CRETE - A Year in Review

Never diss a gentlemans drink of choice...unless he is unwilling to share!

#### it!

 

I wrote in one of these threads about 6 weeks ago - I am a former 10 year company driver for the Crete family who quit last year and then came back in September to give them a second chance (management stinks, nuff said). This is not a NE regional problem, it is system wide. In my most recent orientation my manager often repeated that I should expect lousy miles but that he would work if they ever dropped under 2400 a week. He didn't, he didn't let me get home after several weeks, and I quit. So since they lied to me anyway you should take what I'm relaying with a grain of salt : it was explained to us that due to the economy and fuel prices smaller companies are hurting for cash. They need it to pay bills and stay afloat. So they (small firms) started underbidding the big boys last summer. Retail would call this a 'loss leader strategy'. They know they are taking a financial hit in the present, but it will infuse their system with cash to pay the fiddler. Long term, they will belly up broke. In the meantime, they have taken business away from the larger firms that historically can afford to either take cheap freight and bite the bullet or to lose money in the short term. AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR DRIVERS. They could adjust, but it would cost money to restructure their billing and renegotiate contracts so it is easier to let it ride.
So sorry Cretins, you are being hung out to dry by Crete management. No miles for you? tough. Its 2008 and Crete is in the bunker mentality.
The company will survive.

Best bet, cash out now and return when the economy picks back up. They will rehire so you can only come out on top - Crete drivers with some bankroll should play the same game the Acklies are playing, accept the loss now (park/quit) and shoot for the cash later (deadhead more/rehire). But most drivers don't have the guts to do that. Meanwhile they are tolerating cuts in pay, restrictions in driving hours due to strict fueling and routing solutions, and discomfort caused by idling rules.

I just shifted to Schneider and hear much less talk of lack of freight. I also hired onto the same dedicated account I had driven with Crete (General Mills).
For more money.
My initial thoughts are that Schneider is competing with the smaller companies. It is not riding out the storm, it is dropping rates (I say this because it was explained how they lost several major accounts a year ago and have since won them back) you do the math - they got them back by dropping rates and underbidding even the smaller firms.
You have to think it through - these are HUGE firms where (for Crete) a small
$30 profit per trip (after all expenses of operations, maintenance and driver payroll)
equals $30 million net profit per year.
*DO THE MATH : fleet 7000 trucks = 3000 trips complete EVERY day 30x3000=$90,000 PER DAYx 365= over 30 MILLION PER YEAR. That is NET. And Crete is nickel and diming its drivers*

too many drivers on these boards talk way over each others heads with grand ideas when the truth is right there at the tip of their pencil should they chose to draw themselves a map of reality.

 

I have been following threads for Crete, Roehl, Schneider and Covenant. Drivers for all are literally sitting everywhere. Schneider has stopped hiring newbies nationwide and Roehl drivers are being told they are 20-50 loads short on the East Coast. Covenant drivers are saying they are getting 1200-1500 a week TEAM driving, once they're training period is done. During training they were getting 6000+ a week consistently.

I applied to Crete 2 weeks ago. I have been off the truck for 4 years. They turned me down due to something on my DAC they said. It's been ordered. So, having faith in my self and needing to work... I flooded Craigslist, local companies, with apps. I have 2 possible offers OTR...both very small companies... one is team driving out 10-14 days guaranteed 6000 miles a week and $1200 a week pay. The other is a SW dedicated run out 4 days a week for about $1000 a week pulling refers. My fingers are crossed. Cause there is not much out there. Anyone thinking of quiting... know what you can do first. The only stuff I see other than what I literally may LUCK into, are tanker jobs here in the SW and some dedicated stuff...all wanting 3 years exp. and up... some 5 years. Oh yea.. Swift is hiring... but I haven't called them. YET. Good luck to everyone here... this economy scares the #### outta me.

 

As I understand it, the problem with cashing out now for a later rehire is that you'll come back at a lower pay rate. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that. There's a big flaw in assuming a bunker mentality assures survival, too. Think of it in military terms. What happens if you lay passive in the bunker for too long? You get surrounded ... Best to take the short term loss and attack, attack, attack - i.e. adopt a loss leader strategy in a few problem areas. Then, as I said previously, I don't have access to the books, but my ground level view is that this days-at-a-time sitting only takes place in the NE on a regular basis although I hear there's also a problem in the NW. I don't get there often, so I can't say for sure.

I've actually been considering a move to Schneider, myself. It's just too hard to tell the BS from the facts about them. I've pretty much decided that if/when I finally get disgusted enough to quit or get myself fired for refusing loads to the NE, I won't be getting back in any truck. I was on a waiting list for a cushy State desk jockey job before I got the wild hair to start doing this two years ago. I'm thinking about renewing that application and making a few calls ...

Obviously, I'm still sitting. Got a message from dispatch awhile ago to not send repeated messages via Qualcomm or call unless it's an emergency ... not that I've ever done either ... At least I won't have to worry about managing my hours of service for awhile once they finally get me moving again ... YEAH!!! I knew there was a bright side ...

 

during my brief return to Crete last month, I sat longer than normal (1 1/2 days) both in Houston and in KC so I don't think it is a problem only in New England. 2 months ago one of the posters here mentioned 5 days somewhere on the border in texas (granted, that is usually a problem area anyway).
You are right about the change in pay - I was dropped from 45cpm to 43cpm on my rehire.
ref: qcom, don't forget it could also because they are simply busy due to trouble in one region or another - I haven't seen the weather but isn't there a winter storm somewhere up that way? Neb/Wyom?
The biggest difference I noticed right off the bat here at Schneider is that Crete has a much better and more aggressive maintenance program for tractors and trailers. Though the SN numbers show they have fewer safety problems, I'll have to get used to not checking trailers for inspection decals, LOL!

even on my last load out of Houston I found an old trick usually works regarding slow dispatch times - after waiting long enough to check in at least once ("I've been idle for over 2 hours, any update?") my second move is to send a macro saying I will be out of the truck for 2 hours and I put in text "if there are no loads, I'm going to take time . . . ". I either get a second notice "check back in x hours" or a load offering. They do tend to forget you but with winter weather moving in I understand their wish to not be bothered by calls and qcoms - they can be focused on helping drivers in a Denver storm and not want to worry for the moment about someone going empty in Chicago.
I hope the best for all you guys hanging in there, but I'm glad I'm gone!bruceb.

 

I don't know if I should be telling you all this, but I'm still getting all the miles I can handle.

Most of my loads go from CA to the midwest, like KC or Dallas, sometimes SLC. then I've been getting a short run or two, then right back out to CA. I had to turn down a 2k mile run this am due to lack of hours here in SLC.

When I get back out to the truck (at the terminal getting an "A") I'll total up my miles since hire and break it down by week/month.

 

^ Not surprising. I think I'm one of the few east coast guys who actually likes going to CA. The few times I've been there it's always been a long one going out with cool scenery along the way and I've always turned right back around with a long one back. Thing is, I rarely get west of Dallas or KC and it's very rare for me to get a run over 1000 miles. The best I can usually hope for is to get a lot of drop & hooks between Knoxville and Dallas. Seems like I've heard it said they tend to save the runs going west to get you guys home.

As it stands, it looks like I might end up getting my second restart of the week and it sure isn't from needing one ... I must be getting somewhere near the top of the line. All the other Crete's have now moved on. It's 1400 est and anything I get will more than likely pick up tomorrow. <sings> "California Dreamin' ...

Addendum:
Got one! It's a turn and burn from Chester, PA to Tomah, WI. Drop & hook on both ends that picks up in the morning. In. Business. (with a restart) I usually get good loads coming out of there, so maybe I'll end up with at least one good week this time out.

 

Since you mentioned Schneider, it caught my eye. My husband drove for Schneider via their schooling. He wasn't making much and was sent to LA a lot. Are they still doing that? I've heard that the OO's are given first choice in loads and then the company drivers get the garbage.

Their pay was ridiculously low in the 20's. I hear that it is over 30 cents a mile now. When we were with them, they did not pay full miles for dead heading or empty trailers. Is this still the norm?

While we miss Crete, we are now driving reefer for Marten. We are doing the I-5 Corridor and getting the miles. Don't sit as much as we did at Crete near end of the career. We were looking into a company that has an APU. Since talking to FM at Crete SLC, we were told that not all trucks have APU's yet. So we aren't going back until there until it is guaranteed.

Well, we just got done unloading. Gotta run to the guard gate now.

cya.

 

I was thinking that also, I dont sit much with Crete but my pay is only .42 cpm and a few others on here have topped out at .47 cpm. When I leave home (Portland) I usually get a good run straight to the east coast, then I hang out between east and midwest for a week or so then put my hometime in which is usually a nice load back to OR/WA...

 

I don't want to tread on the Crete thread here so I'll be brief - pay is in line with other national carriers ie: 37-44 cpm or so depending on experience and fleet chosen. No difference in loaded/empty miles. Don't think there is any preference given to O/Os for loads though they do have their own set of managers (DBLs). I'm just out of orientation so dont really know much detail about operations here but there doesn't seem to be a shortage of loads. Too bad no one in Schneider has taken the baton and tried a similar thread here at truckersreport- I'll be in a dedicated fleet so my experience won't really reflect what it is like for National fleet drivers.
I get the impression that Schneider made changes in the last decade that turned their company for the better - googling articles in business magazines you find almost all positive spin about management, loads, and profitablitlity at SN. As an OTR driver for Sunflower and Crete since 1996 I never really had any opinion about them (SN) and haven't seen much about them here either which I took as a good sign. APUs, according to my Crete manager last month, aren't available at the moment so installations have stopped but someone here said they were still installing them, so who knows? good luck and safe miles - bruceb.