CRETE - A Year in Review

the Cascadia loaner I drove had eight new drive tires. I got a consistent 63 mph on the flat and level.

I got a call from Miss T today. Put my truck in the shop Friday and they're already offering me a swap. I don't even get paid breakdown because I live too close to the terminal. There were two brand new Cascadias on the lot but both were blue. I just don't like the interior of the Cascadia compared to the Prostar. I haven't gotten a good look inside the mid-roofs though. From what I could tell by peeking through the window there seems to be a lack of cabinets compared to the International.

 

I'm not looking forward to eventually having to go to a midroof anything. I like having the upper bunk for storage. But I've just now got 320k on my unit, so it could be a little while longer. I hope.

 

Every once in a while I've been coming off a hill and as the truck slowed down, I punched the accelerator and it actually revved back up, sped up to 66 and held for about 3-5 seconds. I don't know what the hell that was about.

I had expected door lock security to have advanced over the years, but I guess not. I remember back in the 90's when almost everything was Freightliners, I could take my key, jiggle it around and help a locked out driver get in his truck. But now?

I was at the Love's in Flowood MS (which has great extra wide parking slots for some reason). I'm already in bed and just about to go to sleep when I hear a tap on my door. I thought WTF, already a lot lizard or someone selling something. I get up and look out and the guy apologizes, says he got locked out and asks if I can help him.

i honestly thought there is nothing I can do, what does he expect from me? But I figured I would just try the Freightliner trick because I've been in his position before. I literally popped my key in the lock for less than 2 seconds and it opened ridiculously easy shocking the hell out of me. I was still sort of groggy from bed so went right back to go to sleep. Then I suddenly thought, d@mn I don't have the slightest idea if that was really the driver of that truck!

 

I really dont care if my curtain is pink or yellow and my truck green or poka dot; as long as I can keep the interior at 67 cool degrees AND count on NO LESS THAN 2100 miles per week at NO LESS THAN 0.43 cpm for 45 weeks OTR (anything over that goes 1/3 to retirement, emergency savings, and debt reduction)......and ALLOWED to drive OVERLY safe and OVERLY legal plus 7 full weeks at home ......then i'll be applying for CRETE very soon !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Like the Sargento cheese trucks
All in all Crete isn't that bad. 2100 miles/week is very do-able. .43/mile depends upon experience. You will drive safe and legal at all times. Two key words that gets dispatch off you rear-end are safe and legal. use either and dispatch will back off. 7 weeks at home? I get 4 full days off for every 21 days out plus one week vacation after your first calendar year then two weeks after your second year. now 67*...well it depends. The battery operated A/C doesn't keep your bunk area that cool when it's near a hundred degrees outside. Idle time is watched but it's averaged over the entire year. Good luck

 

I just had my lowest week at Crete (counting only weeks I'm out all 7 days, no hometime and not including breakdowns), and I turned in 2133 miles. Normal for me is a pretty steady 2800 to 3000.

 

I look at things more on a monthly basis. I am averaging 11k paid miles per month and 4.5 days at home per month. So far. But I came in at 39 cpm. Some claim or atleast believe your rate affects your mileage. Note, I heard the same from tenured drivers at Conway and at Knight as well.

 

That's a very good monthly average!

First 8 months of this year monthly averages; 9829 miles, 6 days off (includes one full week vacation), 684 miles per dispatch

 

I am required minimum 21 days out and usually run 24-27. 11k monthly has been the norm for me at all 3 companies. I run into some Crete drivers that do 130k+ per year. I run into some that only average around 10k a month. A lot of factors in each driver's equation.

 

Good Day folks, ex Crete-Schaffer driver here, I follow your threads and respond time to time, and I feel for all of ya, This next thing I am going to do is for you folks, I am A driver for ASHLEY Furniture, you have seen the black Volvos on the road I am sure.

I am the lowest paid driver there, I make about 62,000- 65,000 a yr.,

Home time is every week - end 34-48 hrs.

We run about 2800-3200 a week in about 5.5 days or less.

I work in the drop and hook Div. no touch PTP they call it! (they just started that up about a year a go).

We do back hauls, we are paid for dropping trls and paid for picking up loaded trls $15. each so that's $30.00 for a loaded drop and hook, also paid the same extra for a live-load and live unload.

We are also paid $75. for a lay over. A layover can include your 10 hr break if you show up early and they can not unload you and its just 16 hrs total also includes the time you are setting at the dock.

We are also paid a quartly safety bonus that is 1 cent per mile up to 4 cent's.

They also pay for extra stuff all you have to do is call it in to get it approved.

We also have real apu's in each trk.

Dispatch is very nice, they are all home town people ( Arcadia, WI )it is so nice for a change!

If you are in one of there main offices they want you to come upstairs and say hello to them, so nice!

They have good med coverage.

They do not do the sleep study stuff, they say it is not required (thk God) LOL!

401 k and profit sharing (profit sharing after 1 yr.)

We are mostly Solar powered drivers (LOL)

This company is great, I would tell ya more but u get the picture there's not enough typing space here (LOL)

There LTL div drivers that finger print the load to the tail gate end of the trailer, make up to $105,000 gross a yr, and home every week-end, and some time =s during the work week.

There maint dept is unbelievable, heres an example I went in and let them know there was a small crack in the windshield (repairable) and the refrigerator freezer was not working right in my 2012 Volvo, and in in 1.25 hrs I was backing it out of the shop with a new windshield installed, new winter blades installed and a new fridge/freezer and 4 new battery's installed, I did not know what to do, I was blown away, I went to talk to them and the night Mgr. of the shop said our job is to keep you rolling, not to let you set and take care of the trks-period.

Heres another real example that happened to me, I was up on I-10 and 75 in FL, had a flat tire on the trl, limped to a rest area on I-10, called in to break-down, and in 35 mins I was rolling again new tire, I could not believe it they do not mess around, so nice for a change!

They said they do not fart around they got the closest tire shop that had a new, not recap tire, put on to keep me rolling.


These people are great, that's why when you start there, most drivers never leave.

Almost forgot- all trucks are outfitted with a 1800 watt converter, and fridge/freezer, they also replace the steer tires with Michelin tires only and pull them off when they are down to 10/32!, they also use virgin drive tire rubber and pull them off when they reach between 6/32 and 8/32, so nice!

I just got a paper from them, they are expanding, they told us this about 6 mths ago but had to wait for the trks to show up, they have 40 new kw 680 full size cabs double bunkers loaded started coming in.

I would encourage some of you folks to look at these people you can do a lot better, its not easy to get in its like POLY trucking a little I guess,

Heres were they are filling some shoes:

LTL (these guys make up to $105,000 a yr)

Advance, NC (this is a new Factory)
Arcadia, WI (the Main Office)
Ecru, MI
Grand Forks, ND
Leesport, PA

PTP ( $58,000-$62,000) (drop and hook) This is were they are expanding by up to 400 drivers in the next couple of yrs.

Advance, NC (this is a new Factory)
Arcadia, WI
Ecru, MS
Colton, CA
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Grand Forks, ND
Chicago, IL
Leesport, PA
McFarland, WI


On a side note they are not hiring in FL> right now!

Heres there PHONE# 1-800-837-2241

We do make a referral Bonus, but it is not necessary, you can pm me and I will give you my cell, name and trk number, if you have more questions.

Good luck!