No more pets for Crete

No doubt! Pets are family with fur!

I wonder what in the world possessed them to make such a rule?

God bless and drive safe,
Cub

 

400+ drivers?, that's about 10%.

Wow.

 

I’m also an animal lover however, from what I understand, Crete’s policy originally was, you could have a pet as long as it weighed less than 35 pounds… or something pertaining to that. I have seen where several dog owners not only have pets that are around the 60 - 70 pound range but also have three (or more) dogs which weighed in around 60 - 70 pounds riding along. I’ve actually seen a husband and wife who have sometimes up to four small dogs with them.

Now keep in mind that when these trucks are ready for trade, the company has to detail these trucks after someone has treated the inside of their cab as if it were a small animal sanctuary for several years. It’s probably bad enough that the company has to clean up after many of these drivers live in these trucks with their unwholesome mannerism, then you add three 70 pound dogs on top of that… it probably takes several hundred dollars to try to get the upholstery back to a presentable state.

This is what happens when you get several pet owners who abuse policies and disrespect company equipment… everyone else has to pay the price.

 

Could this have anything to do with higher fuel prices and idling policies? I thought I read somewhere here that in some areas, only truckers with pets are allowed to idle when it gets hot. No pets, no idling, lower fuel costs?

 

That is just a truck stop legend. There are no exclusions for pets and idling.

 

Duck, that's a good point. I was going to post that myself, but you beat me to it.

It's definitely about keeping PETA off the backs of Crete. A driver who doesn't like the no-idle policy may use his pet(s) as an excuse to be able to idle in the summer to keep from roasting.

But I will claim there is another reason for this.....
When (and not IF) companies start forcing OTR drivers to team, pets on board will pose a problem when pairing up. One driver, a driver who resents being forced to team, may use the pet as an excuse to get out of teaming. He will claim he doesn't want to team with a guy who has a pet on board, and he will have to be accommodated in some other way, such as being allowed to run solo.

Again, it's about taking away drivers' excuses. Typical strategy.

 

Tip,
I don't always agree with you, but you could be on to something here with the team idea.

It is going to be expensive to allow trucks to idle. Many companies will not put on APU's because of the cost and maintenance issues. They will then look at ways to stop idling. They will probably lean toward making the trucks so they only idle for 2 minutes then shut off.

I see this as a cost controller. There has been alot of comments concerning companies and how they treat the drivers. I look for it to get worse.

 

If weight is becoming an issue, companies will probably begin requiring drivers to lose weight. A 400-pound bucket of lard will use more fuel than a 200-pound driver.

I can see it now at big outfits--orientation classes on proper eating and mandatory weight-room training at the terminals for those who've gone over their max weight by a few pounds. It'd be similar to the logbook classes some have to take at certain kump-knees.

Drivers at orientation would be forced to sign a form agreeing to keep their weight down (like runway models must do), and those who got too heavy would be simply let go. A DACmark may even be invented to scare drivers and control their eating habits/weight issues.

I can see the posts now: "I went over on my weight by 5 pounds because my company kept me out too long. They canned me and now I can't get a job because my DAC says I'm too fat."