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Mark,Lucky or Joe maybe able to help you with the particulars on Crete. I just wanted to say to dont discredit opti-idle. I really wish I had it on my truck would be very nice to go to sleep and know my truck will turn on when needed and off also when its at the temp I want my cab to be. I am not really pleased when I wake up and my cab is 40 degrees and below and I have to turn the truck on to make it warm enough to stay out of bed.
I get up turn truck on and can not go back to sleep. Because I dont want the truck to idle for more than about 25 minutes. I have reasons for the 25 minute or less idle. I worked for a company that had it and I really liked it. Honeslty most I know who work for Crete like them very much and if I didint like my dispatcher so much I would seriously think about moving to them.Company Driver Division

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Unless Crete has changed its policy on hiring newbies they are very particular.
Joetruckdriver would be the one to ask. Up till just recently he was a trainer for Crete.
As far as opti-idle goes. It is a bit annoying at first, but after a shor ttime most people get used to it and it no longer bothers them.
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You're on the right track

If you can't get on with Crete, and if you live near Nashville, there are worse places to get your time in.

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I'm almost with Crete, I'm with Shaffer and basically we are all owned by the same guy but I chose the "reefer" division because is more flexibility with types of load but the pay and policy's are about the same.
Besides for us we don't sit those long hours at food warehouses like most of the reefer companies do.
As for the opti-idle, what they say is true its weird at first, but once you're used to it theres no big deal really.
Good Luck with Crete, or come on over and join us.... I'm in love with my sweet angel Cindy !!!!!

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Don't just look at the starting pay, there are other options that factor-in. For instance, benefits, miles, driver treatment and support, etc. Look at what you can make with the company 10 or 12 months down the road. How does the pay (and increases) rate?
Also, go with a company where you can leave the truck running all the time, and you won't have to worry about it. Optimized-Idle companies are in the minority. I even think USA Truck is considering getting rid of them because it's not been all that it's touted to be (i.e., they're not seeing that much of a fuel savings difference-it takes more fuel to start an engine, than if you'd just left it running for a time).
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Just make sure that you are going to a school they hire out of and that you are going to qualify, as stated earlier they do not hire just anybody.
The starting pay is not .31 cpm though, I am thinking it is .33 cpm now (far as I know) it may be more. Unless you go on one of the dedicated fleets they have a different pay scale (less than OTR which is what I do) top pay OTR is going to be .44 cpm December 20 You can see the website at www.cretecarrier.com that may answer many questions though it may not be up to date.
I like the opt idle my self you set the temp you want and then it is like the furnace in your house truck only comes on to warm you up or charge the batteries if you leave the engine retarder on it makes the truck shut off smother and it is easier to sleep and ear plugs help also.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. If I don’t know the answer I might be able to find some one who does. I have been with Crete going on 12 years now.
Be careful of what you wish for you just may get it, trucking is not what you think it is it is what it it is.
Be safe
Joseph
http://www.cretecarrier.com/crete/sccapp.html is the training program address
http://www.cretecarrier.com/ is the home pageDo the VI maintain your following distance maintain your lane position observe the speed limit observe the things around you and keep good records
Safe driving to you.
Joe


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The starting pay after training is 31 cents per mile. Iwas just there monday the 29th. traing pay is 400 per week for a mandatory 8 weeks, no short cuts . they are very professional and are very particular who they hire. You have to road test before you can even train. Iguess they want to make sure you can somewhat handle yourself . went through north columbus ohio and the guy who took me out just had a new experimental clutch put in called a button clutch. I understood the meaning of button as the thing is either in or out! A lot of leg pressure. Iam very glad to be able to be on board, as they do pay well and i haent heard any negativity about them. good luck and GOD BLESS!

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I drove for Crete and think they are a pretty good company. They actually pay for detention after two hours without having to fight tooth and nail for it. They also give you a choice of up to three loads when you are dispatched. One time they even got me out west after I asked nicely. I got decent miles with them and was usually dispatched under five minutes after I emptied out.
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I drove for Crete for 8 months and left to be home more. They are a decent company, but don't expect to get a ton of miles. I had way too much time on loads. Was able to set up sat dish and get online almost everyday. I prefer to drive more than 400 miles a day. Thats about what I averaged. As far as detention goes, don't count on gettting it. They have a couple of customers that pay, but most don't. I filed over 10 claims to only be paid on 2 of them. Alside is one of the customers that pay. The equipment is nice and well maintained and they have some nice terminals i.e Wilmer, Tx, Marietta, GA. They do some things real well, but they also have some short comings. Will explain if asked. Good luck

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I used to be leased onto HTL, another Acklie company, alomg with quite a few friends that followed me over here to where I moved. The last one that came over has been here for 9 months, now and still gets an occassional check for detention that Crete collected from a customer. Don't give up hope, you might still get some money from them...
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Hiya T4J... I wave at the baby blue trucks too

FT, if you will stop and logically think about it, regardless of the company involved, would it not make more sense to pay the driver a bit more if you could save a bit on fuel?
As to the old wives tale of taking more fuel to start an engine rather than run it, I suggest you consult with the engineers at Detroit Diesel
I have, in the past, worked for a company that had no idle policy and no out of route mile policy. It was nice, but it paid less than what I make now. They also had a dictionary that did not include the term "home time"

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Looks like I'll be going back to Crete after the 1st of Jan. This log truck thing isn't paying all that well and there arent any other local jobs that pay decent around here so I get to go back on the road. When I was talking to my FM he did say that Crete changed their hometime policy to get home every 10-14 days and they are upping thier pay across the board.