C.R.ENGLAND

First the positive.I was in 48 state division,our driver manager was GREAT!!He really cared,and deserved to work at a better company.England tells everyone that they will be making lots of miles,which equals big bucks....BS.There were weeks where me and my co-driver would get 500 miles for the week.They gave us a load that had 4 stops in 3 different states.No layover pay,no trailer washout pay,no fueling pay....NADA!IT WAS 600 MILES IN 6 DAYS.The overall average was about 3000 thousand miles a week.good if you are solo,bad as a team.they set the mph at 60,62 if you run the cruise control.It feels like being in an old space capsule.Floating to the moon!They actually tell you that you cannot stop to go to the bathroom while you are under load,can't shower,or stop off to eat.The reason for this is their tractors only do 60 mph,and they run overflow trailers for other companies and guarantee ontime deliveries that match those companies.We ran long distance loads for Conway Express,who set their tractors at a higher rate of speed.The only way to match Conway standards is to screw the drivers.Also,we went to SLC and looked at our financials at the computer lab.I found a weekly deduction for 27.47 dollars a week,every week!!I checked and found out England levies fines on the drivers for not watching safety videos!They can be watched on the trucks qual-com system,but there is no mechanism to take the mandatory test,which proves that the video was watched.The video's can be watched at the computer lab,but there is no audio on their computers!!HOW DO YOU TAKE A TEST WITHOUT GETTING THE KNOWLEDGE OFF THE VIDEO??!!They put students in lease trucks when they only have 15,000 miles under their belts,run them as teams,and they train themselves.There are other scams for taking drivers money,all of them illegal.No level of Gov't will touch them because they generate huge sums of money for cash strapped bureaocracies.My only recommendation is tough it out for a year,and start looking for something better.Most of these large,independantly owned companies are the same.My old co-driver is running teams for US EXPRESS,and he is getting screwed to the wall.LTL is better ,as they pay by the hour,at least you can run a family budget.I drove local hourly for Central Freight Lines in Phoenix,AZ for 11 years,it was a good company.I would cut off my left arm to be working there again,despite a few little nuances.

 

I was out of the driving game for about 3 1/2 years,and could not get a job,1 reason was an i.d theft I found out about.I was told that the insurance companies have certain requirements for new employees.I had to take a refresher course,Englands school was free,as long as I drove for 6 months.After 11 months ,me and my co-driver burned out,mainly psychologically,and we quit.I am still looking for a new job otr,but would much rather get LTL.That takes a Hazmat license,which I can get but do not have.I had a great service record with Central Freight Lines,and a near perfect attendance also.No tickets,accidents,criminal background,and a TWIC card.To no avail.I live in Ontario ,CA,and CA is not a good place to be.To many laws and regulations.

 

Actually,I do try to look at the good side.I got my refresher course for free,and almost a year over the road.What is sad is that the industry as a whole is going downhill,at least with the mega companies.And the taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.England is rumored to make about 8 thousand dollars profit from each student,from the federal Gov't.