Considering Training With CR England
Topic 1283 | Page 1
Not to bash your hopes, but I think your expectations may be a little unreasonable...Firstly, CRE will pay for your schooling and train you, but you will be a company driver and they will expect you to work under contract for a period of time, usually 8 months or so and you will most certainly be required to go Over the Road for your first year or so. Making 40K+ your first year is also a lofty, but almost certainly unattainable goal. MOST rookie drivers can expect to make 30-35K their first year before taxes..The chances of you getting a dedicated local route right out of the gate...not very high, I'm afraid...almost all of those jobs go to experienced drivers due to the nature of having to drive a lot in heavy traffic most of the time. If you go OTR , you can expect to be home one day for every week on the road, and you will most likely be required to be out 3-4 weeks at a time before you can take home time... I know what I have said all seems negative, and I hate to be the guy(no pun intended) who is, but we try and shoot straight here..now, you will notice that I have not outright used the word impossible, but it will be difficult to do what you are thinking..I would say that if you adjust your goals and maybe what you are expecting to do, then trucking may very well work out to be a good career move for you...
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Over The Road:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Thank you. I appreciate the info! I was told that there is a no-experience dedicated route available so it sounds like if this is so then it will make a bit of difference. I have a few more questions if it is okay.
I wonder if another trucking company would be a better choice for me. Is CR England about the same as others? Is there something closer to home (Portland Me). Also I was not told I would be under contract. Are there other questions I should be asking? The rep would not give me specifics about pay while driving with the trainer in writing, although she said it would be 430 weekly after taxes. Does that sound accurate? Thank you so much for any info/advice. It means a lot to me.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Thank you. I appreciate the info! I was told that there is a no-experience dedicated route available so it sounds like if this is so then it will make a bit of difference. I have a few more questions if it is okay.
I wonder if another trucking company would be a better choice for me. Is CR England about the same as others? Is there something closer to home (Portland Me). Also I was not told I would be under contract. Are there other questions I should be asking? The rep would not give me specifics about pay while driving with the trainer in writing, although she said it would be 430 weekly after taxes. Does that sound accurate? Thank you so much for any info/advice. It means a lot to me.
This is a GREAT place to start...Trucking Companies and here, too Company-Sponsored Training
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
April, the recruiters job is to get you in the door and they'll say anything to put food on their dinner table. They often don't tell the truth. You won't get on a dedicated straight out of training I guarantee you that. Dedicated accounts are special customers and they need drivers who won't be late and who know what they're doing.
You would be under contract for a year. They provide a service (training you). And you pay them back by working with them for a certain amount of time. They can't train people and have those people quit after a month. Where's their profit if they allowed that?
That link my friend Decou gave you is what you need to study. I work for Central Ref it's basically the same thing as England. We go to the same shippers and recievers. The only dedicated that Central offers requires at the minimum 4 months experience and only if you live in a certain state.
The only way I see you possibly making 40k your first year is driving a lightweight truck at Prime and basically never going home. There's a giant learning gap you need to overcome to start making consistent good paychecks. This job is performance based which means the better you are the more money you make. A rookie doesn't know anything yet, doesn't know how to properly manage his time, doesn't know how to maximize his driving time, doesn't know how to properly trip plan to maximize driving time, isn't accustomed to driving long long long hours yet, and a rookie definitely won't be getting amazing miles.
Trucking is a great job, I LOVE it. But don't go into the industry with the only thing on your mind being money. You'll end up walking away disappointed. So dont think that this is coming from a grumpy, butthurt old man. I love the job. I also hate to break it to you but I think your expectations are impossible for your first year.
Yes, I used that word Mr. Decou!
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Guy and Daniel...you dudes are the reason I don't worry if I go MIA for awhile...you have taken in alot of info in your time here...and you are so good at passing it on to others who ask the hard questions... So ya can't leave...cuz I need vacations...my Harley gets lonely in the garage....
Good Luck April..you will find what fits you...its just a search and seek thing to your parameters (spell check spelled that word...I think its wrong...you can't fool a mind molded my nuns !!!). So keep at it...you have lots of time. And feel free to come and ask anything you want...the only dumb question is the one you never ask....
Welcome aboard April!
Before you make any decisions about anything, go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide. That will explain your choices for schooling, your choices for jobs, and help you understand the industry and how to get your trucking career off to a great start.
It is indeed going to be somewhat challenging finding what you're looking for, especially from a refrigerated carrier. If you want regional and dedicated routes that can get you home more often, look at dry van and flatbed carriers.
But before you do anything else, go through our career guide and follow all of the links you see throughout it. There's a ton of critical information you'll want to know before making any decisions.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
Yes, I used that word Mr. Decou!
Daniel,
I can't wait to pop into a truckstop and meet you, man..you sound like the kind of person I would get along well with.. 
Haha! Maybe one day!
Cr england is hire guys for the walmart account i live in cali spoke with the girl she said i would run most of cali from south up north mught have to shoot to utah or az and back and i would of been going to there school but im going to a school on my own so i dont have to be tied down to a company for the training
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Hi, I am considering signing up for training with CR England and am worried that I will invest all of this time and then not find it financially feasible. I am needing to make at least 40k/ year, and hoping I can do this with a dedicated route I-95 corridor. I would like to home with my kids at least 2 days/week. Obviously I know very little about any of this but am going to have to decide within the next few days if this might be a good choice, as fate threw me a curve ball. Any advice at all would be very helpful.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."