CRST Van Expedited, Inc. - Cedar Rapids, Ia.

Good thing you didnt pass Swifts test, may have saved you from a lot of heartache, tried Roehl, Schneider, Driver Solutions? Or even a local community college with a CDL program?

 

There is ALOT of schools that arent as strict with their hiring guidelines, CRST Van Expedited is one of them. They required us to be able to climb into the back of the trailer and back out and be able to bend down and look under the truck. Call and around and see who has a program that you like.

 

I did pay for my own school, who said I didn't? Don't make assumptions, a real trucker would know that. Peace!

 

You know it's funny, I've sat at CRST terminal over the past few years and watch team drivers get a load that they had enough time on. They get the load then complain their trucks are in the shop, but once the truck is ready they continue to sit there jawing with other drivers about not making money, instead of doing thier job. Then when they or a team that's out there seriously working can't possiblly make the load on time they blame it on everyone but themselves. I'm not a company driver, but CRST trades out the trucks every three years, as for maintance, Freightliner actually ran the shops until spring of 2007, so any bad experience with a shop has to go to them. Don't get me wrong CRST could do a lot of things to improve, but I believe in putting blame where it belong. Perfect example, I left Fontana,CA 3 hours after a company team. We were both heading to Winchester,VA and I beat them running leagle by over 5 hour. Which is something that should not have happen even thought my truck is faster, the fact is thet don't have to shut down, but they do, and then complain about mile, not getting respect, and having a slow truck. You don't need a fast truck if you stay out of the truck stops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok I had to make a correction here. FMS took care of maintenance, not Freightliner and those people couldnt find their ##### with both hands. They were being paid to take care of the fleet for CRST and its my understanding that they eventually got thrown out of there because they were so bad. I used to sit for literally hours just trying to get one of those morons to answer a qual-com message or the phone. I could write a book on how bad those people were and the drivers have a legitimate complaint with CRST regarding maintenance because FMS should have been tossed out of there years ago.

 

Does CRST use E-Z Pass? Or do drivers have to pay and wait to be repayed?

 

No CRST does not use esay-pass or prepass, owner operators uses them at our own expense

 

Driver you are correct it was FMS taking care of maintance for CRST, but FMS ( Fleet maintance services) is own by Frieghtliner. So, as I stated maintance was handled by freightliner.

 

The McCoy's owned FMS and also a Freightliner dealership. FMS wasn't owned directly by Freightliner. How I know this is because JC made FMS pay me a weeks wages after a meeting with JC and one of the owners of FMS. I had a book where I logged every single time FMS did not answer the qual-com, phone, or even shops that called in for authorizations for repairs and how many hours I sat. Some examples- 12 hours waiting for authorization for 2 trailer tires on a Kohl's load- and if you work for CRST you know how well that went over (Danny's chrome shop in Phoenix put CRST on the list of shame for that one)
- 8 hours for authorization for two required load locks-
Blown airbag on the cab because an FMS mechanic installed the spare tire without tightening down the chain and 2 days of chasing shops to fix that
- Had my passenger side mirror ripped off in the Fort Steel rest area in Wyoming while I was sleeping and FMS sent me to 3 different shops without ever calling to see if they had the mirror in stock- You ever tried driving a semi with no mirrors on pass side? and thats just the beginning. Unfortunately there was more. Like you, I believe in letting the blame lie where it belongs, but it wasnt Freightliner itself, it was one of their dealers.

 

Please feel free 2 read my blog to Koolkid about what a piece of #### CRST is 2 work for!!! Thanks!