OK, it's been almost a month since I have updated this blog. That was not on purpose, but the lack of a good internet connection and how busy I was, made it really hard to keep this updated. That will change soon!
OK, here's the deal, I'm not with CR England anymore. I was not making very much money and I never got home. I always said I would tell the truth about my experiences and I won't stop that now. I had a really good attitude about the leasing program from the time I started at CRE. The idea of being a company driver at .26 cents a mile was nuts, so I naturally was attracted to the leasing program that CRE offered. I'm not going to bad talk the company. I'm not here to do that. I'm only going to tell it like it was. Just like I have since the beginning.
CRE is a great place to get your CDL. I really believe that. They never taught me anything but the safest way to operate the equipment. That said, I'm not sure about their leasing program. I mean, it would work if I got the miles. I only got over 3000 miles one week in the 6 that I drove for CRE. I didn't just take it laying down either. I let the manager of the DM's know that I couldn't survive on the 2200 average weekly that I was driving. I got a few good trips, but I never could get ahead. I know there will be some out there that will say "I told you so.", but I don't care. I did my best and never turned down a load or was ever late.
OK, it's been several weeks since my last blog entry, so I don't remember all the specifics, but here is everything in a nutshell. I ran back east to Philadelphia and New Jersy. Great! Good miles! Now the downer. The toll roads across PA cost me over $150.00. That isn't reimbursed. That's alot of cash out my pocket to get a load going east. I'll drive anywhere. I don't care about driving east or northeast. I just don't want to PAY for it!
I met my parents in western PA for lunch on my way back west. That was probably the only good thing about running across the PA turnpike and having to pay for it out of pocket and no reimbursment. Anyway, had a good visit with my parents and got back west to just west of Columbus, OH.
My load at the time was going to east central IL. I can't even remember the exact town, but I got it there and then ran up to Chicago to pick up a load of Shampoo going to Dollar General Stores in southern OK. About that time I started calling around and looking for another job.
I really had no intention of not continuing with CRE. I started this career with intention of just doing the driving thing that I liked so much and not worrying about the details. I figured everything would work out in the end, no problem. That's fine if you have no bills or obligations.
Wow, I though I lost everything I typed. Computers can be so frustrating. Anyway I contacted a company that would pay me .32 cents a mile and let me buy medical coverage for my family for about $212.00 a month. That's less that half the cost for an IC for CRE. They also guaranteed me hometime of about 3 - 4 days for every 17 days on the road. How could I resist. I did the right thing and told my DM that the load I was on would be my last for CRE.
The big screw-you was yet to come. I got to south central OK and was ready to deliver at 9:30 am in the morning. I even got there a few hours early. Then the people at Dollar General told me that the appointment for my load wasn't until 9:30 pm! What??? That's 12 hours from now. I told my DM and he said there wasn't anything he could do, I would just have to sit there. That was total comfirmation that I had done the right thing by finding other employment. As an IC, sitting for 12 hours is suicide for the weekly paycheck.
I got the load delivered at 9:30pm and the next morning I headed straight for home in Denver, CO. I stopped in western Kansas. The snow was crazy. I got home the next evening and instantly got stuck in the snow about 50 feet from where I was trying to park my truck. I really hate snow!
A guy with a frontend loader came along and pulled me out. I offered to pay him a bit for his trouble, but he just said "Merry Christmas, go enjoy your family", and drove off. What a great holiday gift!
I spent Christmas at home and on the following Tuesday drove the truck back to Salt Lake City and turned it in on Wednesday. I'm glad to be out from under that obligation. I wanted to post my pay statements so everyone could see what exactly the miles were and what the pay ended up being, but CRE instantly deleted my account on the CRE website to allow me to see anything. Oh well. I will say that the miles I was getting were no where near what was needed to suceed.
I got hired by another company that will have me home every 7-10 days for 2-3 days and they pay "practical miles", that's what the truck actually rolls, not the map miles zip to zip. Starting at .32 cents per mile and the health plan for family is only $53 a week. The CRE IC health plan totaled over $500 a month!
So, anyway, I leave for orientation with Reohl Transportation on Saturday. It will take me 2 days to drive up to Marshfield, WI where their headquarters is, but the cool thing is that they are getting me rental car and paying my hotel on my way up there. It's a better feeling already.
As with everything I have written so far, I will be true to what has happened and keep it real. I'm not going to badmouth CRE. I just found a better opportunity. If anyone wants to pump my brain about my 4 month experience with CRE, please email me at skyviper73@yahoo.com and I will try to reply asap. Understand that I will be on the road alot, but I will do my best to respond.
That's what's up. A new job at a new company. I'll actually see my family without costing myself tons of money by parking the truck for a few days. I'm looking foward to the new year and a new direction. I'll keep the blog going as best I can. The good, the bad, everything!
