CRE from slc school, to company solo

Discussion in 'CR England' started by Brownyjr36, Apr 23, 2012.

  1. Brownyjr36

    Brownyjr36 Bobtail Member

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    Jun 26, 2011
    Coon rapids, mn
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    After considering for months, settled on CRE to start new career in trucking. I looked at many, many, options and companies. I saw all the negative posts and all the bad stories associated with them. In the end it is the best deal for me personally. I went for the 0 tuition, 6 month commitment. A lot of people are curious about that program, so I thought I would chronicle my experience, and you can decide for yourself. I will only speak in truth, with my humble opinion in there now and then. I would also say that I think my exp. Here has maybe been a little bit blessed, because it has not gone the same for all.

    Week 1- bus ride from Minneapolis sucked!!! 33 hrs, 3 buses, 1 van with utility trailer from Butte, MT, to SLC. ( trailer door seal bad, snow and slush came thru and soak my bags!) 5 separate complaints to greyhound about drivers, from five different people.
    School is very hectic, first day, physical, drug test, sex harassment video, lots of people going home.
    Wed permit test, pass all 3!
    96% GK 100% comb. 100% air brake. Lots of people fail, how? Didn't study?
    Thur-sat. Backing range. Sunday pass backing test!

    Week 2- Road training during day 4-5 students on a truck, late afternoon classes, Wednesday pass pre-trip, Friday pass road test.
    Sat- sun orientation. Zzzzzzzzz!

    Week 3- Monday receive CDL, graduate school, get hired officially. (this is when 6 month commit actually starts.) assigned to phase 1 trainer. He will be here to get me tomorrow (tue).
    From well over 100 students, we as a class are down to maybe 40. Some people leave as soon as they get their CDL.
    Tue- trainer picks me up, we go thru wash-bay, and head for gate, guard tells us write- ups on trailer, back into yard, nice.
    Wed early am- finally get the hell out of there on load to Laredo, TX. A familiar place for all CRE national drivers. My first drive shift, 580 miles, drive from sw Colorado, to east of el paso. I like my trainer, he only has 7 months experience, but is fairly sharp guy. He's from California, and says dude a lot for a 40 year old man. We drive a 2012 cascadia, on a 6 month demo lease.

    Weeks 3-6- we go from Laredo, to PA, to MI, To CA, and a lot of other place, can't remember them all. Get to see a lot of the country. I get a
    lot of drive time and I learn a lot. I must be doing ok cause trainer jokes that I must be a plant from CRE there to evaluate him. Time comes for me to upgrade to phase 2. Btw- pay is $430 a week, and not a cent taken out for tuition. First check was for 2 days on truck, and one day at slc, about $100 after taxes.
    Dropped off in Richmond on sun. 4/1 for upgrade. I was worried, this is where the problems will start right?
    Motel in Richmond not too bad. Start upgrade Monday morning with only 4 other students. First thing is a road evaluation. Very laid back, no problem. Then a bunch of power points, boring.
    Tue- one more power point, then gen knowledge test- 136 questions!!!
    Plus watch Jan,feb,mar. Safety videos and take tests. Done by 1 pm. Phase 2 trainer will be here we'd for p/u. Find my room ate has gone back to burns harbor to get his phase 1 trainer, so have room to myself for next 24 hrs. Nice.

    Weeks 7-8- phase 2 trainer picks me up. I help his former student carry her gear, including chains, (WTF), to her room, and find out she wanted off his truck, great. Find out later I am only one to not share this view. He has exactly 7 weeks more exp. Than me. We drive a 2010 Int.pro-star eagle, 10 speed ef trans. The prostar shift much differently than Freightliner. it was good exp. To drive. Trainer was decent enough guy, though I agreed with little he had to say about anything. I learned to bite my tounge, and try to keep a positive attitude. CRE had just dropped phz 2 from 2 months, to 12,000 miles. So I knew it was only for a little while. Just got tired of some of the off the wall things he would do and say, that made no sense. Like his refusal to move tandems back forward after unloading. You don't have to if empty he would say. Ok. Finally I said I would not drive the GD thing like that. If he wants to we could sit there till his hours came back. Many other goofy stuff.

    Week 9- get routed back to slc to get truck worked on, and try to get my upgrade if possible. I went in with low expectations, figured I would have to go back out with him, or even worse sit around slc yard for weeks waiting for truck.(which would have prompted me to bolt for other company)
    I walk in to see my TC, who my trainer says is a #%*#%. she asks if I have all my modules done. Yes. Do you have the general knowledge test done. Yes. Safety videos? All but April. Go do it then come see me. I do. Now I need you to go to horizon to get them to sign off. Uh-oh. For those who don't know horizon is the company you lease a truck from, with CRE. I believe they are one and the same.
    So, your going company solo? he says. Any reason you don't want to lease? I tell him, I promised my uncle I wouldn't lease, until I had at least a year exp... Fair enough he says, I have to show you a few trucks just the same. Great. He shows me, I never get the sense he is going to try the hard close, and he does not. He walks me back to my TC. Ok are you interested in Midwest regional she asks? Is there any reason I shouldn't be? No. I am from the Minneapolis area. Here call this woman, she hands me a phone #. I go outside and call her, she says she has to call the fleet manager,to see if there is room. Fleet manager calls me directly about 1/2 hr later. .has me meet my dm at the grill in the slc yard. He seems alright, he also hands me a red permit book, this is for your truck, it's new. Wow. 10 minutes later I am at the parts department picking up the keys. I get them and head out to find my truck. I find it, it is a yellow 2012 cascadia, I decide to call her Sunny.

    First load, picking up at 0700 about an hour south of slc. Can't get a trailer assigned until 0530. Nice. Send arrival call at 0656. After checking in at
    0654. It's a drop/hook. Drop trailer and find mine and get coupled. Check permit box, nothing. ####. Drive 1/2 mile to pilot. Look around to see if it's maybe somewhere else, and discover no plate on trailer either, temporary expired in sept. Wait for 4 hrs, before told to head back to yard, get plate and permit, and get on down the road.
    This first load is going to Lansing MI, delivers tomorrow at 1630, I am sitting at Pilot, in Benton Harbor, MI about 2 hrs away. For now I am pleased with how things have gone. It has not all been great, but if you come into this business thinking it's going to be a cake walk you will be very disappointed. I came in thinking the worst, and have been pleased. Your attitude and patience will take you a long way.
    I will stay here untill I am given a reason not to, Im no recruiter, I will leave if things get bad, and I will say so. I just wanted to relate my experience to this point. Btw- made decent $$$ during phz 2, and still no deduction for tuition.
     
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  3. russellkanning

    russellkanning Medium Load Member

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    Jan 22, 2012
    Frost, TX
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    thanks for the info
    sounds better than my first months with England back in 2001
    so you will be doing midwest region for the company?

    When you have such low expectations .... it can't go too bad for you. Now you have a nice new truck and make some decent money. :)
     
  4. Roadfreedom

    Roadfreedom Light Load Member

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    Nov 25, 2011
    Grand Junction, Colorado
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    Thanks for the info. Keep it up. I will be in SLC to start next Monday. I have my CDL A so I will start on the phases then.

    gary
     
  5. TooGroovy

    TooGroovy Medium Load Member

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    Nov 2, 2011
    igetaround
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    Please keep the post up. You sound down to Earth and realistic.
     
  6. windsmith

    windsmith Road Train Member

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    Sep 2, 2011
    NEPA
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    What is 'decent $$$', cash-wise? Everone's opinion of 'decent' differs :)

    Thanks for the informative post!
     
  7. russellkanning

    russellkanning Medium Load Member

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    Jan 22, 2012
    Frost, TX
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    I guess decent to him. :)

    I hear guys complaining about training pay sometimes .... but it has to be better than being unemployed like some of them were.
     
  8. Brownyjr36

    Brownyjr36 Bobtail Member

    47
    39
    Jun 26, 2011
    Coon rapids, mn
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    I guess when I say decent pay, I meant for training. B4 taxes one check was $665, and other was $570. There are jobs in this industry where you should make double that or more. Just going to take some time and experience to get there. Also staying out of trouble, and not banging up the equipment. Was at a truckstop in Rawlins, WY last week and saw an England truck, had pulled in forward and cut it to close and had rt side of trailer all over rt front of some older international. It looked like he had been ther for a while too. Should have snapped a picture.
     
    Cooper09 Thanks this.
  9. Dewey120

    Dewey120 Road Train Member

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    Mar 17, 2010
    Southern California
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    Was in Burns Harbor yesterday and a brand new lease driver was bobtailing through the yard and apparently did not have his load locks secure. When he took a corner his 3 load locks go crashing off.
     
  10. gt4jk

    gt4jk Light Load Member

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    Apr 1, 2008
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    Getting more excited to start my career, I leave the 29th for Fontana, CA :)
     
  11. Dewey120

    Dewey120 Road Train Member

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    Mar 17, 2010
    Southern California
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    Good luck, hopefully Paul is still running things there.
     
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