell me why this is happening? I tried to figure it out, the only explanation I can come up with is, they want me gone, so they can hire a cheaper driver...if it isn't that, I give up trying to figure these people out.... This weeks miles, 2435 in 7 days....a whopping 9000/month. You need more evidence??? The driver I was sitting next to at New Albany, MS waiting for an empty....has been here 14 years, has a hard time topping 2100 miles on a regular basis no matter who he calls, but is sticking it out because he has only a few years before he retires for good. He helped with that new Walmart dedicated in PA for a while, was making $3-400 less than the other drivers there that were just starting out with the company, and jumped on the dedicated openings. Crete cares for us????? Not unless your name is Lincoln, Jackson or Grant, and you have a cool portrait printed on a wallet size canvas! I have been getting the 'short freight' excuse regularly again....boy am I glad we're recruiting like crazy....I'll have someone to park next to and chat with again.

 

Not likely....after all, you can only kick a dog so many times before he turns around and bites ya'...I've got vacation scheduled for the end of May so I can get my long over-due dental work...after that....who knows, the plan right now is to be gone before I have to take my physical in August...even if it means taking a $5-7000 pay cut....there are 2 things that drive me nuts, well, more than 2 if you must know but the 2 that drive me the most nuts(I know, not proper English) ...incompetence and deception....lately I've been getting both from High Command (at least the operations division of High Command, I'm not too sure how high up the chain of command it starts)

 

Hey! I am in a flock! Largesarge, I take care of myself and make my own decisions based on my own research. ET provides his experiences, we are not blind sheep as you offensively suggest. I am also not looking for a trucking company to take care of me, I'll do that. Oh, I am not a newbie, far from it. Too many truckers listen to the "It all sucks" mantra, I choose not to.

 

I really couldn't care less what ET, or any one else makes. I do my own thing and if I don't get what I think I'm worth then I move on and that's something you should consider! There's no sense at all in sticking around a place you hate and you never they might dislike you just as much!
Loyalty and time served?? You get a pay check don't ya? There's your "reward"!
I've never understood the I hate my job attitude in any workplace, why stay and do nothing but b1tch?

 

Hey everyone, just checkin to make sure y'all are okay. I had to p/u at pilgrim pride in russellville al today and then tcall in w Memphis... wow, I am blessed. Every town I safely made it thru got bit hard with a tornado.. bad spring. Over at shaffer, im doing okay, just finished up april with 12.400 miles.. it seems freight is picking up in my side. I hope it stays this way.

Also, does this. 02cpm et talked about go to shaffer as well? My terminal manager didn't know about it. Sorry if im butting in.. does anyone know the owner op with the super nice blue long nose international with about a 100 chicken lights and hid headlights? Well hope everyone stays safe. Especially if your on the southeast or east.

 

Well, lets be very clear here: I'M NOT IN ANYONE's FLOCK. Trust me on this, I'm an individual (was reminded of that throughout my childhood, college and Marine Corps). I like to watch ET post because he does things DIFFERENT. I also wouldn't call me a new driver either. I think ET made it very clear that he was running those miles as a SOLO also. (You may also want to ask ET about his time at SWIFT and the mileage he ran there). Perhaps you may want to re-read his post. Besides, if running as a trainer makes you more money, and more money is your goal, why not be a trainer?

Folks, ET is not the only driver making that kind of money and running those miles. Not just at Crete, but other companies. There are posts all over this forum of SOLO drivers running their ***es off and doing WELL over 3000 miles consistently. Running smart, running legal. I personally ran like a bat out of **** and "played" with the books. When I decided that my license and freedom was no longer worth playing legal games with the DOT, I ran legal. When I applied little things (most unsaid) that I learned from reading ET's thread over the past couple years, I found that I STILL stayed over 3k/week in mileage. Magic wand? Probably not, but for whatever reason, it works.

I think a LOT of successful drivers out there run the way ET runs, but for whatever reason, ET is the only one who posts in great detail how he uses the system for his benefit.

Finally, I'm sure that a lot (certainly not all) companies office and administrative staff get raises every year. If that is what you want, guaranteed raises every year, why don't you go work in the office?

Truck driving is what it is. I make a LOT more money NOT driving a truck, but driving a truck will NOT get out of my head for some reason!


I think you can make a very comfortable living driving a truck. But I think that if you cannot accept the world that is being a company driver, you may want to look at other opportunities (O/O, growing your own small fleet, etc...). That includes poor treatment, never being home, and dealing with pea-brains and overzealous DOT and law enforcement.

I knew well before I got into a cab that earnings would be capped if I stayed with a company to the point I hit their per mile ceiling. This was after coming from a highly paid executive position in corporate haydes (talk about being treated like a number, try the corp world for a while). I had the choice to accept it or move on. Well, lately I've moved on, more so for my 8 year old than for lack of earnings. But I will (I said will, not "might") end up behind the wheel again at some point in the future. This is not something I can fight for the rest of my life. I MUST drive a truck. It's in my head now and won't get out. Just waiting for the right time to go back, knowing full well that I'll be treated like crap at shippers and receivers, truck stops, and by dispatchers, and will be paid WAY less than what I earn working for myself. I also know that my job will not be the same as the office/admin staff and if I want to get that regular raise every year, then I should go that route instead.


I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a smart-***, but I'm hearing a lot of excuses from a lot of people. ET puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else.

 

I don't really have a dog in this fight as I haven't been with Crete since July of 2008 (my fault, let a women get inside my head and paid the price, lol) but I was there 9.5 years and made #### good money. I averaged at least 3000 miles a week, stayed out 10-12 weeks at a time then took 2 weeks off.

Granted, things changed while I was there and I'm sure they have changed since but that's the nature of the beast. In a few months, I'm going to try and get back on with Crete in their Western regional fleet.

 

Honestly I think thats the key to success at any company...and if you put it in perspective any industry. If you have to be babysat and TOLD how to work the system, their just not gonna spend the time to get you the miles you want... just enough to break themselves even. I personally think the key is to... lay low on their radar, do your job to the best of your ability, troubleshoot as much as you can on your own before you do have to reach out, and they'll reward you with what you want. That's at least been my own experience in the 2 companies I've driven for in my 3 years out here.

I too am a low maintenance driver that rarely ever gets heard from. I got a call from my DM (not Crete) a few weeks ago asking how I was and to just make small talk because he hadn't heard from me in about 7 weeks. THAT'S what I like to hear. If he's heard from me, somethings gone terribly wrong that i couldn't take care of myself and needed some muscle.

 

Have a random question. Do the CSRs work on some monthly quota? Picking up load of craft paper to be delivered mon in CA, when receive qc, "Customer will receive tomorrow...when can you be there?" Without too much detail I finally come up with 1400. At end of day have not heard of rescheduled appointment, so I inquire. Yep, tomorrow at 1900. The original appointment was easily accomplished with perhaps a 34 hour reset. Now I am skosh on hours to the minute, delivering late night Sat in the Bay area, on a weekend....Why??? I don't think the customer can use these rolls any faster than if they receive them on Monday....but, that is next month, hmmmmm?
Any ideas? This is the first encounter I have had in my extensive 4 month career with CCC.