crst mistreats drivers

Most people Put down CRST cause there a big company. Not once I was I ever told I can't go to a doctor. HELL I a few times on the road I asked if I could just get a 34hr rest because I was so sick and just need to rest. They never had a problem. Only a few times in the last 3 years Have I been layover for more then 34hr rest. And Most of the times they were on a holiday weekend.

 

Appreciate it. I actually gave up eating almost everything I once did (including stuff like mickey ds which was an everyday thing) and have definately seen an improvment. The problem is that when you're a trucker its hard to manage your diet the way you would at home. Your options are fast food, more fast food, or pizza from the flying j (which is actually pretty good, but not at all good for you I'm sure). I just wish they had well rounded food options at the truck stop and made them as readilly accessible as the taco bells, noble Romans and chester frieds. As for the insurance, I can't speak to it because I had my own ppo when I came in. But my buddy signed up for the day one care at orentation and had no complaints. My biggest problem with crst is the lack of organization, the night and weekend dispatch and the fact that you have to watch your money constantly. I'm relatively new to trucking so I can't say with certainty if problems like the ones I just mentioned are commonplace in the industry or not, but the company in the industry I left to pursue trucking would have died off a long time ago if it was even half as disorganized as crst.

 

Nonsense on the fast food. There is no law that says you have to eat truck stop food. Get a cooler and go to WalMart. You can run an electric frying pan off a 400W inverter. Yes, it's a bigger PITA than at home, but when you have health issues, you have to make some adjustments.

Regarding your other complaints, nearly every new person discovers they have the same issues. Money management is a big one. My advice: give yourself an allowance on the road and direct deposit the rest. Try not to dip into your direct deposited money except for household stuff and track your cash usage. You will find where your spending is going awry. Cash is difficult to track, so write it down each time. When you have to do that, you will be required to ask yourself whether it's really something you need. You will find yourself answering, "no" fairly frequently.

 

Injun, you need to write a book!
An honest to goodness book on how to survive as a truck driver!
I have been on the forum for only a short time, but everytime i scroll through posts, and see you have posted, i stop and read whatever it is you have posted. So far, you ( in my opinion ) have posted some really good advice...no matter the topic!

I am making plans to go get my CDL, and then get on with a flatbed company.
Keep the advice flowing! I'm all ears!

**Now back to our scheduled program**

 

I happen to have nothing but good things to about crst they treated me good,and as for eating I to buy most food at costco or walmart, and I actully lost weight and feel good,oh don't do the 10/20 program its only good if you want to be at home, and not interested in money,and up your total monthly miles then devide it by three at your pay rate,then do the same for two drivers,you won't be doing that long, you all be safe out there,and have a great new year. Bill104 10-4

 

The first trainer I had was really good about wal mart runs. We always had a good supply of semi decent foods available in the truck. The second one was not. He thought going anywhere outside of the ta or petro was a waste of time. The two co's I had after weren't e ither. I guess its just who you pair yurself with. As for the money issue, I've had no problem keeping my own spending in check. It was crst that never really got an accurate talley of the money I made. I had to contact payroll on more than one occasion to fix money mistakes, but that was mostly during training

 

We all have to watch what shows up on our pay stubs and settlements. Mistakes are made at every company. For me this year, it was fuel that I was getting, but not being charged for. There was a little glitch in the WalMart fuel point computer where I buy the bulk of my fuel. It was charging me as if I was putting on reefer fuel and taking half of the price off. Hard to explain, but I had to get that straightened out before they realized the mistake and took all that money out in one settlement.

Mistakes happen on both sides of the equation and if you don't watch it, it can create problems. If a single issue continually comes up, like my fuel thing, you have to stay on top of it until it's fixed for good. Mine took three settlement cycles.

The time to get annoyed about it is if you call attention to a mistake and it isn't straightened out within two pay cycles, whether the mistake is in your favor or theirs.

 

Agreed on the 20 10. When I got out of training my son was due to he born in the next month. I wanted to be home more so I told my bud I couldn't drive with him and instead paired myself with two dudes I didn't know. Not only did we have problems getting along but after a month I realized I wouldn't be making a fraction of what the other normal teams were, which isn't much at 19cpm divided by two anyway. In addition, the round robin hometime model proved to be more complcated in real life than on paper. You're definately not going to get that full 10 every month, or make as much money. The only reason i'd even consider doing it again when I rehirex next month is because of recent health problems ie it'd be convenient to be home more often. Otherwise i'd definately stay steer clear.

 

20/10 benefits the company, not the driver. The truck never stops rolling where as a regular team usually goes home 4 days a month. It seemed appealing to try it..and I did..but I realized I would be bankrupt if I continued..so I gave up on the 20/10 after one month.

As far as how CRST has treated me...my grandfather just passed away 2 weeks ago. CRST cancelled my preplan to Phoenix and immediately put me on a plan to get me to South Jersey where my family lives. Then the worst thing possible happened...the load to get me there cancelled (not CRST's fault, the customer didn't have the amount of freight they expected to have and cancelled the load)...on short notice, they could only find me something to Baltimore...which is only 90 miles away and no big deal to catch a ride. Still my FM apologized profusely and promised to reimburse the tolls and gas that running the 95 would cost. As an added bonus he found a load picking up in North Jersey for when I got back on the truck where my co driver could pick me up at the TA in Paulsboro on the way which is 4 miles from my parents house. So while I understand there is a lot to complain about working for a mega carrier. I have found communication gets you a long way with this company

 

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Applies to every company.