So CRST orientation in Fontana ends tomorrow...

Don't talk to your trainer when the chips are down, talk to the Frito-Lay delivery guy.

 

my buddy works there and that place isnt called the dust bowl for nothing summer time its dusty and dirty winter time its muddy as hell they need to get a bigger termanial thats paved

 

lmao.....what are you smoking or are you going to run drugs in the company truck cause there isn't any way your going to come close to 70k. your nuts if you go right into a lease and haven't even been out there. good luck i hope you feel better cause I know you bumped your head real hard.

 

i was hoping it was sarcasm. lol

 

people dont read everthing and just go straight into attack mode.

 

$70,000 divided by 11 cents a mile is..... well good luck lol.

Not sure why anyone works for that pay level.

 

#### I should have read the last paragrapgh, that's where its a dead giveaway u were joking lol

 

Hello everyone, I hope this post is still being followed. I have a few questions about CRST. I’ve been reading all the blogs about this company…70% bad to 30% good…..not very encouraging…but you have to start some where, and I will be driving out of Florida so CRST is my only option. Any info on miles coming out of Florida? I know the training and the facility will be a pain in the ### (Cedar Rapids)…has anything improved there? I’ve been a contractor here in Florida for over 15 yrs…so I am used to BS, working hard….and getting screwed, lost almost everything after the slow down in construction….$75,000 in unpaid invoices…this is one trend that needs to stop. I know I will have to pay my dues for a year and kiss a lot of ###….make low wages, but I see potential down the road…..getting on with a better company…a lot of good companies down here, but I need the one year plus. I am also trying to keep my payback low…I will be paying my own way there and thinking of staying at a motel….(very bad stories about the rooms at the site). My brother will be training with me, so we have the team set….any info you can send this way would be greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome to TTR and good luck.

So they put two new drivers with no experience together in a truck after training? With all due respect, that is scary for you two and everyone else on the road. You're right about starting somewhere and Florida is a tough place to find driving jobs. Here is my standard advice.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

One last thing, you don’t want to wait around too long after training or you’ll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over.