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CRST

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by ahorton, May 31, 2014.

  1. May 31, 2014 #1
    ahorton

    ahorton Bobtail Member

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    May 31, 2014
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    Made 900 in 4 mo. They pay you by the mile in training. Trucks breaking down, insane trainers (literally and also just crazy). Swift, PAM and Prime pay by the week. England and Werner I don't know about. The recruiters will tell you that they feed you before you get your CDL in school, before the OTR training portion, but it is a small box of cereal for breakfast and hotdogs for 3 or 4 dollars at lunch. No dinner. They will tell you that you will make 700 a week during OTR training, but they have no way of knowing that and will not guarantee it.
    I had one trainer who did a U-turn on a two lane state highway in Alabama, then became lost after telling me she heard God's voice. That was my first day in OTR training and I ended up on a long bus ride back to Iowa. Second one was racist and hostile and only knew how to yell to communicate. Third trainer let made me do all the night driving and didn't know how to fill a tire. I drove from Montana to California on a 72 psi steer tire...by very steep drop offs in the mountains. He also refused to fix the exhaust coming into the cabin diagnose by a shop in Montana. He was very sick with cold like symptoms and I was beginning to get sick. The fourth guy had a hair pin temper, just exploded, and then he told me he had two long Bowie knives on board. He also told me the trainee before me had tried to strangle him. (He nagged with a whiney voice. I'm sure that was part of it.)I spent a night on a bench in the Los Angeles bus station because even though the company gets big bucks for training truck drivers, they provide a skeleton crew on the weekends. I could not reach anyone. And that is very, very common...Not being able to reach ANYONE in the company when you need to.
    After all that, I quit. I think I tried in good sincerity to complete the terms of my contract, but at that point it would have been silly to get on another CRST truck.
    Now, CRST is telling other companies I am under contract. I contacted them, and they told me that I am NOT under contract but owe them money. So basically they are lying to other companies and preventing me from working.

    Stay the (blank) away. There are others.
     
    ahorton, May 31, 2014
    ahorton, May 31, 2014
    #1
    harlycharly55 Thanks this.
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  3. May 31, 2014 #2
    pattyj

    pattyj Road Train Member

    22,474
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    Jul 19, 2008
    Sioux City,ia
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    Four trainers in 4 months,lol.Not laughing at you but that is so common in this industry.From your post,CRST doesn't care who trains.Hang in there you'll find something.
     
    pattyj, May 31, 2014
    pattyj, May 31, 2014
    #2
  4. May 31, 2014 #3
    tumblin dice

    tumblin dice Light Load Member

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    Apr 18, 2014
    Jacksonville, FL
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    Oh man that is just plain scary.....sorry for your bad luck....I hope things will turn for the better friend!
     
    tumblin dice, May 31, 2014
    tumblin dice, May 31, 2014
    #3
  5. May 31, 2014 #4
    Dr_Fandango44

    Dr_Fandango44 Road Train Member

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    Aug 27, 2012
    Austin, TX
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    You go thru a fair amount of dispatchers too as I did in the beginning .......the ones that think 6000 miles a mth is a lot of miles for a trucker to drive.........LOL.
    Next!!
     
    Dr_Fandango44, May 31, 2014
    Dr_Fandango44, May 31, 2014
    #4
  7. Jun 2, 2014 #5
    paul_4lp

    paul_4lp Road Train Member

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    Oct 21, 2010
    Fort Myers, FL
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    So you dont believe in God?
     
    paul_4lp, Jun 2, 2014
    paul_4lp, Jun 2, 2014
    #5
  8. Jun 2, 2014 #6
    ffmedic166

    ffmedic166 Bobtail Member

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    May 26, 2014
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    My trainer is and has been great. Just one time had to basically tell him to shut up and let me back up that I cant get it with his narrative in the mix. Other then that we ran a a team.
     
    ffmedic166, Jun 2, 2014
    ffmedic166, Jun 2, 2014
    #6
  9. Jun 2, 2014 #7
    ffmedic166

    ffmedic166 Bobtail Member

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    May 26, 2014
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    I have found working with is company granted it may be low pay at first but you cant be CEO by your second day....you have to prove your worth and show a desire to make make time loads. My first week I took home about 700.
     
    ffmedic166, Jun 2, 2014
    ffmedic166, Jun 2, 2014
    #7
  10. Jun 2, 2014 #8
    ahorton

    ahorton Bobtail Member

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    May 31, 2014
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    I do believe in God but I also believe that if you are hearing his voice in your head, chances are you are schizophrenic. She was also showing other signs of mental deterioration like getting lost to begin with, sitting on a ramp for a half hour with the sign clearly in front of us saying HIGHWAY 10 THIS WAY...where we wanted to go...etc.
    And second, I think you have to be lucky to take home 700 while in training, if you are truly a driver and not a co hack sent to post in this. The recruiters tell you that but have no way of predicting it. That is the top and happens rarely. They should report what the average is...probably more like 200. I just think when co's like Prime or Swift give you a weekly pay check, that is a much safer bet. And you are not locked into a team after training. You can team but don't have to. These things are verifiable. Not as a result of my back experience, tho I wouldn't be writing here if they'd treat me fairly now and not tell co's I'm under contract when I'm not. Blank Gestapo.
    I agree. CRST doesn't care who trains nor do they monitor them. It's all about hype like this guy up here is doing...not caring about who will follow him and make a bad decision....by being misled.
     
    ahorton, Jun 2, 2014
    ahorton, Jun 2, 2014
    #8
  11. Jun 8, 2014 #9
    mdolan0821

    mdolan0821 Bobtail Member

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    Mar 5, 2014
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    I have to agree with SOME of the things you say. There are Crazy drivers at CRST my first trainer slept on my first day and made me drive the mountains on I-80 with no help. After that I got another trainer who was great. Smart, Friendly, and very helpful. As for the weekend and overnight skeleton crew I agree it is the most annoying thing in the world but every company has issues like that. I think your experience has a lot to do with what you make it. I have been with the company for 5 months now and it is no where near as bad as your making it sound. I finished my training and my contract was bought out by an owner operator and we are hauling almost all hazmat loads averaging about 7000 miles a week. No complaint with the pay either. 5 other drivers that went through school with me are happy as well.
     
    mdolan0821, Jun 8, 2014
    mdolan0821, Jun 8, 2014
    #9
  12. Jun 8, 2014 #10
    Wooly Rhino

    Wooly Rhino Road Train Member

    3,367
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    Jul 6, 2008
    Liberty, Missouri
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    I read stories all the time about this company being bad or that company is worst. What I do not understand is why? A company is not a living body. It is just a piece of paper. You somehow made the mistake of joining a company and agreeing to something that you now owe them for? Others work for the same company and overcome. Have you asked yourself why you failed?

    I am not saying that success is something you are going to have at ever level but in this industry you are going to have to adapt to people. I worked three days for Transport America. There are many drivers who work for Transport America and will tell you it is an excellent company. My experience is that it was a great company right up until I had problems with a certain driver. I could not get along with him. He is still working there making $75,000 plus a year and I have moved on. Had I been able to adapt and survived another couple of days, I would still be working there. I can't do anything about anyone other then myself.

    CRST is a team company. They do lease purchases to make money off of equipment by getting drivers to pay top dollar for used equipment. They use multiple companies to gain the tax system to increase their profits. They use the naive of their newbies to allow them to undercut other companies and still remain in the black. The "company" knows what it is doing.

    You are going to find that their are other groups of people you will fit in better with. You will also find that there will be many that make you sick just talking to them. Truckers love to be in a truck all by themselves. We are as a race some of the most antisocial folks. Those companies that force two antisocial folks to share a closed space for hours at a time will always have problems.

    Get yourself to a solo job. Everything is better by yourself. And yes, that is exactly what I mean.
     
    Wooly Rhino, Jun 8, 2014
    Wooly Rhino, Jun 8, 2014
    #10
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