My husband just finished a CRST training school and passed his CDL and endorsement tests?
My dear, getting in to long haul trucking means a year or two low income and hard work. After that hard work remains but you will learn haw to make more money. I hate to tell you but first when you start driving a company truck, all you take home is like you were working at your local fast food restaurant . Food and road expenses will take a good part of your paycheck away. (In this case your husband鈥檚 paycheck) most companies will keep you (or him) out for 2 or 3 weeks at the time. Another point to keep in mind is that most of these companies would run you as a team with another driver which has seniority. CRST is one of them. This company has never had a reputation as a good paying company only a place to get started. That goes for many other companies as well. JB Hunt, Schneider, Swift, CR England, and many more. Now if your husband is willing to do this tell him to watch for a few things. Ask if the company requires loading and unloading and if they do so how often? How much do they pay? Do they deliver to dry warehouses only or they send you to grocery warehouses as well?
Grocery warehouses usually make drivers not only unload the truck but also break down the pallets and rearrange the load for them. Many trucking companies make their drivers do the job and pay them a little money if any. Yet lumpers charge up to $300 for same unloading and rearranging of the load. These companies use inexperienced drivers and make them believe this is a normal part of job! Try not to work for owner operators as well. I have seen many of them run out of money and before you know it there is no paycheck for you! Now with all that said, I would go to work for well know name companies to get experience while I am sure I would get pay for sure! Do not let them get you in to buying a truck through them and become owner operator because then you will be at their mercy! Many of these companies have programs to seduce you become your own boss by buying a truck! First thing you will realize after doing so is that you are no boss! Actually they boss you around even more since they know you have no other choice! One last thing is if you both have CDL it is best to put your stuff in a storage and not pay rent while driving over the road. I found this very practical and many drivers save money this way.
By the way all those companies I mentioned above are OK to work for because they at least pay you! After a while you will learn which companies to work for and which ones to stay away from!
Best of luck
Farzin
20 years in trucking
www.raziran.netMy husband just finished a CRST training school and passed his CDL and endorsement tests?
Heh.. Mrwhat, you need to know that there are federal laws against driving as long as they
supposedly asked you to.. no one can ';make'; you drive that long without stopping for a mandatory sleep break.
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What exactly is the ';career'; he was promised/expecting going thru a truck driving school?
Recruiters are all generally the same. They make the promises to get you in. (Sometimes they are given the wrong info too so not always their fault.)
I went thru the same with CRST. I lasted about 4 months with them after I went thru their schooling but had no problem finding another driving job after that. Most of these training companies like Swift, CRST, C.R. England, J.B., are the same. You will start out at a low pay... Lower than what you think you are worth... (It seems to me it is more of a trade for them giving you experience.) Tho they all have their ups and downs they are the companies you want to start out with. After a year or two pretty much any company will consider you.
If you're looking for something that will get you home every weekend or night then you will basically need to work your way up. Get experience then apply for the local/regional positions with companies in your area.... Unless you get really lucky you'll need experience for those since there are so many drivers wanting that.
I was a driver. If I was to drive again, I would choose;
1. England Trucking
2. J.B. Hunt
If your husband could drive over the road trips for about 2 to 3 years, then he could look for a daily route with local companies. Vons, Albertsons and most other local companies are with Unions. The pay is great and good benifits. Over the road is tough, but the local companies require the 2 or 3 years experience.
Good Luck
if you sign the contract with crst your jacked, i want play with you at all on that .you an your husband is stuck until the 8 month contract is up, i know trust me im in that situation right now myself.i did find work right out the gate ,but the dude tried to use me an work me 13 to 14 hrs with out rest, so i had to let that go. this trucking stuff ain't no joke,they will mess over you with out second thoghts of it.they go against thier own policy an protect all thier owner /lease operator.want know major company touch you nor your husband,crst have a proven record of sueing other companys about there driver out of training school.if u have less then 1yr of driven your jacked,noteven small companys will take you in. you have to know or have your own truck an even then it will be hard crst put it on your dot record
I was a driver mentor for Swift Transportation. I had a pleasant experience at Swift, but I needed more income for my lifestyle.
One thing, whether you go to Swift, CRST, or any other truck company, they don't pay as well as you think. You make $45,000 a year, but eating out at restaurants all the time, and buying life basics on the road is expensive. Don't expect to make a fortune on the road.
You can keep abreast of new happenings on the road by visiting cdlofit.ning.com and subscribe to LandLine magazine. Both are free, and they help you stay on top of this INCREDIBLY competitive industry.
I still think Swift is a good quality company, but not the super high income that would have you stay long term. Most drivers at Swift have less than 2 years experience or were like me, driver mentors.
Good Luck! Drive Safe!
i'm not sure what CRST means, but i am also a commercial driver. I drive a metro bus and while it's not always the best job in the world, at least its a good, steady paycheck with great benefits and retirement (which is what a lot of people are looking for in this wavering economy).
Tell him to go to halliburton jobs they are always looking for workers
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