__________________________________ Look them up, last year their website stated C.R. England is worth 550 million dollars, now, how could you build up a company to that level wasting your money on labor? Labor is the highest expense a company has had....not certain today because of the fuel spike, but in business class it was always said: cut your labor costs and you'll pad your bottom line.
Business class is just that, business class. I have owned several retail businesses, a couple of which had several employees, and I did pretty good yearly revenue, and still made a profit. My last business I paid above industry standards to my employees. The company down the road paid about $2.00 or more per hour less. I had good employees. They did not steal from me, my equipment did not always stay torn up, customers bought from me because they liked my employees. I have had this told to me several times. I had good moral, they would go out their way to do things they did not have to. I had one person to make money for, me, not thousands of stock holders, and I did good for the size business I had. I do not have it any more because a larger private owned company made me an offer I couldn't refuse. But, as part of the deal my employees had to be kept on at the same rate of pay I was paying them. 8 1/2 years later they are still there. Big companies need to look at employee satisfaction in all areas, not just money. Many people will work for less if they have good working conditions. The main thing is do not have low pay and bad working conditions. The major trucking companies have taken advantage of a bad job market to hire desperate employees, use them up, spit them out, and start all over again with the next person desperately needing a job. I hope it all comes back to haunt them when things turn around. If you look out for your employees. most will look out for you.
No doubt at all there is always the exception to the rule. We are all looking for the exception. Few find it, a current example: a company I know very well, has terminated a 20 yr/employe, an 8 yr/employe and the hatching job is not done. Replaced with younger and lower paid newbies, their replacements might be 21. I stick to the wisdom of my teachers, yes, if you pay peanuts you will get monkeys, however, labor is still the highest cost when running a business and/or company. Salary, medicare, taxes, insurance, etc.And one sample doesn't make a statistical analysis. SBA will tell you in their courses, hire your family first, keep the money in house if possible. I mention the SBA as I assume you know they teach how to stay in busines. But the insight to cut costs thru wages - it's passed on from one classroom to the other. Can't cheat the IRS, can cheat on pay. With a stated turnover of about 120 percent, can you see the flag waving? Truckers made MSN's most dangerous jobs in the USA. If it added a cpm to wages, it's been kept very quiet. Really quiet.
I know very well the cost of doing business. You need to do the most with the fewest employees. By the time you pay salary, matching witholding, workmans comp, insurance, holidays, vacation, sick days, and on and on, you may not have anything left. You can end up owning a business, assume the risk of losing everything, just to keep people employed. It is good to hire inside the family, but in my experience, family is some of the first to steal from you. Classes have some good things and some bad things. Remember it is these peoples jobs to come up with something to tell you. They may have never owned or ran a business, but they are paid to tell you how. Same with the SBA. Since when has the government been right about anything. I have sat in classes that had some of the most ignorant teachers I have ever seen. They had never done anything but teach, but they knew everything because a book told them what to say. I bought my last two non-trucking businesses because they were failing. With common sense and great service they were both turned around and sold at a profit. I used some of what I had learned at seminars, but mostly common sense of what people wanted, and getting the right employees. I don't think UPS made it to where it is by paying low wages and turning over 120% of its employees every year. They pay good, demand good work, and those that are willing to stick with it retire well off. Of course, every trucking company can't do this. Some have to be starter companies. These companies could treat people with more respect, just the same, many drivers are not fit to see the light of day. The problem goes both ways. Drivers and companies don't respect each other, and usually with good reason. But, if a company is more selective in its hiring practice, treats people better, and pays enough to keep people alive, then the turnover rate will not be nearly as high. In many cases a higher net profit could be realized with this model. Lower insurance rates, less truck and trailer repair, fewer recruiter and trainer staff would all help the bottom line. This is not the business model used by many companies. It is hire cheap, use them up with no reguard to what the driver needs, fire or let the driver quit before they reach the next higher pay grade, and start all over again. All to make a few pennies per share more money. When large truck load companies went public the bottom line became the sole factor of operation. The motive, pure greed.
This is our pay scale for new drivers. The first month is you coming OUT of school. so you'll be on a Lead Driver's truck, be it company or O/O. for 28 days. Which equals $350 a week. 0-30 days: Students coming out of driving school earn $50/day flat pay when assigned to a tractor.* 1-2 months: $.22 per mile 3-5 months: $.24 per mile 6-11 months: $.33 per mile 12-17 months: $.34 per mile All miles are split miles paid. These trucks run non-stop so it isn't that uncommon for a truck to do 5500 + a week. when I first started i had never had a job paying higher than $7.50 so i was pretty excited to see my first check at .22 cpm total out to about $600. You're only on THAT pay for a month, then you go up to .24 cpm. You used to have a raise to .28, but i guess they did away with that. on your fifth month all debts should have been paid if you were under contract, and your pay should have raised to .33 cpm. which if you ran an average of 2500 is $825 a week. Just like with every company the more you put into it the more you get out of it. I've heard ( not necessarily on these forums ) a lot of people complain about not getting enough miles or pay. Are you available for all loads ? Are you on time and reliable or does your dispatcher have second thoughts about sending you on that important Con-Way load? I started as a student with CRST, had a great trainer, and a good partner fresh out of school. I've been late 3 times in 3 years and now I'm home every day, work 4 nights a week and get paid a weekly salary with a CRST Dedicated lane for Bax Global. I guess it pays to go the extra mile. Stick with it, things aren't as bad as they seem.
I am a CRST driver, of who driver is speaking of. They are misinformed about per mile pay. Starting wage is .22 per mile, where they misunderstand, is the .11, is they split the per mile .10 of it is paid as a perdium, and the negative side of it is that they charge .02 to process the perdium. Leaving it at .11 per mile. Basically they are paid 22 cents - 2 cents = .20 per mile. .10 of that is non taxed as perdium, it is separated on pay stub as just that. Understandable misunderstanding, but look at detail on stub and you will see. CRST trainer. thx
I am with you. How you said it is 99% correct. CRST is not a bad company. With any Company, you have to get through the ugly, to find good. All companies offer same pay, benefits, trucks, etc. IN SOME WAY, They are all the same. Find one that works for you, and stick with it. Things DO get better, and pocketbook gets bigger.
Yah, I did my startup with PAM; but I'm getting better pay now with Pepsi D-BAY. I bust bust my ahz for it though. If I could go on the hwy and still take home 6h+ per wk, I'd do it. Plus, I won't do trainer/ing again.
