Profile For Keith W.

Be careful about taking a stand against a company while working for another that has its own set of problems. Every company has its advantages and disadvantages. I agree, 26 cents per mile is too low by today's standards. But their drivers are out of training months before yours are and the contract at their company is shorter also. Also, when you fulfill the contract at CR England the tuition is now free. Lastly, CR England will give guys and gals with more questionable backgrounds an opportunity that other companies won't, and you know they get burned for that sometimes.

So CR England isn't all bad by any means.

CR ENGLAND has a very successful business model which includes, I dare say depended, on recruiting the very ones nobody wants, a under tapped pool if you will. I also understand the severe underpay, this pool of drivers is not without its liabilities. Thus to insure profitability they need to keep the cost per mile as low as possible. I get it and I'm not flicked up about it, however there comes a point between profit and exploitation that I believe they cross.

As to them wanting to fire me, even if I was completely responsible for being late on 15% of my loads (I'm not, see the previous post) I doubt that I would have much to worry about. I PERSONALLY know 2 drivers that are still employed at England one had 2 accidents (1 slow speed illegal left turn, and 1 backing accident into another rig) the other flipped the truck (pulled over in the snow and ice on a soft shoulder that had a sharp decline got out to check something and the truck slid down the incline and tipped) (his story but he is definitely still working)

Gentlemen, I quoted a 85% on time rate because that includes loads I was given that where already late when I was dispatched, and loads that where late by no fault of my own.

I have been late on loads twice in five months.

Now I am not saying that this has no bearing on my miles nor am I saying that my time management skills don't need work. But what I am saying is my service record while not spotless is not as horrible as you all assume.

That said I think a large part of my problem is that I am a regional driver and I get ping ponged between CA and AZ alot.

With that said I think the point being presented is that it's all my fault, I am the author of my own misery, and the company is blameless beyond any doubt. I believe that those responses that choose that tact are disingenuous as they don't take into account the vagaries of the very job we do and what motivates the company.

For example in one case I sat at target for 14 hours I received 160 detention pay but lost my loads for the next 3 days. I accept these things as part of the job and accept responsibility when I am wrong. I just don't believe I'm as wrong as you would have me believe.

Keith I obviously agree you're not making a living wage and 26 cpm is awful by today's standards. But there isn't a trucking company on the planet that can pay their bills with trucks averaging 1,500 miles per week. So there are a ton of trucks getting double the miles you are. Why is that? Have you asked dispatch why you aren't getting more miles? Have you spoken with your dispatcher's boss? The operations manager? Anyone higher up that can help you?

Because I promise you there are plenty of drivers averaging 2800+ miles per week. The question you have to find an answer for is, "Why am I not one of those drivers?"

Someone at that company can fix this, assuming you have a nearly perfect service and safety record. You didn't mention that. Normally if someone has a perfect service and safety record but isn't getting any miles they'll say so. If they've spoken to the company's management about it they'll say so.

Maybe you have a lousy dispatcher. Maybe you're not speaking up so they're ignoring you. I don't know. But there's a reason you're not getting miles and other drivers are. Some drivers would talk to management and see if they can get the ship back on course. Others jump ship and wind up in the same predicament somewhere else. You have to learn to talk to the people running these companies. You have to find the right people and talk to them the right way. If you can do that, and you're doing your job well, then this can be worked out quickly.

But I promise you.....if you jump ship instead of working things out every time things don't go your way you'll be like a guy I got an email from the other day. He said he's had four trucking jobs in the last year and now nobody will hire him. Geez......shocking.

The drivers who really have it made are the ones that stick with a company for a while, do a stellar job, get on with a solid dispatcher, and get to know some of the managers so they can make a quick phone call and get things fixed if they aren't going like they should. But jumping ship just means you wind up at the bottom again where you have to spend months proving yourself all over again.

But I've gotta say....there's no defending 26 cents per mile. I'll give you that. I just hate to see someone jump ship because they're not getting good miles. That's a problem that can be easily fixed if you're a great driver, or a problem that will follow you everywhere you go if you're not. But it's really not a reason to leave a company. That's like leaving when your truck breaks down. You don't quit over that. You get it fixed.

Wow you are right! My safety record is good but am running about 85% on time. The reason is that even if you don't feel you can run the load on time they want you to accept the load with the idea that they will swap you out later. One example of that is I had a 1300 appointment for a 2 pickup load that was due in AZ the next morning at 0800 (from COI, CA) I arrived and was checked in @1000 But didn't get my bills for 7 hours after that by that time I didnt have the drive time to make the 0800 appointment time and I let after hours know that if I didn't get swapped the load would be late. The load was late. In terms of my service record I have been late twice that where all my fault (once I over slept, and once I was so tired I had to pull over and sleep)

I have talked to my fleet DM which has changed 3 times in 4 months and quite frankly I am tired of begging.

We all need to pay our dues in whatever form and 26 cents even at 3k miles a week would be tough. I feel exploited. I know that England deserves a return for the time and money put into my training but where is the line?

It may take a while for everyone to know about the rule change. Give it another month or so.

I started trucking through the trucking school that CREngland owns and I agreed to stay with England 9 months to pay for the school.

Here's the problem. I signed that document with the understanding that I would earn a livable wage although no wage provision was part of the contract.

I am averaging 1500 miles per week (over the last 10 weeks) at $0.26 per mile.

I don't have to ask who among us can support a family on this.....

This is "I owe my soul to the company store" of the present day. How can I be expected to honor a contract that I signed not knowing how much I would be paid.

Thus I have decided to leave however I have a clear dac and I want it to stay that way. I was offered a position by KTS and I want to make the transition I just don't know how to quit my job with England under these circumstances, do I quit over the qualcomm and tell them to route me to where I will turn in the truck as soon as possible, should I just deliver my load do not accept anymore dispatches and drive the truck to the terminal and turn in the keys what will get me away from England dac intact?

You nailed it there. 1500mi @ 26 is not enough for a single driver to live on. Really anything under 30-35 is just not worth it.

I would send a message over the QC as well as hand write yourself a 2 weeks notice. Nothing states you have to give 2 weeks, its just common decency. In your QC message, I would put to get you routed to your home terminal so you can turn in keys and clean out truck.

Don't just drop the truck anywhere. and make sure you finish off whatever load you have. If for some reason they don't route you home or give you some BS, then make note of the closest terminal to you, send another message saying you will drop the truck off at said terminal and then when you hand the keys in to the shop or whomever, get a written sign doc stating you turn the truck in and it wasn't abandon.

You'll want to do everything you can to cover yourself. always send messages via QC as its a paper trail, and get everything written in writing if you can..

When I left swift, I sent in my call home for home time, when I got to my home terminal, I gave my DM a hand written paper saying i quit. I also sent a message in saying turn keys in to so and so. I then cleaned my truck out and went home. They tried to get me to come back with increase pay + dedicated account with 2000+ miles. Still denied them.

hope it helps.

Yes David you did help. And I will do what you said to the letter, if I am nothing else I am trainable. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I started trucking through the trucking school that CREngland owns and I agreed to stay with England 9 months to pay for the school.

Here's the problem. I signed that document with the understanding that I would earn a livable wage although no wage provision was part of the contract.

I am averaging 1500 miles per week (over the last 10 weeks) at $0.26 per mile.

I don't have to ask who among us can support a family on this.....

This is "I owe my soul to the company store" of the present day. How can I be expected to honor a contract that I signed not knowing how much I would be paid.

Thus I have decided to leave however I have a clear dac and I want it to stay that way. I was offered a position by KTS and I want to make the transition I just don't know how to quit my job with England under these circumstances, do I quit over the qualcomm and tell them to route me to where I will turn in the truck as soon as possible, should I just deliver my load do not accept anymore dispatches and drive the truck to the terminal and turn in the keys what will get me away from England dac intact?