I've been with Crete for two years and observed this company decline just in that short time span. Many of the long-timers have either quit or are very unhappy with the direction the company is moving. I have spoken with probably 200 or more Crete drivers and have yet to find 1--not even 1--who speaks well of the company or their working experience with it.
The company President, Tonn Ostergaard, is quoted as commenting: "Drivers are a 'dime-a-dozen.' Just keep hiring new drivers." This policy is increasingly reflected in the attitudes of operations and maintenance personnel. I have experienced a constant rude and disrespectful treatment. I have observed many other drivers being treated with disrespectful, even abusive, behavior.
Crete is moving toward an all-regional driver system. Loads are becoming increasingly shorter. Two months ago, one of the Crete terminal managers told me that Ostergaard's vision is to reduce all loads to 500 miles or less; remove all drivers to regional driver status and at a lower, regional driver pay rate; and manage all drivers at approximately 2000 to 2400 miles per week.
I would not recommend Crete to any driver or would-be driver.
The Decline Of Crete Carrier
Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by sledge, May 10, 2008.
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Richard Scribner, johnwayne187, Jillian Chaquewaniy and 11 others Thank this.
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This is too bad since Crete has been one that many have said is a good company. Unfortunately, economics is driving this. There has been talk on the Sirius trucking channel as well as in trade publications of a greater shift to regional operations with rail doing most of the cross country hauling. You would think, though, that management would still keep in mind that it is the driver that makes the company. The driver is who the customer sees on a regular basis. If that driver comes in with a professional attitude and is happy with his/her company, that attitude will be displayed to the customer and they will like working with that company. If the driver is unhappy and displays that unhappiness, the customer will question the quality of the trucking company and may begin to shop for someone else to haul the freight.
SJArmyWife, 90125-2, CRASH TEST DUMMY and 1 other person Thank this. -
mje and franktaylor Thank this.
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I guess ol' man Acklie has gotten too old to have a say in this.
Crete was a great company when I worked for 'em. Well, they weren't great in an absolute sense. They were relatively great. Relative, that is, to the outfits I worked for before going there. Compared to those companies, Crete was a heaven-on-earth company.csmith1281, BuzzLvr and born&raisedintheusa Thank this. -
I'm not sure rail is capable of picking up the slack for trans-continental freight. The rail companies are running pretty close to full capacity now. If you try to add the millions of tons of freight currently hauled by truck, the system will collapse.
Further, Rail is not.. timely. A truck can deliver a load from northern Main to southern California in a matter of a few days. Rail would take weeks, typically. Fresh produce and JIT would be a thing of the past.
What might happen, though is more interoperability agreements between carriers. Carrier A takes the load from (say) San Diego to SLC. Carrier B gets the load to Omaha. Carrier C gets the load to Cincinatti. And so on. If done right, it would be moved at just about the same speed as a team haul. Of course, we know how likely that is, don't we? (Oh, for an example of this, take a look at how the mail is moved)
Of course, too, it need not be a carrier-carrier exchange. Could just be a regional-regional exchange within the same carrier.
Just some thoughts. I'll let y'all determine the worth.Paul Bunyan and born&raisedintheusa Thank this. -
However, I have noticed lately that my dispatched miles are running around the 500-600 miles at an average and that my weekly miles are getting seemingly less and less little by little to reflect what 'Sledge' is stating. As far as this Tonn Ostergard... I'll never to this day, understand how the heck people with such character as this guy gets to be at the level that they do practicing such disrespectful, uncivilized behavior (like father like son). The words stated in the above, "Drivers are a 'dime-a-dozen.' Just keep hiring new drivers." fits this guy's personality.Richard Scribner and born&raisedintheusa Thank this. -
mje Thanks this. -
Regarding timeliness, rail would not take weeks to get across country. Afterall, Amtrak can get from LA to Chicago in less than 2 days and they do not have priority. Trucks can be faster but the cost is the big issue. Cost per ton per mile to ship by rail is much less than it is by truck.mje Thanks this. -
I'm an o/o at Ctrere for almost two years.
Are they perfect? Not even. Show me who is.
Are they the best? Depends on what a driver wants in an OTR company.
Has the length of haul become shorter? It seems so. However, I think this is market driven. i.e. The shorter runs usually pays better, and with the volume of drop/hook you can still get miles. It's been a tough freight market the past 1.5+yrs, and Crete can't make shippers give them loads, or wont book none profitable ones. Therefore, we as drivers need to understand; we can't always get what we want.
Can you prove Ostergard said what you claim? No. I was a company driver at Crete in the late '90's, and heard this claim then.
Remember, disgruntled drivers pointing the finger have three more pointing back at them.
Can some of the dispatchers be rude? Yes! (However, this is an exception.) Do not take it personally. I asure you it is not ment that way. I've observed a dispatcher at work, and it is a high pressure job that I do not want. This is still no reason to be rude, but when you see it from their side you can understand why some may come off that way. I've found,when I do need to speak with one on the phone, and they seem to be rude, if I stay calm and remember it is not personal, we have always been able to resolve the issue.
I've had three minor discrepincies with payroll. A phone call solved each, and the personel have always been willing to help.
Maybe Crete is not the company for your needs. Good luck in your endevor to find the right company.Utahtrucker, born&raisedintheusa, BigMuthaTrucka and 11 others Thank this. -
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