Need a little help

Just graduated from NADTA in Cedar Rapids Iowa.,,,,,,,for CRST. Heard too many bad things about them. Now the school is saying that I can't get out of the contract with CRST until it's paid. I don't mind paying it. I just don't want to work for CRST. Now I'm back home with my CDL and no job. Local.... Can someone please help me.

 

Where are you in Texas and what type job do you want?

 

I have a question. Just one! Yes, CRST has somewhat of a bad rep in this business I know. Why not just go on and try to stomach that first year? If you then see it won't work THEN go the pay them first route. Also, take into consideration that some carriers will also take the contract. You need to go back and speak to the people at that school before you make what may become a VERY expensive mistake. These schools are relentless when it comes to their money. You can't under most circumstances get out from under even in bankruptcy. Stop! Take a few breaths AND STOP LISTENING to the rumor mills. This industry is full of that crap!

 

I started with crst. Did 15 months then moved on. It's a training company. Everybody there is just trying to get started. Heard only 5% stay past two years. Mostly trainers.
Problem isn't the company. The money is typical mega beginner pay.
Main problem is co-drivers. With so much turn over your co-driver is always changing.
I had some great drivers but they moved on, and some terrible that I went back to the terminal asap and either they got off the truck or I got on a different truck.
I knew it was a temporary job and learned as much as I could. Had a really good trainer that made a big difference.

 

This comment is not directed toward the OP. It is just my frustration with some of the mindless idiocy I see more and more in this business. How can you expect a new driver to even remotely have their heads right going into this job when all they hear is this company sucks? Go into a terminal and have the sad sacks stuck there bad-mouthing the company! I got news for you! If you go into a new job already expecting to get screwed over or have some sad sack at a terminal start justifying well GUESS WHAT? It turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy most of the time. I say if you go through company financed CDL training you should develop a (come heck or high water I will finish that year) attitude. This will see you through that year. You hear a sad sack bad mouth ignore them. You develop a problem just ask to get back to your home terminal ASAP and fix the dang problem if you can. Example? I know of a situation where a driver quit a top 10 carrier last month. Just quit! No warning just parked her truck and cleaned it out. When called by the carrier she told them it was because of safety. There was nothing more than a few errors on her logs. Heck, when I drove I always had a few. So instead of walking into safety and speaking to a safety critter about the problem, this driver chose to listen to some sad sack somewhere that totally poisoned her mind.

When I was active I had someone in payroll out of spite ignore some of my lumper receipts and took almost $700 out of my pay. I was livid, I will never forget where I was that day I saw what my check was on the QC. I was about 500 miles away from the home terminal headed away. I called my fleet manager and told him he had better get me repowered or there will be heck to pay. His boss even tried to see what the problem was. I got my repower and was sent to the terminal. I bounced right into the payroll supervisor's office with all my receipt copies. I also gave this person a brief history of the problem. About 15 minutes later I had a credit going into my next payroll AND the head over HR apologized to me.

In this business you have to advocate for yourself, nobody will do it for you. This is something I have had to learn with my dealings with the VA. You stay timid and job scared and YOU WILL get screwed over at some point. Keep your minds right, drive make pickups and deliveries on time, take care of the equipment you are entrusted with. If you do this you will find success in this business. fail to do this, however, or start listening to all the sad sacks and you won't! It is just that fricking simple.

 

Make sure you go with a company who does their job.
I didn’t. We’re stuck with an FMCSA who only wants to point a finger at you. They aren’t interested in addressing problems. I got that from DOT. I have to agree from my experience.
I could suggest a couple. Right now I’m with a company who takes care of their end. My psp, dac, or whatever you want to call it is doing nothing but going down.

 

I fed a CRST driver and his wife and little girl a few years ago. They were parked next me in Horse Cave, Ky. It wad a nice day and we both had our windows down. I kept overhearing his repeated requests to his dispatcher for a load and a cash advance, which was denied apparently. I could discern they were broke and down and out, I've been there. He got out and headed in to the Loves and I caught up with him. After telling me he was a lease purchase and CRST was starving him, I told him to get his family and meet me in McDonald's . I bought them dinner. Now rewind 25 years ago. I graduated Driver training school un-sponsered with my newly printed CDL on my own credit . Regrettably , I never did pay them. Now look at me, karma is mist definitely a female dog. The very thing that enables my living I never payed for and I've never learned how to manage my money . Ironic isn't it. You stated that " I don't mind paying them" , well sir ( or ma'am , I didn't check your profile) it's really not a matter of whether or not you mind paying them in my humble opinion. You're obligated to pay them. They got you your ticket and you didn't hear all these bad things about them going in? If they sponsored you and put you through training and hired you, you really should put your year in and then look elsewhere if you think you should. This isn't coming from judgement just experience. Good luck and if you stick it out and keep your nose clean and be safe out here it can be rewarding.

 

Amen driver! That's good advice OP, you may want to acknowledge. Just sayn'

 

Company driver for a year is one thing. Leasing a 500k mile truck is another. Don't do the lease

 

Houston. Looking for local company.