My first couple months with Shaffer / Crete

Laser pointer exercises at night before bed. Catnip might be a bad idea. Very Energetic cat in the truck when you are driving could potentially be bad.

Buy a bunch of different toys that can hang on strings where the cat can easily get at them without being in your way. Swap out the toys regularly so they have something new every now and then.

I've never had a cat in a truck, but I grew up in a cat family.

 

1) As far as I know, you pay for the CPAP, one way or another. I had one already so I do not know how Crete handles it, exactly.

2) Every shipper or receiver is different. Some of them give Crete issues about detention, but in my experience, most of the time, if you are on time for your appointment, you get detention if you are kept more than 2 hours on a dock.

3) I think orientation was paid, but it was not much. I did orientation in Wilmer, TX. We were put up in a fairly nice but not ritzy hotel (La Quinta) which had a better-than-normal continental breakfast for free, our lunches were provided, and we were also given small gift cards for dinner (didn't pay for the whole dinner, but it was something.)

 

1) Yes. There are dedicated accounts. I'm on one. There are many more.
2) The truck has auto-off to prevent excessive idling. They do monitor idle time, but it is not hard to stay within the range that they want to in.
3) You can have an inverter installed in a older truck, and newer trucks all have them, as far as I know. Mine is a 1200 watt inverter. I think new trucks get 1500 watt, but may be 1200. The company has no trucks with APU's. We have opti-idle. The truck engine turns on and idles while the A/C cools the truck, or if the batteries get low. If the oil temperature gets too low, the engine will turn on to heat the block.
4) IF YOU CHOOSE then Per Diem can be separated from pay. I have opted for this.
5) My truck has been mostly good. I have never even needed to apply for breakdown pay. I've never sat unloaded and not driving long enough to think about layover pay either. Detention pay is pretty reliable if you do what you are supposed to, though some customers are a pain in the butt about it.
6) We can use Transflo kiosks or the app. I think there is a tiny charge every week. A couple dollars. We are paid weekly on Friday. You have to have your loads turned in (Transflo) by Thursday of the prior week to get paid those miles the next Friday.
7) I believe that home time policy is 1 day for every 7 on the road for OTR. I may be mistaken. I normally stay out 42 days and stay at home 5. I always park my truck in the terminal, so I do not know what other options there might be for home time.
8) Loaded and empty miles are paid. Rand McNally practical miles. If you have to go out of route for a service, fuel, washout, whatever, document the out of route miles and you get paid for them.
9) You are (normally) working and not getting paid whenever you are on duty not driving. If this is due to service or being detained, or whatever, then breakdown or detention pay might be due to you. Fueling, checking into a shipper, checking out of a shipper, doing your PTI's, or similar everyday type duties are not paid.
10) I have never heard of anyone being penalized for shutting down in bad weather. I have shut down early a couple times myself, and heard zero complaints.
11) I'm sure you can be fired for all sorts of things, but if you do your job like a professional, avoid drugs, and don't make an ### of yourself or threaten people, Crete won't fire you.
12) The miles per week that you average will vary, but I rarely ever hear any Crete driver getting less than 2400 or so miles per week. When I was running reefer,OTR, I had maybe a handful of weeks under 2500 miles in a year. A dry van should be able to do better. Right now, I am averaging over 3000 miles per week, but I am on a drop and hook account.