CRST Exit Oppurtunities???

I don't know how many times we've had new drivers in here begging for some secret way they can break their contract at CRST. Those guys don't play. They are serious about this. You agreed to let them pay your way through training and they want to see you help them get their investment in you back.

If you break your contract with CRST, every time a company tries to verify your employment for the next 5 years they will get a letter like this:

And CRST will wait the full 29.5 days before verifying anything else. Those letters just tell other companies that trying to hire this driver is a waste of their time.

Bruce, Thanks for the questions. I can't say just why CRST became my choice exactly. When I first started researching the transportation industry CRST was the first company I called. The person was very friendly and interested and took time to answer my questions. I felt like I mattered. But at that time she, mistakenly, told me I didn't qualify because I lived out of their hiring area. So more research. Then when I filled out the form, here, a recruiter called me within about 30 minutes, he told me I did live within the hiring area. I then submitted an online application on a Friday, and took all weekend to think about it. I guess for the most part, although I can't say just why (I know this is illogical), but I just feel CRST is going to the place for me. I have a peace about where my life is heading. I've had this before and it has always worked out. I don't expect smooth sailing and I know there will be hard and uncomfortable times, but that's true no matter where we go in life. I don't expect perfection, just an opportunity to learn and do well if I work hard. CRST is willing to take a green horn like me and I am thankful and greatful for such a chance. Also I read Millionmiler24's journal about training with CRST and his account helped sway my decision. I have a space in work history, but with CRST wasn't an issue. Some of the other companies I applied with wouldn't accept this. With choices narrowed down CRST just seemed to come into focus.

Now about team driving. Again I feel peaceful about it. I read Brett's article on the subject and am aware of the pros and cons and I feel I really want to give it a go. In years of working in different jobs and places I have been able to work with a lot of different personality types. Should I have the blessing to team up with someone with a strong work ethic I believe we will do well together, and do well for the company. I like working with others and I have also worked alone. So if teaming doesn't work I will be confident going solo someday. But somehow I believe this will work for me. I'm going to give it all I have. I know some will read this and say I might need my head examined. They could be right I suppose, but I'm going to put myself in the way and see what happens. I will update my experiences good or bad; but without complaining.

Just completed my first week of team driving (my 3rd week of OTR training), and here have been my sleep times thus far.

No way I could push a brand new, inexperienced driver to start off team driving:

Scroll the bottom of my post

CRST contacted me several times and I told them each time that I'm not interested in having to team drive. I have no problem doing it initially for TNT as it is just a means to an end, but to have to do it all the time with a stranger, no thanks

They still contact me, after leaving 3 years ago...

... but to have to do it all the time with a stranger, no thanks

My biggest fear when coming into this industry was getting a trainer that snores...and snoring is what my trainer does best.

I'm wearing earplugs and Bose noise-canceling headphones while playing ambient noise and it still can't block him out + his snoring vibrates my bunk.

I couldn't fathom going into a longterm team relationship w/ a stranger and getting somebody who snores.

Just 1.5 weeks to go and I'll finally get some good sleep in the truck.

Hi All,

If I end up at CRST, how easy is it to get on with a company where I can become solo OTR? I really don't want to team, however, I'm willing to stick it out for the ten month contract as my options are limited.

Welcome Smart. I am heading to CRST in May. I suppose you might say I have "new man's enthusiasm." I'm not at all ashamed to claim that, in fact, it feels good to get a foot in the door. However I want to ask you, if you don't mind, how come you don't sound very excited to be going there? Maybe I'm wrong, if so please forgive me I mean no disrespect at all. But when you say you're "willing to stick it out..." That doesn't sound very good to me. If this isn't where you want to go, you won't only be unhappy, you will also make others miserable as well. Anyway I hope the best for you and that you will be happy. Perhaps we will meet up someday.

How concerned are you about the horror stories regarding the pay?

Hi All,

If I end up at CRST, how easy is it to get on with a company where I can become solo OTR? I really don't want to team, however, I'm willing to stick it out for the ten month contract as my options are limited.

Welcome Smart. I am heading to CRST in May. I suppose you might say I have "new man's enthusiasm." I'm not at all ashamed to claim that, in fact, it feels good to get a foot in the door. However I want to ask you, if you don't mind, how come you don't sound very excited to be going there? Maybe I'm wrong, if so please forgive me I mean no disrespect at all. But when you say you're "willing to stick it out..." That doesn't sound very good to me. If this isn't where you want to go, you won't only be unhappy, you will also make others miserable as well. Anyway I hope the best for you and that you will be happy. Perhaps we will meet up someday.

How concerned are you about the horror stories regarding the pay?

THIS WAS MEANT FOR DOUG C...

How concerned are you about the horror stories regarding the pay?

Smart C, there are horror stories about the pay in trucking at every major carrier there is. Who do you think writes these horror stories? Well, let me enlighten you. Those things are written by the very people who have not figured out how to make it as truck drivers. I can think of three people in this forum over the last few years who got started at CRST, and they did very well. You have got to realize that trucking is a performance based business. We get paid based on how much we can accomplish. Unfortunately it is not that easy for new drivers to excel at this, and then when you pair them up with another driver who is a serious slacker, you have a recipe for disaster. There are problems with starting this career as a Team driver. You can't blame those problems on the company or accuse them of not paying well just because you aren't turning the kind of miles that produce nice paychecks. As long as you and your co-driver are getting it done, you will do well. If you can't muster up what it takes, then you will do poorly. Trucking is something that doesn't work out well for a lot of the people who try it.

People are so accustomed to having regular jobs that pay them a certain amount of money for whatever time they spend on the job. It just doesn't work that way in trucking. We get paid for being productive. It is actually a great way to get paid in my opinion, but it sure separates out the pretenders. You will do just fine at CRST if you can prove to be productive. The problem is not only that you are inexperienced, but you add another layer of difficulty onto it by having to join yourself at the hip with another inexperienced driver who can prove to be a big drain on your pay. People have these problems and then all they know to do is blame the company and claim they pay "slave wages." If they were honest with themselves they would figure out what is going on and do what they can to turn things around for themselves. I learned all this stuff while I was rookie driver at Western Express, a company that was always maligned online about how low their pay was. Ha! I made fifty grand my rookie year. There were several people who went through orientation with me who quit before three months had gone by - all of them blamed it on the really low pay they were getting. How can we say the company pays slave wages when I made far more than most rookie drivers do during their rookie year? You will always be the determining factor in your pay. All those people who write those horror stories about their lousy pay must own up to the fact that they didn't produce anywhere near what was necessary to earn a decent wage. That's the harsh truth about trucking. Unfortunately very few people own up to their responsibilities in this matter, it's far too easy to lay the blame on the lousy company. It's a total cop out as far as I'm concerned.

I started at CRST and was told my military time would be a credit towards my starting pay, using a formula of theirs. It may be completely different now, but I started on day one in 2015 at 48.5 cents a mile, so the pay was great for a beginning. Not many companies started at that amount then or now.