I read all of this and now have a headache.

My son and I are going to start CRST's training next week (10/18) in Cedar Rapids. The plan is for us to team together. He already has his CDL, but has never driven OTR. I don't have my CDL, but I have driven a fair share of larger trucks. You would be surprised how much a Fire Tanker weighs fully loaded and how they handle.

I am an ex IT professional who got tired of getting laid off every time the economy tanked. Plus there is a reason computer users are called users. They want more for less and are addicted and always blame you when THEY break their puter.

I have read the horror stories about the "$0.11" cents a mile. If you look at the total mileage driven by the truck yep it's $0.11 cents a mile; however, I am not driving the total mileage of the truck. I am driving half of it, so we are back to the $0.22 a mile.

I was in the Army for almost 8 years, and like anyone who was in the service knows that recruiters lie. Doesn't matter if they are in uniform or a suit and tie( or dress). They lie to get people in the door. No company is perfect; though, I know a couple that are really close.

As an IT and EMS trainer I know there are good trainers and bad trainers. Again doesn't matter what profession you go into. High School (ya'll remember HS don't you) has good teachers and bad. Colleges have good instructors and bad. I have had my share of both.

As for the Per Diem. OK let's break this down. They make 10 per mile tax FREE, but they charge you $0.2 to process it. Depending on your tax bracket and state you call home that $.02 is 10% of your PPM. Taxes on that $0.22 could range into the 39% range. 39% of $0.10 is $0.039 cents or a net savings of $0.019 per mile. Per Diem is a good thing..

We cause people to act in a manner that justifies our expectations. Simply put if you think a person is a jerk you will treat that person in a way that will make him a jerk. Let's put ourselves in the shoes of that dispatcher. He has 60+ trucks all wanting the longest hauls and the shortest down time. He has X number of customers all wanting their loads delivered yesterday. He/she is going to be grumpy if you show them the least bit of ire.

OK enough with the details on to my questions:

If you have a bad trainer, will the company pair you with a new one or do you just need to grin and bare it? 28 days isn't all that long; though, it can be an eternity with a really bad trainer.

Is the experience worth the lower pay for 8 months?

If we don't go out spending like 2012 is a reality can we make money?

If we treat the dispatchers with some level of respect (we will both have our hazmat endorsements and don't plan on refusing loads) can we expect them to treat us with some level of respect and give us the load we need to make money?

All the literature and the web site says CRST utilizes late model Frieghtliners and Peterbuilts is this a lie? Are the tractors abused because of all the "students"?

How is the required 34 hour down-time handled? Do we sit around a terminal for that time or are we allowed to get away?

My last question doesn't seem to be covered in any of the literature. What does the CRST pay for while you are on duty besides the fuel? Are the drivers still paying tolls upfront where electronic payments can be made (i.e EzPass). If so, will they allow the driver to purchase their own EzPass.

Please keep in mine my co-driver is my son. He has to get along with me HAHAH Though we would love to find a reliable third. So I won't ask about partners. I know mine better than he does.

 

Not new math. I worked as a contract systems/network engineer for almost 30 years. Per Diem was a way of life for me. Though , I never had a company charge me to process it. What processing? They just tell the payroll system you made X dollars and to tax you on Y dollars. They charge $0.2 cents for that on extra step??

If I want to reset the 70 hours it's required.. I was a Paramedic way to long to play games trying to make the numbers work to stay behind the wheel of 50+ tons.