Positive things about CR England

Howdy Folks!
Let me begin with a belated Welcome to the forums.
And thanx for resurrecting this thread. It's a favorite of mine that I think qualifies as a classic. It's a good read that illustrates what I think is a typical Joe AboveAverage C.R. England job applicant, --- anxious and excited about changing careers and becoming A Big truck truck driver.

IMO, this thread is an excellent, candid, illustration of what goes through the mind of one poster, Rollin' Thunder, (Billy) before his CRE experience, and during the beginning of training, --- with insights into attitude, outside influences, and the results of decisions made. For kIx, try imagining that you are Rollin' Thunder, aka Billy.

Be assured, at no time was I angry during this thread, and no animals were seriously injured physically either.
For best effect, start reading at the beginning.

Tell y'all what, ..............................
If, after readin' the whole thread, you're not completely satisfied, --- just explain why and you'll receive a cheerful refund for what y'all paid for it.

Many times that's true. But sometimes it pays to listen to what's bein' said. When the same subject(s) of complaint(s) seem to keep poppin' up, --- only the name(s) of the complainers change --- that's possibly something to investigate.

I'd recommend stickin' a foot in the door first, --- before y'all's head, .............. in case the door suddenly, without warning, slams shut.

.And remember, with a commercial license, legal BAC content is 0,04.

Billy quit posting in this thread, but he started another thread in the Report A Bad Company Here section.

Here's a hint.
Notice which thread Rollin' Thunder went to from here?
From "favorite" to "Bad" (truckin' company).
What does that tell you?

I'm curious though.
If you've searched and found only, or mostly, negative comments concerning CRE, how many more do you need to read before you're satisfied you have the correct information and plan and react accordingly?

The story that unfolds in this thread is the same story some of us have heard a hundred times, or more. Only the names change.
Ultimately the decision(s) are up to you to make. Knowledge and instincts make doin' that easier.

What are your instincts tellin' y'all right now?

 

is that.04 if DRIVING a cmv?

 

That's when driving any vehicle, commercial or private, --- at work or on vacation.
Traffic citations received while driving a personal vehicle when off duty also count against your commercial license.
I've also heard that some auto insurance companies charge a higher premium for drivers with a commercial license, --- which seems odd.
A professional driver pays higher rates than a non-commercial driver?:smt103
What's wrong with that picture? :smt017 :smt120

 

Here is my 2 bits for reading if interested in story lines and opinions...
I had to start all over at age 50 because Circuit City went under and I had to find something else to make money. I thought I would try trucking again, I did it for a few years in the 80's driving local and quit, thinking I would not be a trucker anymore, let my CDLs expire. In order to start driving again I had to do everything a person with no experience goes thru to start driving and so I went to NWTechnical college to get my CDLs again on Hope Grant money. I also took EMT classes in case I wanted to do that job. Anyway I found that you can get your license fairly easy, you can get a job fairly easy, but you can not get a great job or a local job without two years or more over the road experience. And that has to be 2yrs in the last 3 or 4 yrs. So I finally picked USFGM after two months of searching for the best job offer I could get. Started at .29/mile with per diem pay. I was happy at first just having a job, driving again and making good money for me even though pay rate was low. My bring home pay was normally at least twice what I made at CC. But I drove in 38 states even though I was hired as SE Regional. I really didn't appreciate my dispatcher at first, we clashed quite often about load planning and lack thereof. It did smooth out some after the first six months but only some better. My biggest complaint was ... Not Having a Preplan before I Made My Delivery. Cause normally you make delivery and have to leave the premises of where you are. So do you go North, South, East or West to find legal parking which not necessarily means a place to sleep because it may be posted "No Overnight Parking". This is where "Hours of Service", the 11hr and 14hr rule come into play and work against you. I am sure you get the picture now. If you know where your next assignment picks up you can head in that direction to help with your available drive time hours. Then at end of week, Am I going home and when will I get home? Every week, may or may not get home, might be Fri-Sat-Sun or not at all. No matter what you are told when you are hired, the availability of freight is the only thing that will allow you to get home. And the Big Kicker... Your Dispatcher is holding the cards that determines who gets the load to go from here to there. Or maybe the planner in some cases but the circumstance is the same. You probably will not get good loads and good miles and get home IF you do not have a good dispatcher, planner, driver manager, or whoever and whatever they are called where you go to work or if you do not have a good working relationsip with said individuals. In July during my first six months I did not get home on any weekend. Missed my birthday party, my daughter's b-day party, missed 4th of July weekend and another weekend. Stuck in Texas twice and in PA twice. No frt to get me home or so I am told. ...... Anyway I think you have the picture. Things got better for me after the first six months, after 2 yrs my first driver manager left the company or got fired ??? and I got a new driver mgr and things became great. Then he left after after a few months and things were not so great again. Not as bad as my first six months but not as good as with my 2nd driver mgr. I finally landed a job with Shaw Industries in Dalton GA and quit the OTR job with USFGM. Now I am home evry day and extremely happy. Now my conclusion ... I believe any company can be considered good or bad, I believe it is the opinion of the individual and his/her circumstances with dispatchers and driver mgrs in particular that develop the opinion you have of the company you work for. Your opinion will most likely change as your particular circumstances change at whatever company you work for and you have NO CONTROL over these changes. Final thought, I believe it is generally not the company you will dislike but the people who control your assignments and your pay within the company you work for. Don't get on anybody's ####e List at your company!!! The End

 

You ever notice how many times this happens? Look at the OP. Wanted to hear the good not the negative. The classic, but that won't happen to me..... 55 posts later he now knows for himself and has not been seen for a couple years now....

 

I see this alot and you have to remember every co. has unhappy drivers, all have pro's and con's and most the posts are people sharing bad exp. with there co. People tend to want to vent or get advice on the neg. stuff and not quite as many will log on just to say they had a good day or week at there present employer. You be fine. Just pay attention and do what you have to getting through the training process and you be off!

 

Have you ever heard of a "company" with no employees or management staff? What would a "company" be without people? The employees are the "company", and as employees, they represent the "company".

It's obvious that you haven't taken the time to do any research into the company in question in this thread. I'd bet you didn't read this thread from the beginning to get up to speed on the subject either. Then, with limited knowledge you offer a general opinion?

Granted, most companies have employees who like the company and those who don't, --- for many reasons. I'd guesstimate the ratio runs around 60% like --> 40% dislike, --- maybe 50% --> 50%. If CRE has many drivers who like it there, they aren't voicing their opinion(s). As it stands, those who post anything about CRE usually post negative experiences. My guesstimate is around 80 to 85, maybe 90% bad. That ain't normal and should be a red flag for anyone considering working for them.

That's true, ............. but, ................
Explain to us why the negative comments and stories about CRE are disproportionately negative compared to the other Big truck truckin' companies? Might there be a clue in there somewhere?

True again.
But when someone bad raps a better company there's often those who will call them on it and defend the company. Also, the complaints are usually varied. With CRE there's a pattern to the complaints unlike any other company receives.

Not necessarily so.

Are you paying attention?
Those who do, don't go with CRE. They run away.

YuP!
After CRE kicked Billy to the curb and threw him under the bus, he returned home to New York to resume driving what he drove before his CRE experience, --- a taxi cab. Something he said he'd never do again.
A good positive attitude is no guarantee of success at CRE.
With all that said, there will still be those who think they'll be the one who tames the dragon and trains it to use a litter box. They'll dive right into the deep end even after being told that there's no water in the pool. Then complain when they hit the rock hard bottom.
It's twue!
It's twue! :smt045

 

AfterShock .... you may be correct in your conclusion but there is no mathmatical relevance that is proportional to get an accurate opinion of any company here. CRE employs over 4,ooo drivers.!. 90 yrs in business... How many negative posters have come out on here compared to the number of drivers they have? I think you get my point. And I will say this, they may be the worst company out there for you to work for and in your humble opinion... But opinions ... you know the rest.
No hard feelings. I just think, believe and have the opinion that CRE could be better than you make out and must not be so bad if they employ so many. My 2c........
C.R. ENGLAND AT A GLANCE

• Founded in 1920.
• Family owned and operated for four generations.
• Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.
• Service provided throughout North America.
• Over 3,500 late model Freightliner, International, Volvo and Peterbilt tractors, and 5,600 Utility and Great Dane trailers in service.
• Four driver schools located nationwide.
• More than 4,600 drivers and independent-contractors.
• Over 1,000 non-driver support staff.
• $544 million in 2005 revenues.

 

Yes sir? ....

I do. And point well taken.
How many of those 4,000 drivers have 5 years with CRE and how many less than one year? There seems to be a large number of revolving drivers to keep the count up to the full mark, especially with an over 100% turn-over rate.
Ever wonder how many revolving drivers it takes to maintain a count of 4,000 Big trucks rollin'?
Who knows?

Know the rest?
I sure do!
By golly.

And IMO, ........................
The more information gathered prior to forming an opinion, the better. That's why I want the CRE wannaBees to see beyond the red luster of CRE's glamor coat, right down to the base coat. How they receive and process any of the information is out of our control. They'll have to make decisions and form opinions on their own.
Those who choose the red door on the left, I wish luck and best of success. And hope they'll stay in touch.

I'm sure there are content drivers at CRE.
We don't hear much from them though.
The silence could be deafening.
Or, maybe they're just too busy to be interested, or care
one way or the other.
(I think Chester attributes that to "work ethics".
I can't say I disagree.
I think those who complete leases showing a good profit must have stellar work ethics.)

Absolutely not.
No reason for hard feelings.

"Opinion"?
You know the rest of that, .......... right?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm
Ninety years in business,.....................
almost as long as some cigarette makers.
They both must be doin' somethin' right to stay in business that long
and have that many employees and staff supporting them.

However, just curious, .................. but, ...............................

I don't see any mention of all, or any, of the law suits they've lost in court that
pertain to their business practices.

I know,
I know,
All Big truck truckin' companies get sued.
But consider what they're sued for, win or lose.
That might be an indicator or at least a clue.
Ya reckon.

 

I have to admit that I am posting this with some trepidation about the flames that could rain down on me. My experience with CRE hasn't been bad. I won't give out too many details since the last company that I worked for didn't like its employees posting about it at all. I went to a CRE school even after reading this because they were the ones that got back to me. It did cost $500, but I had been out a year and the others wanted me to take a refresher anyway (most were in the $1200 range). I went to the school and found it to be pretty good. Accommodations were kind of rundown, but not bad. They said that at the end we would get a crummy piece of paper and a job. Some washed out due to drug and alcohol positives and probably would have still been on the hook for tuition, but these and the physicals were done before any papers were signed. Then came 1 month of Phase I training with an experienced driver and 1.2 months with an inexperienced guy to see what you should expect if you decide to lease and see the business aspect. My Phase I trainer was really successful, the Phase 2 guy was a complete clown, but still managed a second week paycheck of $600. The lease program was presented to me several times, but no one sat on my back and twisted my arm, so I chose company solo. My training ended on a Thursday and by the next Monday afternoon a relief driver came by with my truck. I'm now unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Its been interesting so far.