Here's My Story with England!!!!

LOL your confusing time zones. A "Hot Load" there is no negotiation on. Conway wants you to leave at 130 eastern time from Montgomery, NY to Sydney, ME (373 miles according to google). The load was delivered by 8 am, with truck governed at 62.

 

Hello everyone, I have been slamming my head trying to make sense of CR England. For the last week or so I have done nothing but looking up information about CR England. I have had a lot of time as I am un-employed like many Americans, and are in the same situation; in danger of losing my home and vehicle.

I started driving in the oilfields, which is no cake walk. The money is excellent, even when I was doing it over the road I was getting paid hourly. The bad part about it is that most oilfield companies expect you to run illegal, there were many days and nights where I was driving a day cab over 24 hours, stopping only to take a leak. I was actually fired from a job because I ran 18 hours went home, and then the boss called me to come back 4 hours after getting home and I said no. They are out of business now, but many oilfield companies do get away with it. It's not all bad, before I was laid off same thing, but, let’s just say that drinking on the job was promoted by the bosses. I never really did, just trying to paint the picture, not all bad---fringe benefits.


Now the oilfields here are dead, all the money is gone, and as everybody knows no one is hiring! Over the last 4 months I have submitted untold amounts of application to any company that I thought would hire me, driving or not. I even took a test to see if I qualify for a 911 dispatcher. I missed it by one question, not to bad considering there were around 9 different tests. So I was very happy when I had finally received a call from CR England saying that they had looked over my application and "I was a prime candidate for their program".

The recruiter wants to know when I can come down to do the physical, backing test and what not. She said that they do it every Monday, so I set the date to when I am going to have some money in my account. One thing I might note is that I am currently 6 hours away from SLC, and they told me that I have to get myself there. I say this because I have seen in many peoples' posts about CRE they are bused there, but no transportation is provided back. I would drive there, but I don't feel comfortable leaving my Dodge truck in SLC, I used to live there. No I am not a Mormon, I grew up in Wyoming; SLC was the result of my ex-wife.

While on the phone I asked the recruiter everything I could think of, I admit I wanted to lease a truck so my main focus was about that. I had asked if I was guaranteed miles, her answer was yes. I asked if at the end of the lease if I had the option to purchase the truck, again yes. My birthday is at the end of July, and my girlfriend had bought excellent seats at an Aerosmith concert in Denver, and I had asked her if I started now, would I be able to go to that concert? She said I would have to talk to the Driving Manager. And then that’s when almost every answer was "I don't really know the specifics, I just make sure that everything is good with your application, these questions would have to be answered by a Driver Manager when you get here."

After that I was still excited because the recruiter pretty much said that I had a job if I wanted it. That’s when I started doing research on it. Not because I had a bad feeling, but I was excited and wanted to be prepared with every aspect. Well as all of you people that hate CR England know, when you Google 'CR ENGLAND Lease' the first things to pop up are Ripoff reports.com.

Now, I know in general that one is less likely to get on the internet and talk up a company then they are to complain and blow of steam. I also think that in general that no one is going to go to rip-off reports and talk about how good something is, and that the bulk of rebuttals are "company plants". At the same time I think of all the ex-coworkers I have had, you know lazy, selfish, less then bare minimum go to home as soon as possible and show up late the next day a-hole. They would be just the ones to complain in hope someone would take pity on them. But in the end you just don't know, no one is perfect, and no one ever says "I deserved to get fired."

Here is what I have come to understand about CR England. The only way to be a company driver for them is to team drive. In order to purchase the truck you lease you actually have to be on your second or third lease with the company, I have seen this one a couple times and am not sure of the exact details. CR England says on their site that they are partnered with Horizon truck sales, which I think is the missing piece to the puzzle.

There are many people saying that the lease program is a rip off, and that you are just paying the truck off for the company. My thoughts are, yea it is, keep in mind I am not working for them. My guess is that there is some shady deal between CR England, and this Horizon Truck Sales. They are both in Salt lake, and I can't even find a website for Horizon. Also, CR England says you are an owner operator, you own your truck and you are your own boss.

Now, I understand that if CRE is helping you get a truck, you are obligated to work exclusively for them for the duration of the contract. But the control they have over their lease operators is unreal. I think the only reason that they "make you your own boss" is just that. You are at risk, not the company, if they decide to put you in a situation where you are over-loged, you are at risk. And I found out that this is the same way they hire their DM's. They are their own business to. I know every truck driver wants their own truck; every American wants to be their own boss.

What is in it for them when you lease? Well, every business I know in Utah has to match taxes paid by an employee, pay unemployment insurance, not to mention it's a loophole out of minimum wage. It also offers protection for the company when it comes to lawsuits. Needless to say there are a lot of benefits and loopholes when a company operates like this.

What's in it for the driver that leases the truck? The false belief that you own your truck. Sure they probably don't care about what you and that lot lizard are doing in the back of the truck, but either would the boss of a company driver. Hell, my old boss would probably want to join in. From what I understand you don't even get to choose you own loads, which makes it difficult to steer yourself home. They have all the costs lined out for you except for one, taxes. Maintenance, you pay for it, and CR England even gets a cut off of it. It's your truck, but you can't take it to your buddy Mikes' shop who would do a better job, and not overcharge you on parts and labor. The list goes on, many people don't think of tires, rims, lights, tire chains, fluids, filters, and just plain bad luck.

So by this understanding CR England has all the financial benefits, the lease operator takes all the risks, with no reward at the end. I don't doubt that there are successful lease operators, but successful just means that they got an average paycheck. If you are going to be locked into a contract for three years, you had better benefit in some way, and from what I see with this company, you don't.

The sad realization is that me, personally can no longer survive on un-employment. I have too many experiences and no way to get rid of them without serious consequences. I have two opportunities, one is I team drive for a low paying company if they even say they'll hire me. Or go through CR England. I know what you’re saying, why not just team drive for England? Because as a general rule I don't sleep while someone I don't trust is driving. You never know what type of person you are going to end up with, and if I am going to be away from my family for months at a time, I don't want to be in close quarters with someone I don't like. The other job I mentioned I would be teaming with someone I know, and would be home more often.

 

Horizon LLC IS CR England. Its just a subsidiary of the company. Granted the only leases they deal with are only CR England drivers.

If your in tough shape already, going driving legal wont put you in any better shape either. Granted your used to doing the long hours. But if you want to run those hours you might think about driving for a beverage company. No logs, run up to 14 hours per day, home time, yudda yudda yudda.

Only reason for driving OTR with a compnay is you have nothing at home you want to return for. That will be a true driver for a company. The longer you can stay out the happier they will be.

Good luck on your home and truck.

 

LOL Phase 2. That is such a terrible concept! A phase 2 is nothing more than a student whom doesnt know any better than the student before you. The only difference is he has the fleese deal and you have yet to experience it.

 

ok lets clear this up. you have to read company policy before you can just say that. first of all in phase 2 that trainer can require you to drive when ever they want seeing how they are paying you your paycheck, and you are solo qualified.

now in phase 1 the trainer should not have the student drive threw midnight and 6am for the first 72 hours of getting on the truck. (most don't read that part of 72 hours)

I told one studant that and they said that I didnt follow that. and i said what do you mean? and they replied their first shift they drove up to 1am...I said yes whats your point, you didnt drive thuew that time an hour or so over is not what they are talking about. the company is talking about driving a full shift like 8pm threw 6 or 7am.

 

you have no idea what you are talking about. contact j in training they will fill you in with the details.

that is if you work for Cr England ?

 

Hey Carrot, want me to pm you what Roys fender # was, the kind soul whom insisted that safety had nothing to do with when he tells a trainee to drive? I do still have that sheet of paper about the dos and donts of driving (dont hog the wheel and so on). Yet the 3 trainers I went throu, as soon as you got into their trucks, safety had no business telling you when it was safe to drive.

 

i don't know what your trying to say, I was not refering to your comments.
I was just trying to clear up the driving at night thing.
as we all know some students tend to only read half of something. or only absorb half of it.

 

What safety says is SUPPOSED to happen and what trainers tell the students are 2 different things. In the classroom you learn how you should be able to drive the England way. Alas with Bob / Roy / Bruce, got on their trucks and that all changed. Civi rights? No, not going to happen. The trainer alas in some cases could care less about what safety says and what you will do according to the laws set down by the trainer. As I was repeatedly told, you do it their way or they will kick you off the truck with a black eye (so to speak, nothing physical)