Question:
Ahhh. Finished
Hmmmm........ Where to Start??????
I would say all in all, not bad. I got a CDL, Forked out $114 of my own for DMV and thier processing fee. 11 months to go on 1 yr commitment, Avg.ed 5500 miles a week. and for a single guy with no bills and sleepimg arrangements taking care of during home time, I didn't mind getting paid .18 cpm split of course. And when I compared my experience to that of the England Driver Trainee who I became good friends with this was definitly right choice in my eyes.
Is it the best training out there???? Although all I had to compare to was England. I would say at least as far as thier Fontana, CA. site goes? There is probably better training available. I saw some of US Truck Driving School and must admit their's look alot better. Then Again Sole purpose of the 2 week school is to get you to pass and get your CDL. the real training goes on when your with your Trainer/Driver. I started out with thier Trainer of the Year, and even though it was only a week with him, He needed to have some Med. tests done, I learned a lot from him. Second trainer was not even close to the first but still learned a lot, basically picking it up on my own. I'm teaming up with a guy that i met while there and we both seem tohave the same ideas and goals as far as running, time out on the road, home time requirements, and so forth.
As far CRST goes???? My first impressions weren't all that good , but thanks to a dispatcher and co-driver who all are on the same page as far as what we want to accomplish. they're groing on me.
And how long do i plan to stay with them???? definitly a year, prob. longer. I'll never forget the advice of my first trainer. " The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, just make sure you're not looking at green painted concrete"
Kevin

Answer:
Ask CRST if they recall the train truck incident in Villa Park, IL. It's important to remember that trains have smaller wheels and have the right away, despite the sticker on the truck that indicated something to the effect of: "The one with the biggest tires has the right of way."
I would hope that CRST includes a review of the video shot by an person video taping the train during training to reinterate it's important to make sure you don't leave 18" of trailer hanging on the track.

The incident totaled the tractor, trailer, and nine cars setting at the stop light in front of the tractor.
Be safe."If men were angels...No government would be necessary."
51st Federalist Papers
"Nichols' Fourth Law says, "Avoid any action with an unacceptable outcome"

Answer:
Oh Yeah They Show IT
I saw that footage about 3 times. In Fact they have a Represenative from BNSF come out and spend about 2 hours alone just talking about R/R crossings and the Dangers that go along with them. I must admit I was suprise to learn that people actually take time out of their day to screw with R/R Crossing Devices. How sick does one have to be????
Kevin

Answer:
$0.18 X 5,500 miles = $990.00. Not too bad. At least I hope you don't mean they are only paying the truck 18 cents a mile, and you are splitting that ...
In any case, you can make more running team expedited than solo, and if you can team you will make somewhat decent money compared to the bulk of OTR drivers. You sound like the type of person that can make team driving work, unlike most of the sociopaths and psychopaths in this business. If you find people you like to run with, after a year you can find team outfits that pay serious money for team operations. Depending on how much you owe CRST, it may pay to start looking around in 6 months or so; the higher paying team runs may more than make up the difference in what you will owe, but, maybe not. Plenty of outfits will pay the truck $0.42 to $0.57 per mile, no touch drop and hook turnarounds, and still get home on weekends, 21 to 27cents a mile to you.Jay Gould
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Answer:

Back in 1990-1993, when I was with CRST, we had to Split .16cpm.(.08cpm EACH)
Hard to believe that in 14yrs they have only had a 2cents raise.

Answer:
They no someone will take the job.

Answer:
Finished First Cycle of being on our own. The skinny of it 21,500 miles,out for 4 weeks, .22 cpm(split), Take Home Cash $500-550 a week.
All-in-all things went well, our avg. run was about 1250 miles. We ran on a 12 hr cycle between the both of us ( He was resp. from 12am-noon, and I from noon-midnight). We would each take an hr. break at the sixes if we needed to. Had 3 bad days but nothing major. Had to shut down once because of the weather, and this is where I was impressed, we called in saying that we felt the roads were to slick for us to be driving on, and there responce was "If feel unsafe then, shutdown and let us know when your moving again" and this was with a timed load(Hot Load).
Some good news, They're working on a compesation package, for time spent waiting at a shipper to get loaded. This will come in to play on my next time out so we'll see how that goes.
I know I'm still wet behind ears, but I do feel comfortable with the job, and with CRST. Wouldn't mind going solo, but want that experience first.
Kevin

Answer:
Don't stop but once every 6 hours? You pee in your pants and keep going? No meal stops? Not healthy, but, at least you're happy ...
Stck with teaming, if you want to make money. Solo's are getting less miles these days. Do you do the 20 out and 10 home thing, rotating with three drivers on the truck? They advertise that around here. Better than staying out all the timeJay Gould
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This post coming to you live, from Jesus Land !!!