Crst malone

Discussion in 'CRST' started by POBOI04, Apr 21, 2011.

  1. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    Why don't you just use your own trailer and save the money? If you are paying the agent that much to rent his trailer then he should be able to keep it up unless that is part of your agreement to do the maintenance.
     
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  3. Clasix1055

    Clasix1055 Even when I'm wrong I'm right

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    Toledo, Ohio
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    G/Man...Thanks for all of your info...got a question maybe you can answer...I am considering Malone I wanted to purchase a trailer because I don't like that bulkhead that they have on their trailers, but somebody told me that you can have them remove that, do you know if this is true?

    I am going to make a final decision this week, I like what Malone offers me as far as the securement training (new to flatbed), securement equipment, I am not that excited about the low safety rating and the only reason I have been waiting so long is my trailer concerns.

    Couple of guys on another thread suggested I check out Mercer, but I hear they make you sit and I really don't want a dispatcher and like the freedom to choose my own loads, I will still call them on Monday just to cover my bases
     
  4. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    I don't know if they would remove the bulkhead or not. You might want to call them and ask. I never minded having a bulkhead on my trailers. I don't remember if they own their trailers or rent them from Xtra Lease or some other company. Having a bulkhead didn't hurt me getting loads when I was lease to them. If you decide to go with them I would work to get my own trailer as quickly as possible. It will put money in your pocket by owning rather than renting. I bought a trailer and had a payment of $185/month. I believe that CRST Malone rented trailers for $125/week back then.

    I understand your concern about their safety rating. It could cause you to be pulled into a scale a little more often, but I don't remember seeing a lot of their trucks sitting in scales. They seem to have good rates. In fact, their rates seem to be better than some of their competition. Mercer is also a good carrier, but operates differently than CRST Malone. I think CRST Malone is averaging higher rates than Mercer. I have never leased to Mercer, but if I were to consider leasing back with another carrier I would certainly consider CRST Malone. When I was there they were a little more laid back than other carriers.
     
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  5. Clasix1055

    Clasix1055 Even when I'm wrong I'm right

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    Toledo, Ohio
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    The recruiter that I spoke to is nice enough, Im just not 100% certain she knows everything that I am asking about she seems to have to ask on some of my more complicated (?) questions. I don't really want to buy a new trailer and most the time when you see a nice one they are gone by the time I call them so....but I have a couple that I have an eye on we will see
     
  6. DEMO

    DEMO Money Bags

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    checking the CRST Malone contractor loadboard for the past month every 2 days. You are correct, they have quite a bit of freight. There rates are pretty good also. As long as you stay in the lanes & don't go and chase a freight dream out of the lanes, you should do pretty good. :biggrin_25525:
     
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  7. hawlkeye1170

    hawlkeye1170 Bobtail Member

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    I have ?s on malone.what's your feedback ?leaving Sunday. Any tips
     
  8. truckfam

    truckfam Medium Load Member

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    It's been a "domino" effect. Safety rating sucks, so shippers drive the rates down, while fuel increases. Our agent also owns trucks, and has a shop on site. He used to allow service on driver's trucks. He's always been responsible for maintenance on his trailers. There were a few, that were always a joke and my DH virtually rewired one. At some point, his mechanics could no longer work on a contract driver's truck. He lost his best mechanic, after that decision. Maintenance on his equipment got really sketchy, afterwards.

    Our agent was short on drivers, needed everyone back, ASAP. Just to get cheap loads delivered to BF, Utah; they would lie about available back-hauls. While we tried to work with our agent to help them meet obligations, he was brokering the best loads. In some respects, I don't blame him; but we would pass a great load that we were promised, being hauled by another carrier. One of the other guys heard the phone conversation where that load get brokered.

    To sum up:

    Agent brokers out best loads, while lying to drivers.
    Puts loads on his own trailers, makes excuses to make sure drivers return quickly. He also gets a higher percentage.
    Lies about available return loads.
    I found a great load for DH, to be told it was gone, only to see it assigned to our agent on the loadboard, that afternoon. Even better, that broker called me a few days later for more trucks, because he thought I was a dispatcher.

    Actually, that was the kicker, for me. Our new agent dispatcher, gave a load I found for my husband, to an agent truck. I called them on it, and my husband was automagically placed on stop dispatch, at 4 pm the next day. Inconveniently, it was Friday. They acted like he hadn't picked up the load, even though he called them as loaded in the morning. They called me and I asked WTF? I've rarely been that mad, about anything.

    Hubby came home and resigned. He was already hired by Landstar, anyway.

    We did well with CRST-Malone, until their CSA rating made it hard to make money, for everyone. Then our agent started taking advantage of us. We tried to jump to Al's board, but he's doing the best he can, with a full board.

    We've had pleasant surprises with Landstar, so far. They even say we can take loads from Al, no hoops, or anything.
     
  9. truckfam

    truckfam Medium Load Member

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    You will have a dispatcher, of some kind. Even if you are fabulous, at finding your own loads, you'll be told no, or offered a lower rate. Your brokered load has to go through your dispatcher, because of credit, lawsuits...etc.

    Don't know about your orientation location, but lots of old-timers have been torqued that new guys don't have a clue. Do you own your own truck? Got a headache rack, or something on your truck? You know you're hauling steel, right? Many trailers have bulkheads because L/O trucks don't have racks. If you have a rack on your truck, they will remove the bulkhead.

    Please don't take this personally. CRST-Malone is leasing to newbies, who don't learn anything in orientation and the safety rating has everything to do with the current business model.

    Go with the company that will teach you and has a better safety rating.

    My husband has 25 years. I grew up on a truck and understand the money. It's so bad, we could do better. I have 21 years and we had to leave. We made it work well, for 2 years, then CSA and company greed has kicked our butts.

    Our gross has dropped 4,000 a month since CSA kicked in. Then our agent wanted more money from us, because his revenue dropped.

    I would suggest you choose a different company, if you want to make money.
     
  10. truckfam

    truckfam Medium Load Member

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    Warning: 3 years at Malone, just left.

    The rates suck. Those rates are 2 years old and you don't consider fuel costs. We used to run Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, WV, Kentucky, for a month and come home. We would get chewed out, take a week off, take an oversize, then take a load back to the rust belt, for 3 weeks. We would get a load going 150-200 miles for 700 on line haul, plus 150-200 fuel. We could make $1000 a day.

    Part of it depends on your set-up. We would take out an oversize load, route ourselves to OH, IN and stay gone for a month. Pissed our agent OFF! We were called and told to come home, or get thrown off the board.

    When I was growing up, my dad had a monthly schedule and he worked for three months, with an occasional stop at the house. I don't understand coming home every week. When our agent interviewed US (me included), I told him we work for 3 months, then we go home for a week. I never understood why they got pissed, because I told them how we would work. We made money.

    Three years later, we were required to be home and not making money. I had called Landstar twice and asked if we could run our own ###### truck.

    CRST-Malone talks a good line about letting you run your truck. You don't. They have too many lease trucks. They're making money off of drivers and leases, not the freight.
     
  11. truckfam

    truckfam Medium Load Member

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    You have 10 years in trucking. My husband has 25, as a driver. I grew up on a truck, and I'm 48. We have 3 years with Malone, at the height of a recession.

    My father had the best dispatcher in the whole world. He had been a driver for 3 years, on a smaller truck. Back in the day, drivers went to school for 6 weeks, to drive a Semi. Dad was with his instructor(30 years), completed his test and TWO cars clipped the front of the truck, while his instructor was driving. Fred tried to avoid the cars and drove the truck up under a bridge. My dad was thrown out of the truck, bounced back in to the sleeper and Fred suffered brain damage. Fred's career was over. Fred made sure they found my dad. My dad had to crawl before he could walk. My dad's dispatcher housed us, kept him, took him to therapy and collected money for hospital bills.

    My dad was an O/O and the company paid my dad's hospital bill, the instructor's hospital bill, matched all money raised, gave us money to pay bills, made my dad's dispatcher employee of the year, promoted her, gave her a bonus and a raise. That's the mark of a GREAT company.

    CRST-Malone would never do so much.
     
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