Crete / Shaffer pay raise announced for OTR drivers

Doesnt sound too bad, require one year of flatbed experience. Thinking thats due to the type of freight their website says they haul.

 

I was called by their military recruiter on Tuesday. She was gloating about the pay bump for new drivers and graduates. I told her I chose Knight be Susie of their school and starting package. I told her if she could name a few things that are better, I would consider it. The ONLY thing she could come up with is the pay. I asked what the dispatcher/driver ratio was and was told it was enough that they know you by number and NOT by name. Asked if they were financial silly secured and how c.f. their stocks were (already knew they are one of the companies in the industry that are stalemate on their stock growth while others like Knight have gone up over 20%) and again, she was baffled.

My point in saying this is the only thing they are waving around is the higher CPM and that's it! I for one, like was explained earlier in a post, am retired military and am looking at the whole kitten kabootle! Now I know this will grab a lot drivers, but I see this leading to a higher than industry standard turnover rate in the future. I have heard a lot of horror stories of how the drivers are treated and that drove me away too.

 

Man. I gotta tell ya.....Crete may not be the best out there, but they've got Knight beat before Knight gets out of the starting blocks. You might want to go to the Knight thread and read up on what you're about to do.

jus' sayin'

 

Am usually baffled why so many look to the larger carriers for a job. There are so many 100-300 truck outfits around that are a pleasure to work for. I have been associated with two of them since '99. The first sold out. 7 years with this one. True, there are bad carriers around, regardless of size, but the big ones are just like big mega factories. A policy for just about anything, and they can't remember your name. And they have so many trucks, that one getting lost in all the daily confusion, and the driver being hung out to dry waiting for a load, is just part of the deal. And recruiters that only follow cookie sheet, one size fits all in answering questions, and if you throw something different at them, they go into a brain cramp.

 

oh come on, you know the recruiters read teleprompters, don't confuse them by asking questions they can't possibly know the answers too. Your suppose to be a dumb *** driver who doesn't think for him/her self. your suppose to just follow along blindly as they hold your hand and micromanage you and be grateful they give you an opportunity to drive a crappy stripped down fleet trk. and lets not forget keep you out for 2 weeks and give you a day and a half off.

 

LOL. Yeah, they are not the brightest bulb in the company if they are in recruiting. But one of the things that I was impressed by with I talked with the one I am at, was that they would connect me with anyone, in any part of the company, to answer any questions I needed answered. And they did so. I picked and prodded my way all over that company getting a feel for who they were and how the did things. Who the customer base was and what was the company focus. I spent 3 months back and forth before pulling the trigger and joining up with them. Glad I took the time. Eyes wide open, no surprises, and it has been a good ride.

 

yes interviewing the company or companies is important before going in blindly then your upset because you feel like they misrepresented the facts.

 

Don't forget to ask them about the inverter wattage limit and how long you'll be waiting for them to fix your truck when it's in the shop. Asked them too about paid holidays.

 

I am actually with Knight now and am glad I am. This is not my first rodeo, but first one in almost 8 1/2 yrs. Nobody can show me any company that is as financially secured as Knight at their size. I did do my homework, as a matter of fact I did about 4 weeks worth and chose them. They were by far the better school/company to go with.

See in yout mentioned in your post about being sold out, that is the main reason why I don't go to a small company because most are not financially secured!

yup, Knight has a real good shop program and are decent at getting you out in a timely manner. Now like any other place, if your an ### to them than you'll be sitting! Knight pays you holiday pay as well.