Newbie, company comparison, CR england, general questions.

i,ve never worked for cr england but i can,t find much of anything good about them from what i"ve read on these forums. look into local jobs around there. good luck

 

FFE is out of Fort Worth; google for it.

The type of job you want is not impossible to find.
3 sourses to find that job:

Careerbuilder
Craigslist
Google : drayage companies or container companies or intermodal companies

 

Unless you're talking about a local job in intermodal with CR, they are not going to line up with what you are looking for. DISCLAIMER - I haven't worked for them. Everyone I have talked to who has worked for them says they push the lease hard, and like with any starter company wont get you home too often.


Check out the company threads here for info on specific companies and never listen to recruiters. Thats how I picked my company.

 

Don't Lease!!! or go company driver with C.R. England The only drivers that make any money there are Relief & Recovery drivers. I was one for nine Months. did $600 a week avg. some $900 weeks plus frequent flyer miles. But as with any company you have to be a hustler, and like to put in big miles.
Just as a side note the reefer business sucks, go with a company that is primarily dry box loads. You will get more drop and hook loads... and that's the name of the game. The fewer live loads and live unloads, the more you make. Because your sitting less and driving more.

I found two lease drivers on nice dedicated runs making some money and the rest where starving.

That's my 5 cents worth, Good Luck

 

england isn't a local gig. there primary operation is 48 states.

without experience. you're going to have a hard time finding anything. the first thing that happens with any job you apply is a road test. companies want to know that you can drive without beating up the truck.

your probably gonna have to suck it up and pay your dues like the rest of us did. then save up your money and quit. it's very difficult to find a job when your still out on the road. i've had to do it twice. can't get any phone calls unless my resume says i'm not working anymore. then they all call. but don't want to bother with me if i can't come in for a road test.

 

Lets get this straight. Companies do not force you to work for them. Remember from high school, Lincoln freed the slaves. If you go to the company's school to get your CDL, then you work for them or you pay for your schooling. You have a choice. This is not a secret. It is all spelled out in a written contract. If you leave before your contractual obligation has been fulfilled, you owe some money as spelled out in your written contract. Enough with this -- the company forces me to work for them jazz.
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.Can you get your CDL without going through some schooling? Yes. Will you be employable without going through schooling? Maybe not. Without that paper that says you just graduated from a school with [usually perferably] 160 hours of instruction, you may well find it very difficult in this economy to get employed. Difficult but not impossible. Why? Insurance. The company's insurance company is blocking your hiring.
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Some companies have preferred schools ie www.schneiderjobs.com and www.cretecarrierjobs.com just to name 2 companies.
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The fact is, there is a shortage of QUALIFIED driving applicants. If you are 21 years old or older with a clean driving record, clean police background check, can pass the drug and alcohol test and get the required training, pass the CDL driving test and reside within their hiring area; a training company would like to talk to you about a career driving for them. If your driving record has blemishes or you have a felony conviction, you can get a commercial drivers license; BUT, getting employed can be quite difficult. If you work within the system that is established and you meet the company's qualifications, you will avoid alot of the pitfalls that those who try to take shortcuts are going to run into. This is just a word to the wise.

 

First off I would stay away from England or any mega-carrier for that matter. Secondly, if you haven't gone through an accredited school to obtain your CDL you are going to pay hell trying to find a job. It isn't really a company rule its a rule made up by the insurance companies.

The one good thing you have going for you is that you live in Texas. There should be a good number of small mom and pop companies to choose from. Maybe look into the agriculture side of trucking. In your area there are quite a few good size truck stops in which you could maybe visit and see who is coming and going and maybe get some phone numbers to some good local gigs. You can also try Craigslist.