Crete Carrier Corporation - Lincoln, Ne.

Supersnack,
If OTR trucking is what floats your boat, more power to you brother! But the high divorce rate in the trucking industry, and the average 125% national turnover rate among OTR drivers suggests that it just might not be a land of milk and honey.

It's not like saying that at all. You're comparing OTR trucking to a "normal" job, and that's like comparing apples to oranges. You may not be on duty for 24/7, but you are away from home as PERTAINS to your duty for 24/7. No normal job would ask that kind of sacrifice from an employee, or it would probably have an astronomical divorce rate and an unthinkable turnover rate too. However, I know that there are people for whom living in a truck for 44 or more weeks out of the year seems normal to them. But the numbers suggest that you are in an eclectic minority.

Let's be honest. Most company drivers are not making 60K per year. But that's neither here nor there. Either of us can manipulate the numbers to suit our argument, but the fact remains that an average OTR national driver spends an average of 72-144 hours a month at home, and I make about the same amount as when I drove OTR but spend anywhere from 380-460 hours per month at home. The consideration of maintaining health is also an issue. Living in a truck for weeks on end is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle or maintaining healthy eating and sleeping habits. Just look at all the obese truck drivers who waddle their way to the buffet... many, if not most, of whom are chain smokers. I suppose that it depends on what is important to you and what you consider to be "normal".

And I feel the same way about OTR. To each his own.

Some people would call this having a functional life.

None of my creditors have ever forced me to live in a truck and stay away from my family for weeks on end. If you make over 60K per year and blissfully save all the money by driving OTR that you claim to, there's no reason you should be enslaved by creditors. If you are, I'd suggest financial mentoring.

I believe that you are overgeneralizing here, and you are also insulting most of the families in America. The vast majority of families have to have two incomes to make ends meet. Any lifestyle runs the risk of producing "screwed up families". I've known multi-millionaires whose kids were all druggies. However, I do what I do in order to play an active role in my family. OTR trucking did not afford me the opportunity to do that.

Sounds like you have a great wife. It takes a toll on most women for their husbands to be gone so much.

As John McEnroe would say: You cannot be serious! If a job that causes you to be away from your family for most of the year translates into "being well-rounded" you've certainly got the right one.

In that case, most people are not well-rounded. It certainly kicks me off the wheel.

Seriously, if the OTR life works for you, I'm happy for you. But, it doesn't work for me, nor does it work for most people. And to say that it provides a more wholesome and well-rounded family environment sounds like something a recruiter would say. The sacrifices of OTR trucking are high, and for anyone to say it provides a better family life just makes me laugh. I am willing to be flexible in most areas, but when a trucking job has little or no consideration for my need to live a personal life outside their truck, that trucking job can summarily kiss my inflexible buttocks.

 

Recruiters are actually claiming OTR trucking provides a better family life? Just when I thought the recruiter BS couldn't get any deeper. We need these guys pushing nuclear power plants. Maybe for the childless husband and wife who can't stand each other any longer and need a break from each other, the OTR lifestyle may help. But even in this case, I doubt going OTR would make a family situation "better". Far from it, more than likely.

 

I've never actually heard a recruiter claim that, it was an OTR driver who made that claim, and I said that it sounded like the garbage that a recruiter might feed you. To say that OTR trucking sets the stage for a more functional family life is the most ridiculous claim I've ever heard... that's why I attributed it to "sounding like" recruiter rhetoric.

If an OTR trucker has a functional and happy family life, that is to be admired. But it certainly isn't because of the job... it's IN SPITE of it.

 

Divorce rate nation wide is high not just trucking...Money issues are the main cause. As for turnover it stems from the drivers coming into this industry not being prepared for the dedication it takes to do the job...It would be like asking a steelworker to fix computers, or the other way around. Or like asking a doctor or nurse to work an oil rig...If ya' ain't cut out for it, it ain't gona' work.

As for me comparing this to a normal job...I didn't start it, your post was the one comparing it to a by-the-hour job...the majority of this industry isn't and never will be an hourly job.

And if a driver isn't making good money at their company, then there are many other companies out there that they could. As for the health issues, those drivers that waddle to the buffet, would waddle to the buffet no matter what job they have. Health in this industry is like the industry itself...It is what you make it. I eat as good here as I do when I am at home. How healthy is it to work 9-5, then come home and worry about the bills, or how the kids grades are, or how the kids are going to college on what you're making...I know just as many healthy drivers as I do unhealthy ones.

As for a being a slave to your creditors...You are just as much a slave to your creditors as I am. Just life... No matter the debt, you have to work to pay house payments/rent, phone, electric, food. I have little debt, a house payment and living expenses. I need less than most, but choose to make the best money now, so I can ease off later.

The millionaires kids have the same problems that all kids would have if left alone, because the millionaires are doing the same thing that having a two income household does. They don't get involved as much as they should in their kids day to day life. Having kids that have to let themselves in and take care of themselves until mommy and daddy get home only gives them time for trouble. Or if you drop the little bundles of joy off at daycare, you're doing the same thing as the rich people do by letting their nanny's take care of the kids. And having two people work then come home, have to fix dinner, clean the house write out the bills, etc... how much time is left for the kids?? I don't call sitting down in front of the t.v. with a drink in one hand and the remote in the other so I can relax after a long hard day at work, 'quality time'. I actually do more with my kids here than before I drove. It's because when you're there every day, the kids they don't want to do much to do with you. But if you're gone for a while, the time you spend once you return is more special, and it ends up meaning more. If more families would quit trying to keep up with the jones' they wouldn't need to work 2 or 3 jobs to keep the bills paid. My wife hasn't had to work since my oldest started pre-k. To ask her to work would be an insult. It's my job to provide for my family, not hers. I have 3 cars, all paid off, both kids have their own car, both paid off. Upon graduation from high school, both kids got their own computer before they left for college. I have a 100K+ house, at a $500/mo payment. Both kids have been or currently going to college...paid. And I'm just a simple person, no extra useful college education. If someone like me can do it, anybody can, if they take advantage of opportunities and apply themselves. I saw an opportunity, made a sacrifice of my personal time so that my kids could go through life without having to hear about or deal with financial problems that the family may be having, or hear my wife and I fight because both of us had a bad day at work and don't have enough time for each other.

I may BMW about Crete, but at least they do give me the opportunity to make enough - even during the bad times - to provide for my family. Living with 2 people working, trying to make time for the family, worrying about bills, etc., and trying make time for themselves, isn't living. If you call that living a normal life then your life is no more normal than mine.

If you enjoy your job, then cool, but it's likely that will be the income you make for a while. At least with this side of the industry, and with a company as financially stable as Crete, i have a future, and an ever increasing income. Especially when there are more and more drivers like you that choose to leave this side of the industry for local jobs, my dedication and experience will be worth more and more.

 

Supersnack,
Judging from your posts, you seem like a genuinely nice guy, and a good family man, but I am compelled to address some more of your comments, and then you can have the last word if you wish.

I agree that it takes a lot of dedication for success in any phase of trucking. But I couldn't disagree more about the reason for the turnover rate. The turnover rate exists for a number of reasons: Withholding of information by trucking schools and recruiters, lies from trucking companies about money, miles and hometime, trucking companies failing to get drivers home within a reasonable time of request... and there are so many more reasons, not the least of which is that most people just aren't cut out for it. But, until the trucking industry starts treating drivers like human beings instead of truck numbers, the turnover rate is going to stay in the stratosphere... it has little to do with "being prepared for the dedication." It has more to do with "being prepared to take it in the rectum"... most people are willing to bend over for only so long.

Sorry, but I wasn't comparing it to anything. OTR trucking is a lifestyle more than it is a job. I was simply pointing out some mathematics of a life spent on the road. I wasn't comparing it to anything else. You were the one who compared apples and oranges.

Yes, there are people in any job who are going to ignore their health. But you are kidding yourself if you think that OTR doesn't pose a much greater challenge. I worked in a sedentary job for 20 years before I started driving a truck and went to the gym regularly. Despite my best efforts on the road, I was able to maintain nowhere near the fitness level that I had before. Living in a truck for weeks on end makes it very difficult to maintain fitness, good eating habits, and good sleeping habits... C'mon, you know that!

I worked for Crete for 2 years, and you must be looking at those guys through rose-colored glasses!

I wasn't aware that you were privy to my bank account and creditor statements. I'm actually sailing pretty smoothly... thank you.

You have a unique talent for overgeneralization. Google the term "propositional logic", read about it, and the validity of your claims will improve exponentially.

I deleted some of the diatribe but, I get it... you're a good father. I totally believe you.

Okay, you're just boasting now!

I learned a long time ago that a person's level of education and job title is a poor yardstick for measuring his or her character. Some of the brightest people I've ever met had average jobs and average levels of education, while some of the biggest knuckleheads I ever met had Bachelor's and Master's degrees. There are many ways to measure a man, and education is just one of them... and it isn't even close to the most important.

Like I said, I worked for Crete for 2 years and, as big trucking companies go, they certainly aren't the worst. If I were a single guy, I might consider OTR again. Despite my railing, it has its merits. It's a good way for a young person to see the country, learn responsibility, and save up a nest egg. Heck, it's even a good way for a young person to save up for college! But, for a middle-aged man with a family, it just doesn't make sense to me. You talk about having old-fashioned values... well, one of my old-fashioned values is to play an active role in the life of my wife and children. That's worth more to me than 60K per year, a $100K+ house, or anything else you can name.

I just call it "life". And the definition of "normal" varies from person to person. You consider living in a truck normal... I don't. I consider going to an Aikido dojo twice a week and getting thrown around by kids half my age normal... you probably don't.

Probably not. I'm striving toward opening my own business within the next two years. I don't plan on driving a truck the rest of my life, and I don't plan on driving OTR ever again.

IBM was once a stable company and then it was teetering on the brink of death, same story with Chrysler, Enron, and the dot coms. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Oh, and I think Crete tops out at 48 cents per mile unless they've changed since I left.

And that trend is going to continue, my friend, until the trucking companies change their ways and start treating drivers like human beings.

My original posts were intended to point out, mostly to newer drivers who are disillusioned with trucking, that there are alternatives to OTR. You can still drive a truck, make a good living, and not have to spend more time away from home than you are there. Are these local jobs for everyone? No! You have to be willing to work your butt off, but it has proven a much better option for me.

As you've probably discerned, I have strong feelings about OTR. I maintain that it is a scam, a virtual slave industry, and a scourge on the face of the spirit of the American work force. I completely do not understand your way of thinking, but I'm not going to dog you about it anymore. You have a right to live your life as you wish. People can read this thread and draw their own conclusions.

Be safe out there, and best of luck to you.

 

I have only a few comments and then we can consider this game of verbal ping-pong a draw.

As for the value of my home, it's not a boast, just a little info to show that I am not living in a shack on the side of the road, that I actually have financial responsibilities, and to go along with that, no I don't have privy to your bank account, the point I was making is simple...We all have to work to provide...like you said, it's called life.

As for the drivers I know that are the healthy and unhealthy...It was not with Crete that I knew them. They work or worked for Arnold Transportation out of Jacksonville FL/Camp Hill, PA. I know very few drivers, at least by name, here... I run into some of the same people terminal to terminal, but couldn't tell you what their names or even truck numbers were.

Yes Crete has a cap on the pay, right now it's .47 (Shaffer is the one that's .48, Because of the hassle of running a reefer they say) but it wasn't long ago when they raised their cap...And it's likely to keep going up, the more that drivers leave, the more they need to pay in order to attract new and better. JB once had the highest pay rate, now they are only slightly above the average.

And the one difference between Crete and 'IBM - Enron - and Chrysler'...They are publicly traded companies that have shareholders. Crete is privately owned. Has no shareholders other than the division of wealth between the members of the Acklie family. So they have less financial drain on the income. Profits, if any, get either re-invested or banked for future economy problems like we are in now and a small portion gets passed on to its employees in the form of profit sharing. And they grow, only when they have the finances to do it. Actually a business model more companies need to follow, and it wouldn't hurt if the employees followed it too. I hear that US Xpress has or is trying to buy back all of their stock, Swift just bought back their stock and went private. And thats one of the reasons I stay through all the hoops they make you jump through here. They have money in the bank and owe no one, it would take a long dry spell to even put a dent in the company's accounts.

Best of luck in your business if things still head that way for you. As for me, trucking is something I always wanted to do for as long as I can remember...Sometimes I am glad I got into it, sometimes I kick myself for doing it.


Asta'...

 

CRETE, Shaffer, and Hunt are going to paint their trucks the same color...some sort of red, blue and purple scheme. It should look like my face after last Saturday night...ouch!!!

That way they will be able to assign any new truck to any driver working among the three divisions.

 

The average salary for a OTR driver does not even come close to being in the 60k range. It is more like around 45k which would be around $16.39

Lots of people who don't have a degree make pay that is in the $20 a hour range and they don't put in 70 hrs a week to get that pay. Plus they get overtime for hours over 40 and at the hours you said you worked they would be getting around 700hrs a year at time and a half. My sisters husband is a fireman in Kent Wa and he makes around what you made last year and enjoys his work like you do. Even if he did not, he would only have to put up with it for 2-3 days a week because thats all he works to get that kind of pay. 2-3 24hr shifts and every hour paid working or not since he is on duty while at work just like I was on the road.

When I drove OTR I was certainly not putting in just 70 hrs a week for the company's I drove for. A 12 to 14 hour day was common plus I was considered under dp from the time I left my house to the time I got back. Did not matter if I had a 2 day layover, you still could not park the truck and take off if you wanted layover pay. You had to be ready to work. You could not go sit in a bar and have a drink because the company policy said you were still on company time even during layovers and breaks. Some did and got fired, so I was chained to a truck at a truck stop if I was not running.

Unless you are lucky I would say the average driver puts in around 90-100hrs a week if he is not just someone living out a truck running a load when they feel like it. And I saw plenty of those types working OTR.

 

What a wealth of info here. I agree with aristotle's assessment of OTR in relation to family and enjoyment of lie. There simply is little time for either when you're on the road almost all of the time. That's one of the trucking factors that the bigger companies are going to have to address in the forthcoming years if they want better driver retainment and less drivers leaving. A tough balance to be sure! But it is one that will have to be all figured out one of these days!

 

This is just an FYI post because I recently read a book that stated:

"Truck drivers are still the only labor group in the United States not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act."

It is amazing to me how much misinformation can be printed by someone posing to be an authoritative voice. While truck drivers, indeed, are not covered by the FLSA, we are not the only ones in that boat. It took only one click of the mouse to debunk the false information in this book. (Which I will refrain from naming as I don't want to give the author any undue attention).

The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, record-keeping and child labor standards for nearly all workers in the private sector and in federal, state and local governments.


Minimum Wage/Overtime Exemptions: Some employees are exempt from the overtime pay provisions or both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions under specific, narrowly defined exemptions. The following are examples of employees exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements:

• Executive, administrative and professional employees (including teachers and academic administrative personnel in elementary and secondary schools), outside sales employees, and certain skilled computer professionals (as defined in Department of Labor regulations);
• Employees of certain seasonal amusement or recreational establishments;
• Employees of certain small newspapers and switchboard operators of small telephone companies;
• Seamen employed on foreign vessels;
• Employees engaged in fishing operations;
• Employees engaged in newspaper delivery;
• Farm workers employed on small farms (i.e., those that used less than 500 "man-days" of farm labor in any calendar quarter of the preceding calendar year);
• Casual babysitters and persons employed as companions to the elderly or infirm.

The following are examples of employees exempt from the Act's overtime pay requirements:

• Certain commissioned employees of retail or service establishments;
• Auto, truck, trailer, farm implement, boat or aircraft salesworkers, or parts-clerks and mechanics servicing autos, trucks or farm implements, who are employed by non-manufacturing establishments primarily engaged in selling these items to ultimate purchasers;
• Railroad and air carrier employees, taxi drivers, certain employees of motor carriers, seamen on American vessels, and local delivery employees paid on approved trip rate plans;
• Announcers, news editors and chief engineers of certain non-metropolitan broadcasting stations;
• Domestic service workers who reside in their employer's residence;
• Employees of motion picture theaters;
• Farmworkers.

Certain employees may be partially exempt from the Act's overtime pay requirements. These include:

• Employees engaged in certain operations on agricultural commodities and employees of certain bulk petroleum distributors;
• Employees of hospitals and residential care establishments which have agreements with the employees to work a 14-day work period in lieu of a 7-day workweek (if the employees are paid overtime premium pay within the requirements of the Act for all hours worked over 8 in a day or 80 in the 14-day work period, whichever is the greater number of overtime hours);
• Employees who lack a high school diploma or who have not completed the eighth grade may be required by their employer to spend up to 10 hours in a workweek in remedial reading or training in other basic skills that are not job-specific, as long as they are paid their normal wages for the hours spent in such training. Such employees need not be paid overtime premium pay for their remedial training hours.

The permissible jobs and hours of work, by age, in nonfarm work are as follows:

• Employees 18 years or older may perform any job for unlimited hours

"Unless you happen to be under DOT regulations."

This is, by no means, a comprehensive overview... it is just an appeal to people who set themselves up as a voice of authority or as an "expert" in their field to DO YOUR RESEARCH!