CRST Truck Stop

If your going to Fontana for Orien...bring disinfectent! LOL Its a literal HOLE IN THE WALL! Its gross! I wouldn't shower there with someone else s body...
They could care less about you, your a NUMBER, not a person, If you have to call someone,, GOOD LUCK! If you call anyone other than your dispatcher, you usually get treated nasty, you tell them your driver ID, they will tell you to call your dispatcher and then just hang up on you...this has happened numerous times to me...

Man, he nailed it on the head. I drove for them for 5 months. The pay was lousy WHEN they did in fact pay me. Payroll was always screwed up though my co-driver would get paid on time and once actually got paid for the load we were currently running! The office staff are as screwed up as a football bat, rude and will hang up on you in less than a heartbeat. Luckily I prepaid my tuition so I was not subject to the 8 month contract.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not just here to bash them, they did give me an opportunity to learn to drive and taught me the basics of the business. But fork over some cash and do not sign the 8 month contract.

I bailed from CRST 2 weeks ago and am now driving for Con-Way Truckload, and I gotta say the differences in the 2 companies are like night and day. Con-way Truckload actually appreciates and respects their drivers, and I love the opportunity to be a solo driver. No more trying to sleep in a Freightliner Columbia bouncing down the highway!

If anyone is interested in driving opportunities with my company, shoot me a message and I'll give you the full scoop.

 

What to say about CRST... Well, currently im in the lovely state of florida, under a load of air conditioniers headed for riviera beach. They have been alright to me, aside from the recruiter... Who lied incessantly. One of their favorites is that after your 28 days, you'll get to see your family for a couple of days... Not true.
Taking school, 2.5 weeks, orientation .5, 1 month of otr, then another 2 weeks out with your co driver... If you sign on with this company you wont see home for around 2.5 months from the time you start.

My first trainer was an absolutely giant douchebag, he had 4 kids at the time... and was living completely off advances. Not a dime of his money was sent home, because it was being spent nightly in any casino he could find. His wife went into labor early, and one would think that a father could have enough respect for the woman bearing his minions, to not call her string after string of obcenities... If for no other reason than she had to hire a baby sitter to watch their other young one while she was in labor.

My 2nd trainer was an owner op, and an awesome guy... eccentric but he knew his stuff. The difference was night and day, and even after all was said and done we're still friends. This guy tought me the majority of what i learned before going out with my co driver.

My contract is up in september, and im looking forward to what all the other companys have to offer once im done with crusty, dont let them lie to you, dont let them run you illegal... especially in laredo tx, you will get your fm asking you to run a load with dummy bills, dont... its not worth the jail time if you happen to get a dot inspection.
As for terminals, fontana ca is a dustbowl with security, once you roll in you cant roll out for any reason except to transport a load, no bobtailing to get food... if you dont have any on the truck, then its a choice between vending machines... and more vending machines. laredo, tx is just as terrible as fontana, ca... except their security is less strict.
cedar rapids, ia... it dosnt have rooms, it has barracks and its the only terminal with a c store in it.
okc is a dust bowl too, but its extremely close to a group of truck stops and places to eat, no security.
carlisle pa is once again another dust bowl without security... so have fun lol.

Lets see, what else could be useful here? Ah, yes... their equipment is freightliners and volvos, the fl's arent terrible trucks... they just have no options what so ever, if youre lucky youll get a volvo which already has a fridge and power inverter. if your truck dosnt have a power inverter, you cant install your own... you have to buy the inverter, and pay crusty 250.00 to install it for you at one of their shops.

 

My hire date w/ crst was 3-17-11 w/contract but want to leave early. Will Conway hire w/less than 1 yr exp ? Mahalo, mauidave

 

they will hire you with less than 1 yr BUT they will also ask you if you are under contract with anyone else...

 

No major company will hire you under contract werner and swift and JB all got sued and Lost by Crst for stealing there under contract

 

didn't know that but it makes sense. I joined CRST under the prepay program, cost me $1500 up front but I was not under any contract..

 

well i to like the many b4 read these posts & still decided to go with crst. my trainer is an owner op he picked me up the second i got my id. we have ran almost 20,000 miles. my 28 days of training ended on the 2nd & im still on the road. im not really complaining about that because i was prepared 4 it thanks 2 this site. but what i will complain about is the trainer turning down loads because they arent paying enough. so because of this we have been stuck in columbus, ohio for a week. thats ridiculous. get me home so i can test out. ive lost 3 potential co drivers because of this. if we dont leave today i will be hopping on the greyhound & heading home

 

that's what sux about the owner-op's. but at least you knocked out your training miles quickly. overall, was he a good trainer? Most of the O/O trainers I have heard about let you drive the big roads but want to do all the backing into docks, etc..

 

he was a pretty cool trainer. i backed up to all of the docks except for 2.

 

I'm scheduled to start with CRST in a week and I'm on the contract. These posts got me scared as hell. I don't know what to do. I live in East Orange, NJ near Newark. I believe they have a dedicated run in Newburgh, NY. Does anyone have info on this or any other run they might have in my area? I thought reading this thread would help me to relax and boy was I wrong. I'm more paranoid and nervous than I was before. My blood pressure is already borderline but now I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack.