Anybody have anything to say about CRST in So Cal. as far fair pay , training etc

One piece of advice, TRY to get on the CATERPILLAR dedicated account. I have a friend who went to CRST for schooling, and went straight onto the Cat account and has been there 4 years. As far as pay goes, I don't know, I'll ask him and see if he remembers what it was fresh out of school. Hometime, can be excellent if you are near a Cat facility according to him. He's been there 4 years.

 

As far as I know training pay is horrid anywhere you go for training and the first year. The first year will make you or break you. Stick it out a year, get that CLEAN verifiable experience and a lot of doors will open for you. Stick it out 2 years with that same company, and even more doors will open for you. The trick is getting that CLEAN verifiable experience, and no issues with DAC, PSP, or otherwise. If you can do 3 years, you're pretty much golden. I have said it twice in this post so far, but I will say it again, CLEAN verifiable experience is what you need, the more the better.

I am sure someone else will chime in on this.

 

You're not being a pain. I will tell you like it is though. Fact of the matter is, pay for the first year (including training) SUCKS. Find out what they pay per mile fresh out of school/training, and times that by 2000 miles as a rookie driver if your lucky, til you get the hang of it, and your body adjusts. Remember, this is not a PHYSICAL job, as much as it is MENTAL. I guess its physically draining too, to a point, but at the end of my driving shift I was always mentally wiped out, not so much physically. If you try and run 2500+ miles a week as a rookie fresh out of training, you're going to kill yourself or someone else. I don't even know if they will run a rookie that hard.

 

Ask the recruiters what they pay students in training and for their first year. That's the best way to do it. Then take that, we'll say $0.26 a mile at 2000 miles a week. That is $520 a week, minus taxes, food, etc.