Hey Yall

I'm about to to sign with crst can anyone tell me anything about them other then what the recruiter has said I fill like they was just tell me what I wanted to hear to a extent and not telling me everything

That would be a spoiler! :-)

Why don’t you tell us what they said.

CRST was more than fair to me. That said, it's team driving. When I went in I thought team driving would be better because there's another driver to help you back or help get you up to speed while you're learning the dark art of truck driving. I was wrong. If I had to do it over I wouldn't start as a team driver. If I could go back in time and tell the pre-CDL me a few things I learned with hindsight, here's what I'd share:

It's team driving. You are trusting your co-driver WITH YOUR LIFE! My first co-driver was a great guy, a veteran and there were no hassles when it was his turn to drive. One night when we were taking a load of glass from California to Laredo he hit a truck that was parked on the side of the road! Drug the other truck about 20 yards. The passenger side of the truck looked like someone sanded off everything that hung out. Our trailer was totaled but the glass inside was fine. I woke up to a loud crash and the sound of several flat tires flopping as the truck coasted to a stop.

You are trusting that driver with your income. If your co-driver quits or gets fired your pay drops down to the solo rate (21cpm, but it's gone up since then). Generally, they'll route you to a terminal to find a new co-driver - eventually. Depending on the time of year you could be spending weeks without a co-driver. Once you get to a terminal it may take a while to find an available driver. Not everyone wants to drive. You'll meet a lot of, "special needs" drivers at the terminals - the guy who must eat one unrushed meal a day sitting down at a table with a tablecloth, the guy who can only sleep if the truck isn't moving, the guy who only drives between 9am and 6pm, etc.

There were a handful of times where the drivers could help each other out, but generally one driver is sleeping while the other driver is driving. It's tight quarters for two adults to share. I consider myself reasonable and easy to get a long with. I've lived in much tighter quarters in the army. That said, the army had higher standards for membership than CRST. Not everyone is easy to get along with. I had a co-driver who would knock over any cup, mug or bottle every time I left the truck. It would be firmly in a cup holder when I left the truck and on the the floor on its side when I returned. EVERY TIME! One balanced his half-melted ice cream cone on the truck's controls, coating the dash with melted ice cream. I asked him to please move his ice cream cone because it's making a mess. The next day I got a call from HR because he had complained! He said I had no right to tell him what to do because I was a company driver not a lease operator so it wasn't my truck! One driver complained that the sound of the road rubbing against the sides of the tires was keeping him awake and the only way he could sleep was if I would steer the truck away from the ruts in the road, preferably with the right tire over the fog line. Between the quitting and firing I went through 10 co-drivers.

Yes it can be hard to find a co-driver you really will get along with, for your driving time together !! I spent 22 months at CRST, well, 20, I did switch to their sister company for 2 months, after 6 months, for Gardner's for solo driving, but wasn't getting the miles I wanted, so crappy pay. Returned to CRST , after 3 worthless earlier co drivers... When I returned to CRST, I found 1 on my 4th time and we got along good,for the full year we rode together. Because from the start, after talking on what we each wanted and expected out of each other we jump into it. We are still friends now, and I visit his place near me when I can or we talk on phone... We both now are driving for a new company. He is doing local in Calif loads, while I drive Cali-Tex-Ok. n back making same I was at CRST . 60 cpm + bonus's I joined them after he had been there a couple months, and told me they were pretty good, and treat you good. Plus a smaller company with I think like 800 trucks, and getting more. I guess I got lucky, they gave me a brand new 2022 FL, w/ 2,673 miles on it lol 21,000 on it now after 6 weeks...

Back last May 1st, CRST gave everyone, retention raises, so I got bumped to 60 CPM because I was there over a year, my co got it soon as his 12th month came in.....So after 1 year drivers get that rate now. What they didn't tell me around month 13, I noticed a had an extra $375 added to my check I asked my Head DM about it, never really got a full answer until later. This happened 4 weeks. They'd add that $375, then tax you at the higher tax rate for income, then remove the $375??? WTF?? Turns out they say they IRS makes them tax us for "training" we got, for $`1,500 since it has to have some "value" So my co -driver had it done to him as soon as his 1 year was up lol, But at least he had a heads up after I went thru it first!.

My beginning class was 64 people, 2 females, by day 2 after drug tests 15-20 were gone. in the end, 24 of us graduated, of that, all the "Youngsters" were gone, a lot quit looking for better deals which they didn't find----duhhh....within 6 months, I think there was like 5 or 6 of us left, and before I left, I mighta been the last 1 working for them......They hire a ton for school, because not many of each class end up making the cut for long, if at all !!.

All in all, I have NO complaints for CRST, it got me on the road making the Benjamins ! And the 2+ years have flown by ! (without hitting anything!) Like anything, you get out of it, what you put into it...Besides their 10 month contract will fly by.