I'm Quitting C.R. England Because Of Low Miles

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?

Well we've definitely nailed the problem down anyhow. You keep winding up with different dispatchers so you haven't even had much of a chance to prove yourself. But the real problem is that they've given you chances and you haven't made the most of em. You've been showing up late. They can't have that. You're going to cost them customers if that continues.

I know that England deserves a return for the time and money put into my training but where is the line?

I don't know, but ironically I would be asking the same thing if I was a manager at CR England and I was looking at your record. They're giving you half the miles they give their best drivers and you're still not getting places on time. So they're not able to give you better miles because you're not taking care of their customers. Therefore, they can't make money off you. Not only have they invested their time, money, and resources into training you, but now they're losing more money because you're not able to get the job done consistently.

So your question is a good one.....CR England is throwing good money after bad. They're losing money on someone that isn't panning out. Where and when should they draw the line and decide it's time to let you go?

Ironic, isn't it? You want to leave because you're not getting the miles, but it's your own fault you're not getting the miles. You're considering quitting, and they're considering firing you. They might even be hoping you'll just quit because the fastest way I know to get a driver to quit is give them 1,500 miles a week. That's what I'd do.

So you've gotta decide how you're going to handle your job and your career from this point forward. Are you going to get the job done safely and consistently so you can earn the great miles other drivers are getting? Or are you going to be tossed around from company to company getting nowhere, convinced the trucking industry itself or the companies you're working for are the problem?

We preach personal responsibility here because we know from experience that the best drivers get the best treatment, the most miles, and special favors once in a while that other drivers don't get. And when a great driver has a problem, management is far more likely to listen and do what they can to help.

Now you can quit CR England and go elsewhere but basically all you're doing is preventing them from firing you, which I think is what they're hoping for at this point. Then you'll be taking the same problem somewhere else where you'll run into the same thing. On top of that, you'll now have more tuition to pay back because you quit before the contract is up.

I would consider sticking it out until the contract is up. It's only a few months longer. Keep your safety and service record perfect, pay off that tuition, learn to manage your time better, and get them to trust you with more miles. Learn how these companies work on the inside and learn to understand what's really going on. You're ready to jump ship but you're so new to the industry that you thought CR England was the problem here. You didn't even know it was you causing your own problems. That should scare you a little bit and hopefully make you think, "Yeah, maybe he's right. Maybe I better just keep learning my trade, prove myself to this company, and get that contract paid off before I make any major career decisions."

You have the whole rest of your life to seek out the best pay per mile you can find. But you have to understand how to earn the big miles or that pay per mile will never be anything but a pipe dream you'll be wishing for while sitting around doing nothing. I'd like to see you finish out the contract anyhow. You don't want to start a new career and have your very first opportunity end in a bust. I wouldn't anyhow. I'd want to redeem myself first.

@Daniel

The line gets drawn when drivers stop working for companies that severely underpay

What should we do about drivers who work for companies that take in students off the street, won't let them home for months at a time, and hold them in training for three months instead of one to take advantage of the cheap miles they'll turn for lease drivers?

Or what about companies that use tiny lightweight trucks and cram their drivers in them to make an extra buck off the freight they can haul? Other drivers are hauling the same loads you are in much bigger, nicer trucks.

If my company can squeeze out a profit off of me at .45 per mile than they're making a killing off of you.

I know a guy in this forum that's making way more money than you are and he's home every night and off two days a week. If his company can pay him that much and get him home that often then yours must be able to also.

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.

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.

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 dot. 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.

Keith, I wanted so bad to jump in here the other day, but I was pushing everything I had to get my work load accomplished and just didn't have the chance. I realize I'm late in jumping in, but I just wanted to elaborate just a little with hopes that you will better understand the things that folks are trying to share with you.

First off, let me assure you that no one in here has been "disingenuous" with you.

It is very difficult to get a good start in this business. It is so radically different than any other job out there, and there really is no one to help a new driver out. These companies give you a set of keys to a nice big truck, and then they throw you to the wind. It takes a very independent individual to make it through their rookie year. Everyone I have ever talked to, thought about quitting their job several times during that first year, and it was usually because it was too much stress and not enough money. The dispatchers seem like they don't even know or care what you are going through, and a new driver usually doesn't even know where or who to try and talk to if he's having issues. So, everybody in here can understand what you are going through. We just want to try and get you to switch your focus from the "bad" company mentality to how you can take your situation and build it into something that will work for you until you can complete your contractual agreement.

I don't recommend you quit, but I would say you've got to figure out why you are getting such low numbers on your dispatched miles. I started my career at .27 cpm , so I can definitely relate to what you are going through - it is tough at those kind of rates, it is doable, but not with 1500 miles a week. I completely agree with Brett when he uses his good logic to tell you that they are not making any money with you running like you are.

The toughest thing about getting started in this stuff is that they expect you to sink or swim, and to them the folks who are going to become good drivers figure this stuff out on their own after getting a few really weak paychecks. You have got to be really self motivated at this - it is a lot like being self-employed.

I remember one time we had a member jump into a conversation after they had been driving for about a year and they made a statement about their clock that indicated that they still didn't have a very good understanding as to how to manage their time so that they could be able to get the kind of miles they needed to be successful. I was shocked that after a year of driving we were still having to help them understand the little nuances that contribute to one's success in this field. They really should have already figured that out on their own.

The way to success is to build a relationship of trust with your dispatcher. That dispatcher needs you to be running just as hard as he can possibly get you to. The only way to build that relationship is to bust your tail and prove to them every day, without fail, that you are able to take care of the things they hand to you. If it's impossible to do then communicate that with them, but if there's a slight chance you can pull something off for them without complaining or having to get them to reschedule it for you then do everything in your power to make it happen. Those are the drivers that get the miles handed to them. Those are the guys who the dispatchers and the load planners start to recognize as the movers and shakers. They become the "go to guys".

We can try to pontificate about running safely all we want, but the drivers that call in and say I got tired so I had to stop and take a nap which put me late, or saying I accidentally overslept and caused a delay are the ones who start getting overlooked - that is just reality.

Here's three words I want you to remember whether you stay at C.R. England or not - these three words will have the greatest effect on your success or your failure at any trucking company in the land. Are you ready? Write then down and never forget them because they are of utmost importance!

PERFORMANCE.... PERFORMANCE... PERFORMANCE!

There you have it - That is what every trucking company is looking for in their drivers.

DO NOT LOOK TO THE COMPANY FOR PERFORMANCE - LOOK TO YOURSELF.

That is where you will find success in this business. I know this is so, because I was very successful while working at a company that only paid me one cent more a mile than you are getting at C.R. England.

Hang in there and do a bang up job and you can turn this whole situation around.

Greeny, I don't want to burst your bubble, but I don't know any truck drivers who are making six figure incomes. I noticed an earlier post where you made a similar comment, and I decided not to say anything, but if you persist in putting this kind of information on here I have to correct it. If not for your sake, at least for the other new folks who jump in here looking for "trucking truth".

I was a business owner for many years, and I had years where our revenues were measured in large six figure amounts, yet the money that we actually made were only around thirty or forty thousand dollars. The only truck drivers that you could have possibly spoken with who think they are making six figure incomes would be owner operators, and one of the things they seem to learn early in their careers is how to exaggerate their incomes.

A hard working individual who has a good head on his shoulders can really do well in truck driving. You can earn some good money. You can make a good steady pay check, and you can enjoy a totally cool life style that few people can afford. But it is very rare for a truck driver to make a six figure income.

There is a great disparity between revenues and actual dollars earned in the trucking business. With an industry average of around a 3% profit margin, just doing some simple math will show you that a lot of people are losing money in this business. It's been that way for a long time. There are some major players in this game who can afford to keep the margins low. It is a commodities business where the lowest bid gets the job - there is no getting around that. There are little niches here and there that people try to capitalize on, but they are always short lived as the onlookers will move in on them like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

Any truck driver who has told you they are making six figure incomes does not have enough sense to differentiate between revenues and actual income.

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.

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.

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.

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?

You feel exploited because you are being exploited. Me and you, we haul the same exact loads, The only difference is we start rookies off at .43 per mile. If my company can squeeze out a profit off of me at .45 per mile than they're making a killing off of you.

The line gets drawn when drivers stop working for companies that severely underpay. They would be forced to start their drivers at a better base pay rate, but since they are still bringing in drivers why should they do that?

I would stay with them until my six month mark than I would start looking for another driving opportunity. Depending on your location you can actually get a local job with only six months experience. You will owe them money for not fulfilling your contract. But that money won't be anywhere near to the amount that you'll lose by sticking with them.

Well we've definitely nailed the problem down anyhow. You keep winding up with different dispatchers so you haven't even had much of a chance to prove yourself. But the real problem is that they've given you chances and you haven't made the most of em. You've been showing up late. They can't have that. You're going to cost them customers if that continues.

I know that England deserves a return for the time and money put into my training but where is the line?

I don't know, but ironically I would be asking the same thing if I was a manager at CR England and I was looking at your record. They're giving you half the miles they give their best drivers and you're still not getting places on time. So they're not able to give you better miles because you're not taking care of their customers. Therefore, they can't make money off you. Not only have they invested their time, money, and resources into training you, but now they're losing more money because you're not able to get the job done consistently.

So your question is a good one.....CR England is throwing good money after bad. They're losing money on someone that isn't panning out. Where and when should they draw the line and decide it's time to let you go?

Ironic, isn't it? You want to leave because you're not getting the miles, but it's your own fault you're not getting the miles. You're considering quitting, and they're considering firing you. They might even be hoping you'll just quit because the fastest way I know to get a driver to quit is give them 1,500 miles a week. That's what I'd do.

So you've gotta decide how you're going to handle your job and your career from this point forward. Are you going to get the job done safely and consistently so you can earn the great miles other drivers are getting? Or are you going to be tossed around from company to company getting nowhere, convinced the trucking industry itself or the companies you're working for are the problem?

We preach personal responsibility here because we know from experience that the best drivers get the best treatment, the most miles, and special favors once in a while that other drivers don't get. And when a great driver has a problem, management is far more likely to listen and do what they can to help.

Now you can quit CR England and go elsewhere but basically all you're doing is preventing them from firing you, which I think is what they're hoping for at this point. Then you'll be taking the same problem somewhere else where you'll run into the same thing. On top of that, you'll now have more tuition to pay back because you quit before the contract is up.

I would consider sticking it out until the contract is up. It's only a few months longer. Keep your safety and service record perfect, pay off that tuition, learn to manage your time better, and get them to trust you with more miles. Learn how these companies work on the inside and learn to understand what's really going on. You're ready to jump ship but you're so new to the industry that you thought CR England was the problem here. You didn't even know it was you causing your own problems. That should scare you a little bit and hopefully make you think, "Yeah, maybe he's right. Maybe I better just keep learning my trade, prove myself to this company, and get that contract paid off before I make any major career decisions."

You have the whole rest of your life to seek out the best pay per mile you can find. But you have to understand how to earn the big miles or that pay per mile will never be anything but a pipe dream you'll be wishing for while sitting around doing nothing. I'd like to see you finish out the contract anyhow. You don't want to start a new career and have your very first opportunity end in a bust. I wouldn't anyhow. I'd want to redeem myself first.

@Daniel

The line gets drawn when drivers stop working for companies that severely underpay

What should we do about drivers who work for companies that take in students off the street, won't let them home for months at a time, and hold them in training for three months instead of one to take advantage of the cheap miles they'll turn for lease drivers?

Or what about companies that use tiny lightweight trucks and cram their drivers in them to make an extra buck off the freight they can haul? Other drivers are hauling the same loads you are in much bigger, nicer trucks.

If my company can squeeze out a profit off of me at .45 per mile than they're making a killing off of you.

I know a guy in this forum that's making way more money than you are and he's home every night and off two days a week. If his company can pay him that much and get him home that often then yours must be able to also.

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.

After reading through all of Brett's posts, I can understand what he means and I have to agree with him.

I can bet you, if you fixed your service record and became 100% on time, and prove yourself, you can get up to the 2500mi mark and already pull in more then you are now. You could even get to a point where the raise your pay. . I stated out at swift in 2012 and was doing 28 cpm. With 2000 miles week. I bucked up did every load sent to me on time and was presented a raise within 3 months to 32cpm. And a slight increase in miles.

Fixing your service record will help you out. If part of your problem is just getting out of bed, move your alarm to the front of the truck forcing you to get up. Another option would be to get a louder alarm. I set my alarm 2 hrs before I need to get up and then 30 min after that alarm.. it's helped a ton.

Prime has many problems. We can definitely agree on that. And they're not known for being the most "Hometime friendly" company. That's something you sort of have to accept before you sign up.

Primes training is longer because they believe that a student needs more time than a month before they should be a solo driver. I had 3 weeks with my trainer before I was let loose. I personally think that's just downright dangerous and I'm lucky I didn't kill anyone. A lot of folks want more training rather than less training so this is actually a big positive for them.

Also, the training pay is 700$ per week minimum. I sure as heck guarantee that Keith would love that paycheck over the one he's getting right now. When I started, I got 350$ for training and when I went solo it took me many months to start making more than what a student at Prime makes.

The trucks are tiny, but that's also an advantage depending on how you look at it. I can turn like a Prius and get into parking spots that the typical driver simply wouldn't dare attempt. The backing is so much easier, the local driving is also. And I don't ever have to worry about my weight.

I can't tell you the last time I used a CAT scale. Probably 4 months ago if I had to guess. The reduced weight means less sitting to get reloaded, less time balancing and scaling, and it allows you to take any load out there.

I like to look at it positively. Of course the space is limited but you adapt to it and the .05cpm bonus helps the paycheck. They give a fullsize truck to the people who need it. For instance, a few days ago Ken got a fullsize truck because he's a bigger guy and needs the extra space. And while we're on the subject, the pay for a fullsize truck is .38cpm. Now that's incredible. So I'm hauling the same loads, in the same truck, with the same great equipment but I'm making .12cpm more.

And believe me I know people are making more than me. This is by no means a golden driving opportunity. But comparing CRE to Prime is a bit of a disadvantage to the first company mentioned. They're not a bad company and a perfect fit for the right candidate. But I don't think there's room to argue about .12-.17cpm pay difference.

Of course, in the end it all depends on the performance of the driver. You make a great point with his service record and no matter where you go you won't make anything if you can't do your job with reliability, safety, and professionalism.