My Experience with CR England so far......

There is one company I know of that will not let you become a lease driver until you have driven for them for 60 days. Then you and the company have a 60-day period to see how it fits. If it works for both of you, you lease the truck. If not, you return to being a company driver with no loss.

 

I don't understand why England doesn't do this but then again, lots of new drivers make it just fine with leasing straight outta training.

As far as the 60-day trial period you mentioned with this mystery company, I've always wondered why England won't let you come back as a company driver if you find out leasing isn't for you, even if it's only been thirty to sixty days.

 

To me the mistakes England, and the driver makes with leasing are, That England will just let anyone lease a truck(not just England either) This seems like it would become a very costly idea for a company in the long run.Another nrgative point for a driver leasing from England is that it is very difficult to make it solo. You are almost forced into becoming a trainer

 

When I upgraded out of Phase 2 in Burns Harbor, they didn't ask me if I wanted to be a trainer. They told me I would be a trainer. No options, no questions.

After setting out on the road, my DM would continually tell me he was going to route me pick up a student and I would continually tell him I wasn't ready. (Are they serious?? I had just gotten a CDL with them and had no experience, plus the only thing my own trainers seemed to know is that I was there to put miles on their truck. Who was I to "train" anybody?)

That being said - even someone new can make money as a lease driver with England provided you are resourceful and learn quickly. It's not typical, but it is possible. It depends on the driver making smart decisions and learning very quickly from the times they don't make such smart decisions.

 

You probably can make money with England, I would be too paranoid to be a trainer after only a few months experience.

 

I think I just found the smartest truck driver on the road.

 

No offense to Dave Al in any way but just because he refrained from training with little experience, he's the smartest driver in the world?? Hmm.

Kudos to Dave for having that kind of attitude but in my opinion, the reason most of these inexperienced drivers become trainers is because CRE allows it. They(CRE) doesn't seem to have any discretion or qualifications when it comes to being a trainer in the Phase 1, Phase 2 program. I don't know about pushing the idea, but definitely allowing rookies fresh out of training to train students is something offered.

It's nice to see that some people know whats best to not do....

 

This is probably the main reason I failed on my lease. I took one student and realized before he got on my truck I had no business "training" someone else to do something I hadn't yet fully learned. I tried running solo after he got off to sign his lease and never saw another positive paycheck. If I would have embraced the "team/train" aspect that is strongly advised I might could have kept on with them but the past is the past.

 

That's probably the main reason you failed at your lease, cuz you only drove solo from there on out?

It's good that you realized that an inexperienced person should not train a student but even though its a lot harder to do, it is possible to succeed at leasing as a solo with CRE. There are plenty of people that do it. Granted, it takes a lot of hard work, determination and a good dm to make it happen, but its certainly not impossible.

But with that said, I wouldn't lease by myself. Even though I can do it and DID it for about six weeks, solo leasing is just too hard of work in my opinion. Granted, I averaged 500-800 dollars a week take home pay, but it was just too much. I ran good miles, my dm kept me plenty busy to the extent of running 560-580 miles a day and only spending no more than 10.5-11 hours in the sleeper but as I said, it was too stressfull. If I, myself ever needed a reason not to solo lease, that was it. But, it doesn't take away the fact that I beat the odds and kept money rolling in while my wife was in and out of the hospital for that six-week period.

 

Justin I am going to the Skowhegan Driving school and was thinking about CR England my self. Keep us informed as to what it is like