CRETE - A Year in Review

If anyone loves Crete, it's the new guys. I have been here 4+ years and my miles suck. I was injured in '03 and turned 115000 in 10 mos. In '07 I barley made enough miles to get my raise. Crete raise level is 121000. And I worked all 12 months in '07

Now I am in Ogden, UT. Was offered 2 loads out of Paris, TX. One to Tomah, WI (900+ miles) or Ogden, UT (1400 mi). Both del'd in the same window. So I figured weather-wise, it was the frying pan, or the fire. Both loads were an all day wait to load. Took UT, since there were more miles and we pull a bunch of loads back out of the same place I was del'g. Besides, we don't do that much freight out of WI other than Menards (which is a short, and many times a multi-stop load) Del'd on time in Ogden. No empties... Consignee said they were waiting on empties to load some freight on for us. So I msg'd dispatch of the situation, only to get the response that we didn't have any loads out of there, find an empty. Sent in several msg's stating we don't have any empty trls available, only to have dispatch insist we did and I was mistaken. Guess the customer was a liar. Finally was told to empty call without a trailer and check back in 5 or 6 hours. Spent all day Weds. in Ogden waiting. 1st thing Thurs I msg dispatch to get me moving or get me a plane ticket. After a multitude of msg's with increasing attitude things got nasty, not foul, just not complimentary to the company. I was asked to come to the Salt Lake City yard and call my terminal. I figured it was to clean out my truck and pick up my bus ticket(Crete doesn't use planes when you leave). But after calling, I discussed things and voiced my opinion, I wasn't given my walking papers. I had mentioned in one of my msg's to dispatch about how I have been telling drivers anytime I had the chance about how fun working for Crete is. They told me that they didn't like me telling anybody about the bad times I am having here. Guess they didn't want the truth to get out about this company. I promptly told them that I wasn't telling anything that didn't actually happen, and there was nothing they could say or do (other than changing the way they treat the drivers) that would stop me. And letting me go would only ramp up my negative attitude and how vocal I was. I told them they need to check out the internet forums once in a while to see how many other drivers are out there like me. I wasn't the only person that feels this way. They mentioned that it was a bad time of year for freight. But I have been hearing 'short freight' and getting crapo' miles much longer that just the last couple months. Now since I had to come to the terminal it had now started my 14 hr clock and stopped me from getting a 34 hr restart. I could have called from the truck-stop but noooooo. They wanted me to call from our terminal. Just another way to mess with you (see posts in 'bad trucking companies' section of this forum to see similar treatment)

These are the miles I have run recently.

Dec. '07
1858,2797,2296,0(vacation due to holidays usually shorter freight)
(2317 mi/wk avg - not counting vacation week of 0)

Jan '08
2942(carried over some from the rest of the week after Christmas),2200,3034,2461
(2659 mi/wk avg. not my usual Jan.)

Feb '08 (so far)
2861(carry some over from Jan),1980,1878,2147(and am sitting as of Thursday afternoon and Friday is payroll cutoff, so something out of this area that del's this week is unlikely)
(2216 mi./wk avg)
This is an average of 2397 mi. a week for the last 3 mos. (1/4 of the year) At this pace I will only have 124000 miles for the year. Well below what I call acceptable for an OTR driver that stays out as long at a time as they would like here. I can pull for a local company with a daycab and make this kind of money. But I don't want to.

Crete should change their motto from 'There are no shortcuts' to 'There are no shortcuts, just short freight'

I know this is a bad time of year, but I have never had these low miles at any time during my 13+ years OTR. Even the attacks of 9/11 didn't drop my miles back like this.

This company has done something to me that no other has. It has made me want to leave the industry. A job, up until the last few years, I enjoyed and looked forward to doing for a long time. Now, I can hardly face the next year sitting on my butt staring out the windshield wasting my life for nothing.

 

wow crete seem nice.

 

Thanks, evertruckerr!!! I kinda thought that may be what it meant, but I thought I would ask.

Since you do know the Crete system, is it possible to just come on board and join a regional fleet? I want SE Regional (as I will hopefully be heading back to the south in the coming months), but I know many companies say "Sure, try OTR until something opens up," which, from what I hear, rarely open.

 

Dang, out 7 days a week for 3 or 4 days worth of work.

It's a good thing Crete has a higher pay scale then some or all that time sitting waiting for freight or waiting to pu and deliver would be real frustrating for me.

I did not drive OTR for the lifestyle, I drove to make money. But it seems that you really have to make your voice heard at a large OTR company like Crete or you will be on the back burner while they give the miles to the drivers who know how to keep their names at the top of the freight list.

Doing your job is not enough to guarantee miles in OTR. My experience was that I had to motivate most of my DM's both positively and negatively (depending on the dm) or I would have had the same miles as the above posters.

OTR is not a team job when you are payed at a piece rate for your work. They want you to operate like you were part of a team but when your pay is not guaranteed, acting for the greater good can cost you miles and money. You have to take care of number one or your team play could make you litter in the wallet.

I had dm's tell me that I was 5th out of 26th in miles for the month and so on, and I would say I don't care, about the miles of another driver. I care about my miles and my income.

 

My charming demeanor is a result of the current situation not the cause... My first few years here, I was like you...smiling all the way to the bank, without a clue as to why the long time drivers in this company are usually in a bad mood. In fact the only thing that got under my skin was getting my sleep interrupted every 15 or 20 minutes by opt idle. And I accepted it. Oh, and the occasional battle to get home within a week or two of when I asked. Which, when I started, getting home wasn't as much of a pain as it is now. So there were few battles. I mean I didn't gripe and complain about running the northeast or doing yard checks when they asked or picking up the short run that someone t'called after running most of the miles off of, as long as the miles were there at the end of the month, I took the bad with the good. I felt the same way, thinking my miles wouldn't ease up... Wrong o' Mary Lou. Up until last year there was good to offset the bad. But lately it's like pulling teeth to get on a roll here. Why... because they know it's more profitable to run the newer drivers (newer to Crete, not to the industry) harder since they make less per mile. With the big raise we got in '06 and the ever increasing fuel cost, that trend is only going to continue.

There is one terminal manager (in SC),past or present i'm not sure which, that has been heard blaming the shortage of freight on the drivers. His words were something like 'the reason we are short on freight is because we had to raise our per mile rate to make the drivers happy, and to pay for it we had to raise our freight rates, and our customers left' . He also says that not enough drivers take time off, often enough. Too many drivers on the road at a time needing freight. And I have heard this from more than one driver, so it's unlikely a figment of someones vivid imagination.

And you may be right, I may have the same troubles elsewhere, because Crete is striving for mediocrity. The once driver friendly, decent and well respected company has transformed into another Swift-JB-Schneider, wanta' be hiring, cookie cutter company. And as long as the 'Tonn Ostergards' of this world are running the show, it won't be any better anywhere. Hence the comment about me thinking about leaving the trucking industry after all these years. The man (Ostergard) may be an SOB, but he isn't stupid. I have been out here a few more years than your profile shows, and I felt like you do a few years ago...But things change quick in this industry.

Just wait until some situation comes up where you need Crete to watch your back and stick up for you somehow. When they kick you to the curb and forget they know you, then you will see how important you really are to them, and how good of a company they are. That pat on the back you feel is only a distraction for the knife that is incoming!

And I am looking for a better company to work for, but right now is not the best time to switch. It's not just the times right now that I am having that has put such a bad taste in my mouth about Crete, it's the history I've had with them the last few years and the outlook for the future of this company that has soured my attitude. I really don't know how many OTR drivers would stick it out if they were put in my place. I had a friend that was a planner for Arnold (before they were bought and sold by Roadway, and before they were partially bought out by US.) His words are coming true, just a little late. When I said I thought about working for Crete, he said it wouldn't surprise him if Crete didn't exist in 10 to 15 years. That was almost 10 years ago. His timing was a bit off, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it's a train, just the end of the line.

But if you want to keep your miles up...become a 'yes' man and buy a good set of knee pads. That's the only division in this company that is always running good. But I refuse to kneel to any mortal man in order to succeed! My motto has been and always will be 'I will give a good days work, for a good days pay' I only expect everyone else to give the same effort as I do. When I have a load I run it as hard as I can, giving 110%. When I see the op's people just putting in time to make a paycheck not giving it their best, it ticks me off. Because that type of effort only hurts us all. And that kind of ho-hum effort is a sure path to failure in any company, trucking or not.

 

I think if Crete went to 1-on-1 dispatch, with dedicated dispatch/dm's then there wouldn't be as much negative feelings here. I mean sometimes you send in a msg asking a question, or needing some additional info, and wait and wait and wait. They use zone dispatch, and if you are in a busy zone, then your msg gets put in line, and unless it's important, you are forgotten about. I have msg'd every 15 minutes for hours trying to get someone's attention. And then drove to a payphone only to hear...HMMM I don't know why the 'what ever zone' dispatcher didn't answer your msg's(until Crete pays for my cell bill, I don't waste time being put on 'ignore' -aka hold- calling them on it) I just hope I don't have a need to have them to call 911 because I am having a heart attack or something else that keeps me from my cell...Or else my wife will be enjoying my life insurance.

In the good ole' days when I was with Arnold (before Roadway bought them, striped off a bunch of customers and sold them) I had a couple dispatchers/DM's that, if they asked, I would have bumped off someone for them (haha just kidding)... Thats how good they treated me. But Arnold Mgmt found out I was happy, and stuck me on a rookie DM's board that had just came over from being a CSR (customer service rep). He didn't know his head from a hole in the ground. My miles sucked, but I stuck it out waiting for him to get the hang of it. Then Roadway bought us, and miles sucked worse. I stuck it out hoping for better days. Then Roadway sold us, and miles sucked even worse. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I put up with 9 mos. of declining miles there...(sometimes not seeing a 2000+ mi. week for a whole month) and watching Crete heading down the same path, brings back some bad memories.

 

I am not putting you down by saying this but that exactly right there is the reason some do not get the miles. In business hard work is not everything and it does take some butt kissing to make it. That is they way it is in the corporate world as well. Brown nosers make it to the top. If you leave your ego at the door then you can do well. I don't look at it as giving up my "womanhood" to suck up, it is just the way business is done. I was raised to respect my seniors (and I include my supervisors in this category) and when I respect someone I go out of my way to make sure they are happy.

But that is only my opinion. Of course it works for me and I have had great success with dealing this way. But if your way works for you then stick to it. (But my guess is it isn't working since you are hurting for miles). And I am not trying to be a smart #$% there, I am just calling it like I see it.

 

^ I worked in corporate offices for fifteen years prior to starting this career and couldn't agree more. You catch a lot more flies with honey ...

I think a lot of the problem with negative driver attitudes comes down to the terse nature of Qualcomm messaging combined with all the alone time drivers have to stew over things. Add to that the fact that dispatchers are essentially underpaid corporate cubicle dwellers with their own office culture and sets of stresses and you have a recipe for a long, slow burn for drivers who make themselves a thorn in the side. Don't believe for a minute that Crete has so many trucks that you won't develop an individual reputation. When I was checking in a few weeks ago, I actually saw the fleet manager and staffers at my terminal chuckling and shaking their heads over a series of nasty-grams a driver had sent to dispatch which had been brought to their attention. It apparently wasn't the first time for that driver.

If you get so po'd that you can't remain polite and upbeat, at least keep it professional. Seriously, if it's gotten to the point that you've been called into a terminal over your communications, it might be best to move on. I wouldn't say this if I hadn't met so many Crete old timers who are happy with their jobs.