CRETE - A Year in Review

See, I'm out of Spartanburg which is closed/closing and am not really even sure who my terminal manager is. Greensboro is apparently going to be my new terminal, but I don't even know the guy's name there. No announcements on the Qualcomm or anything and I'd hate for my first contact there to be with a complaint. I can't really even tell whether my AM has been with the company for awhile, either. I was told some of these people are going to be newbs, but it seems that she might have been in dispatch for awhile considering how she has so perfectly mastered the art of only reading the first sentence of a short message ...

 

I think an anonymous call to another terminal, with the same explaination you just gave and a 'trying to do my part to make crete a profitable company' type attitude may be in order. Or you could just pop into a random terminal office with a positive 'company orientated' attitude and just have a chat w/the front desk, or they could let you speak to that terminals manager. But the one thing that won't work is a 'snackbar attitude'. If you make sure they understand that you are willing to do your part to help the company succeed, that'll go a lot farther than a 'me first, then the company' attitude like I might do when I'm po'd. Going in with a 'needing advice on what is the proper course of action so I get the issues resolved peacefully' type attitude will go a long way in getting another terminal's help.

 

Thanks for all the info about the regions and everything.

Thanks. I should have been clearer, but since I am single I just put my stuff in storage when I am trucking. When I worked for Crete before I was able to use a mail service as my residence address. But I guess after 9/11 they cracked down on that type of thing and now they check for that and told me I couldn't use a 'business' address as my residence. It's a major hassle, but I have to change my address again just so someone can pick up my mail. Many years ago when JB Hunt made their initial giant pay hike I wanted to switch to them. At the time they weren't hiring out west so I asked which terminal was hiring the most and they said Louisville KY. So they let me get hired on there, I switched my license, and used a Mailbox etc near that terminal as my 'residence' address.

Does anyone specifically why that is happening? That is the exact reason I eventually quit JB Hunt and went to Crete. I liked JB and was getting good miles, but the shortness of the trips was killing me. When I was with Crete back in the early 2000's I seem to remember my average miles/trip were 800+ (with many 1000+ mile trips). That is the most important criteria as far as I'm concerned (even more than cents/mile) because the longer trips are so relaxing.

Back then (late 1990's to early 2000's) I was told that JB's trips were so short because everything coast to coast was going by rail. But now a decade later people seem to be saying the same thing. I wonder what is really going on and are any of you guys aware of any carriers that still have high avg miles/ld for solo drivers? Also, does Crete still have that feature where they send you several load offers and you get to select one?

Sorry for all the questions. I am selling most of my belongings and preparing to go back in the truck but getting nervous because I am hearing that Crete has changed so much. I kind of wanted to go back to the SLC terminal because I remember the lady terminal manager there and liked her. Don't know if she is still there though. There was also an assistant terminal manager there at the time that was allegedly involved in some type of scandal (regarding training drivers on the side), but I never heard what happened to him.

 

It isn't just Crete, most of the trucking companies out here are having the same issue. Unless you get into a smaller company that runs coast to coast, or work for an O/O that does it, long haul freight is spotty at best. Most shippers and manufacturers have taken the "Walmart D/C" approach since most D/C's and franchises have gone to Just In Time warehousing and distribution. Customers/retailers are happier when they can get their deliveries in a couple of days rather than next week. There are times here at Crete I'll have 2-a-day deliveries. Get close to the 1st consignee, deliver in the morning, then pu at the next shipper and rush it to another consignee before my 14 is up. Burns a logbook up fast.

Crete doesn't offer loads anymore. After you're empty(unless they're setting up your hometime run-s-), you are offered a preplan(doesn't make sense to me either, I stopped trying to figure it out myself). The only advantage I see to this is you can see who the shipper and consignee is before you accept the load unlike load offers that only gave city state and miles.

The last I heard Janelle was still in SLC, although they moved the terminal 5 or so years ago. Up the street right next to the county airport landing strip.

 

Well, another day, another screwed up delivery appointment time. At least once a month I get to a consignee and their time sheet has a different appointment time than the q'comm. After I delivered in Austell, they put me on a shag run off the Marietta yard to Braselton, GA for a 7 am Tuesday delivery...then off to Social Circle to pick up a load to central FL. Q'comm said 0400...was going to have to sleep at the consignee in order to get a break in, but they had parking so it was no big deal. The other 4 Cretes parked there had 0400 appts as well. I go to check in...guard says 0600 argggggggggg. Had I known, I coulda parked at a truckstop, had a shower and a cup of java...but noooooooo. Not sure who's to blame...my money is on a certain corporate office located in Lincoln, NE.... However, even with this, I still have managed a good month...sure doesn't feel like it, and the ole' paychecks haven't shown the proof, but I have managed an 11,500 mile month. Not sure how with a 2050 mile week, and a 2400 mile week...but the little black calander says so.

 

And speaking of Social Circle, I hope this doesn't jinx me....but the last 4 loads out of there...the weight has been right the 1st try, no reloads. In fact the only delay I've had out of there was a time or two ago, I was 30 minutes early for my p/u time and they were running a bit behind so I had to sit in front of my load for an hour and a half, then wait to get out because there were a dozen or so trucks weighing out and leaving at the same time. Maybe they've gotten their training program up to speed there...keeping fingers crossed

 

its actually the department of homeland security that makes you have a physical address--- protecting us or protecting there 150,000 yr job lol -- i run team with my wife and we sold the house and were going to live out of the truck for awhile to save cash --- wanted to use a po box for our address --- didnt fly -- our government wants us to have a home --even if your never there --we use my sons address and have a room there -- we even have stayed there -- my tax guy told us its a good thing we have that because if you didnt have a "home" if you got audited they would disallow the deduction for being away from home -- its all set up nice and legal with a lease and everything just in case -- and we stay there on occasion and get our mail there too---

 

Homeland security is a joke. 50 + years living in the same state and I have to prove I am a resident. Watched a mexican show his green card and he got his drivers licence with no other proof. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

The 1st thing I though of when you said 'live out of the truck' was the tax deduction.

 

Well, it turns out that had I bet on my delivery snafu being Crete's screwup...I'd have lost my money...turns out the security rent-a-fuzz looked up and put down the wrong po number on my gate pass and door assignment....so the receiving dept was waiting on my load at 4 am, and didn't find out it was screwed up until the driver who was really delivering the load assigned to the number the guard put down on my paperwork was checking in..by then it was almost 6am. So I was wrong.

And today was one of those 2-a-day delivery days. After I got empty in Davenport, FL, I was sent to Deland to pu a t'called load and deliver it in Orlando asap. So this will be the 2nd shag of this week and it puts me @2115 for the week on a Wednesday....with hours to burn.