CRETE - A Year in Review

sounds interesting snack, does Crete have a tanker division? In a perfect world that may be a way I may like to go. I am torn between freight and liquid.

 

nope no tanker. just dry(crete), refr(shaffer), and flatbed(hunt)

 

I'll sum it up, category by category, all being in my honest opinion.

Comparing Schneider to Crete:

1. Pay: Crete. I've run more miles, been paid for more of the miles I run, and at a higher (4cpm) rate than I ran with Schneider. However, SNI pays detention automatically (a minor plus...I've really only run into two or three detention situations in almost six months here at Crete). Runs tend to be longer here as well.

1a. Miles: During the calendar year 2011 (my last full calendar year at SNI), I had exactly one week of over 3000 miles...and it was 3003. I've had several here, and in fact this current week will be about 3500. I've sat very little at Crete...if I've been available, I've been running for the most part. SNI was having trouble getting me 2400 miles on weeks where I had no home time. To me, that's under-utilization.

2. Equipment: Toss-up as far as tractors. I had three pretty good trucks at SNI. My truck here at Crete is OK, now that the bunk AC works. You are likely (again, my opinion only) to get a better truck right off the bat at Crete than at SNI, though SNI is replacing a bunch of units as we type. Trailers: Crete, hands-down. I've had exactly one leaker in my time here. At SNI, if you had a line of a dozen empties in a rainstorm, there could be as many as 5 or 6 leaking (it happened to me). SNI is replacing a lot of trailers as well, but I really think Crete drivers do a better job...and I've also never picked up a Crete trailer with bald tires. Not one. (As an aside, in March of 2009, I took TWELVE SNI trailers through various shops for issues ranging from tires to slide pins to damaged interiors to leaks. Yes, 12!)

3. E-logs: I'm not on them at Crete as yet, but I was at SNI, and I didn't mind them. In fact, I'm looking forward to going back to e-logs.

4. Pay accuracy: Never had a problem at SNI, and have yet to have any at Crete.

5. Hometime: About the same in my experiences. Usually on-time or within a day, but sometimes things get scuttled. In 4 1/2 years at SNI, I think they called me twice at home asking if I was available to come out a day early. Never a problem to refuse. Have not been called at Crete while at home.

6. "Support Shift": Well, let's say that at SNI, I tried never to call them. Try not to here, either. Call it even.

7. Amenities: Crete will allow a small inverter, while SNI allows none at all, period. SNI's Operating Centers are bigger, more spacious, and have better facilities than Crete, but they've also got, what....three times the number of drivers? I do miss SNI's OCs....

8. Insurance: About even.

9. Back to pay: SNI has a quarterly bonus program, while Crete has none. Crete, however, has a profit-sharing plan and a higher CPM pay scale. Personally, I like getting paid up front and not having an arbitrary 3 cents per mile held in lieu of some performance matrix.

10. Leadership: SNI just lost their VP of the Van Truckload Division, Marc Rogers, to Interstate Dist. He's now the CEO (at age 37). He was a good guy who was fighting a losing battle at SNI, IMHO. My experience leads me to believe that neither of the corporate head honchos at either company have a good grasp on what we as drivers do (surprise!). But in a head-to-head, I'd take Chris Lofgren of SNI over Tonn Ostergaard here at Crete, which in the end means little.

OK....that's a not-so-quick summary of things. SNI does a lot of things well. For me, it was too much NE and too many runs under 400 miles that made me change (I live in SC, so I was getting the half-cent "regional pay boost", so I stayed on the east coast a lot of the time). But it also took me nearly a year to make the decision I did, and it hasn't been totally without regret. But, like SuperSnackbar, the positives are still outweighing the negs (though some days just barely!).

I'll be glad to try to answer any other questions....feel free to PM me. Good luck!

 

Well, my truck has turned me into a liar.

Went to bed, and......the bunk AC is gone again. THIS time, it lasted about three weeks before taking a dump.

So tomorrow, I pose this choice to my AM....either get me another unit, or get me home. Despite all the good, this is unacceptable, especially given the fact that summer is not even half over yet. Right now I'm so ###### mad I could throw my 4-pound hammer right through the window.....I know not everyone is having this constant issue with these ACs. I've run the course with this one.

 

I would also get with your fleet manager...I think equipment issues are still under their control. Mine (my a/c, not my fleet manager)was acting funny this afternoon. I am in Muskogee and it kinda started its usual groan and moan, then kinda got quiet and unless it was just because it is 103 degrees, it didn't seem to put out as much cool air. I know what the shop will say if I bring it in...it has to die before they can fix it...which will be a day or two after I get out of there, that is if I ever get it into a shop, I am only 4500 over my B service. Just hate to get out of this cycle, Things have been rolling so good, I haven't had to get grumpy at anyone in op's since the weekend.

 

I'm due an A service anyway, so I'm hoping to just complete this run back to Lima, OH, then go on to Columbus. I'm over this truck, and am going to request another one....I just dread having to move all this junk....geez....

 

Thank you very much Packard
Not any real specific questions, I know one is as good as the other. I live in So. Cal. the Riverside area so will hire on there if that's the way I go. Wanted to go tanker but no experience so cant get anyone to talk to me. Guess Shaffer is the same cause that's the one close to me. I ran with CRST a few years back and had no real problems with them, had a bum truck but got another. As I said had a friend with SNI and he had no problem, just didn't like the road. I will probably be calling a recruiter in a few days. If I think of any specifics I will send a PM. Thanks for the honesty, hard to get anymore.

 

You're more than welcome. And don't let my issues with my AC interfere with your decision. It's frustrating, but I'm kinda crochetty as well. But I will say, still being honest, that if there had been other major issues with the company other than this PITA bunk AC, I would have already been gone. Miles are good, though, and they basically leave me alone to do my job, so if I can get this AC issue completely behind me, I'll probably be here for some time.

 

Screw that! If the A/C doesn't work, neither does the driver. What a piece of #### company. You could always cut one of the lines with a knife.

 

Pack, Yep, just "shoot it". I had to finally just go to a Petro to get the B done. They didn't sqawk and the service is faster.