How Good is Shaffer?

If you like being micromanaged then Creaffer is excellent (hybrid name for Crete/Shaffer). I made the mistake of going back to that corporation after 7 or so years (worked for Crete for almost 10 yrs, left for 7 or 8, went back and only lasted 20 months). 1st 3 months back I was in 5 different trucks, shortest time in those 5 was from their Deland FL terminal to the Orlando dealer because the ECM took a dump. The last truck I was in had me down in Cheyenne for 9 days, then a little over 2 weeks later the same part failed again.(Freightliner junk). I think I was in a total of 9 trucks in 20 months. All their trucks have the nanny safety systems. The newest have the unpredictable lane departure, collision avoidance warning crap. The one Freightliner I had with it had the volume so loud on that crap that I had to cover the speakers with foam padding. I had a decibel meter app on my phone that registered a 95 db reading(and it was sitting in a mount on the dash). And it was the typical system that would pick up overpasses, road signs, guard rails. The lane departure system loved to buzz you (simulated rumble strip noise) at exit/entrance ramps when the white line would follow the ramp. It would also buzz you in construction zones whe there were old lines that hadn't been completely removed. It would buzz at the white salt pretreatment lines or if the sun was just right reflecting off of tar sealer in the lane. Their equipment is cookie cutter junk.

Besides the equipment, management likes to tell you how to do everything except breathe and wipe yourself. I use to say breathe and walk, but there was a weekly YouTube video where the boss on the Crete side reminded us how to walk on slick surfaces...like any grown adult doesn't know how to do that. They also tell you where and how much to fuel.

The only positive things I could say about that whole organization is 1) they're debt free, so they will be in business thru the worst of the economy downturns. 2) they pay above average 3) they don't have any nanny cams either forward or driver facing.

If you don't mind being told how to do your job and don't mind swapping trucks a lot, then it would be a good fit. Heck, you might get lucky and get a decent piece of equipment right out of the gate.

 

Every time I come up on a Shafer trailer I sing this jingle in my head

The Penguin logo on the back is pretty cool, got a retro vibe to it.

Shafer truck driver initiation, lol.

 

Call it a Penguin to one of the long term Shaffer drivers and he will cuss you out.

 

Game on

 

In west memphis we can drop our trailers how we want to uh huh cuz we special at this lil company

 

Probably the same driver who parks his Prius across 2 spots at Walmart so nobody parks too close and dings their doors

 

Guess I got lucky cause im always thinking of going back I just started to hate sleeping in truckstops every night. Was in 1 truck for 6 months didnt have any problems then they gave me a brand new truck never had any problems with that. I was never micromanged never talked to dispatch. The collision avoidance thing sucked for detecting bridges tho. The fuel stops will be on your dispatch its really not a problem they are routed on your way. I stayed out months a time idk if that helps but most of my time was doing longer trips but this was 2021- early 2023 idk how it is now. I never sat days at a time. My pay would be between 1800 to 2200 but I was always running.

 

I tried to go here but they could not get me home to Eastern Tennessee...

 

Why do you think we do it ? They are funny when they snap

 

I used to when I worked there