CRETE (General Mills Dedicated)

[bibcheese]

I drive for crete as a new driver on GM. DED. w/ almost 1 year in so far. seems like i don,t get many miles and what i do get is mostly the **** runs. i have a perfect saftey record with no log violations and have never been late. just came back after doing reset and being sent to food wharehouse where i have to sit and wait. a whole 700 miles for two days. getting real discouraged. any advise or suggestions on what may be wrong and what i should do. i average about 4800 - 5000 miles going home every other weekend with a reset in the middle after first 6 days.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I drive for crete as a new driver on GM. DED. w/ almost 1 year in so far. seems like i don,t get many miles and what i do get is mostly the $&!+ runs. i have a perfect saftey record with no log violations and have never been late. just came back after doing reset and being sent to food wharehouse where i have to sit and wait. a whole 700 miles for two days. getting real discouraged. any advise or suggestions on what may be wrong and what i should do. i average about 4800 - 5000 miles going home every other weekend with a reset in the middle after first 6 days.

so going home every other weekend your getting 2400-2500 miles a week ? ....That doesn't sound bad at .41 Cpm ,and going home every other weekend...Have you considered that the dedicated run your on plus going home every other weekend is the limiting fact on your miles .

[bibcheese]

yeper doodle.

[abc123def456]

So is Patty your dispatcher? I was at Crete yesterday and met with Tonn.

[Clay51]

Wow, sounds like he is getting Crete team miles. As in not enough

[evertruckerr]

I drive for crete as a new driver on GM. DED. w/ almost 1 year in so far. seems like i don,t get many miles and what i do get is mostly the $&!+ runs. i have a perfect saftey record with no log violations and have never been late. just came back after doing reset and being sent to food wharehouse where i have to sit and wait. a whole 700 miles for two days. getting real discouraged. any advise or suggestions on what may be wrong and what i should do. i average about 4800 - 5000 miles going home every other weekend with a reset in the middle after first 6 days

Bibcheese ??? I won't ask :?

I have been with Crete for only three months, but am getting all the miles I want. My worst week was 2700 miles, and that was because I lost a day in the shop due to a deer attack, don't worry, I won. Other than that I've averaged between 3000 and 3200 miles, and last week I actually had almost 3500 miles. I keep very accurate records and these are actual paid miles. If I were you I would consider getting off the dedicated fleet and running 48. Best of luck to you.

[Crete_drvr]

My worst week was 2700 miles, and that was because I lost a day in the shop due to a deer attack, don't worry, I won.

damn! You too? DId you read my thread? http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=22507

Yeah dude I get tons of miles and my worst week has been 2600 miles due to a food *****house appointment snafu

[evertruckerr]

Crete_Drvr


I don't know whats up with the deer this year. I just posted this a short time ago: http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=22532

I've been driving for almost 10 years without so much as a scratch in any of my equipment until that night and havn't had as many close calls as I have had this year. Three days after getting my truck fixed, I missed another one that almost took off the same bumper(missed him by inches) and saw a four wheeler clip one less than 2 min after passing me.

[peabody]

bibcheese your getting the normal amount of miles for Crete drivers,and if it stays consistent count your blessings.

And for evertruckerr who claims to be getting 3000+ I wouldn't go spreading that around because if you really are, thats an all time high for this company and if they figure it out you won't be getting that much anymore.

I'm sorry to say that I did a good deed for a fellow Crete driver and swapped loads with him so he could get home for Thanksgiving,my reward for doing this is a 550 mile run that I picked up on the 22nd and doesn't del.till the 27th
and I was told I cannot T-call.Needless to say not hanging around here to long.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

bibcheese your getting the normal amount of miles for Crete drivers,and if it stays consistent count your blessings.

And for evertruckerr who claims to be getting 3000+ I wouldn't go spreading that around because if you really are, thats an all time high for this company and if they figure it out you won't be getting that much anymore.

I'm sorry to say that I did a good deed for a fellow Crete driver and swapped loads with him so he could get home for Thanksgiving,my reward for doing this is a 550 mile run that I picked up on the 22nd and doesn't del.till the 27th
and I was told I cannot T-call.Needless to say not hanging around here to long.

Why not just call the consingee any way to atleast see if you can make early delviery ? I have many loads that on the qual-com specified no early delivery ...no calling the cons ,and even asked my dispatcher if I could go in early I was always told no ...But the first few times this happened i got to the cons ,and they shook their heads at it saying I could have called ,and come early ...So regardless of what the Qual-com or dispatch says I call the consingee to see if early delivery is acceptable . I think most of the time that information gets put in the customer profile because drivers had been late with loads ,and they figure a driver might call to deliver later ,But it don't matter to me if you hand me a load that is only 500 miles and the apointment time is 5 days away I'm calling the cons .

[Barrelburner]

I get miles like evertruckerr...I keep running out of hours. I usually have to take a 34 hour break once a week to stay legal.

Every few months I'll get a bad week or two, but on average I get as many miles as I can run legally. Gotta take the bad with the good.

I am on the national board, by the way.

[abc123def456]

Great ADvice Big Jeep!!! I only wish more drivers thought this way. One thing though... Make sure to call your dispatcher and let them know you'll be getting off early so they don't have your next load picking up 2 days later. No sense in delivering early if you're still gonna sit away from home!

[evertruckerr]

Peabody wrote:

bibcheese your getting the normal amount of miles for Crete drivers,and if it stays consistent count your blessings.

And for evertruckerr who claims to be getting 3000+ I wouldn't go spreading that around because if you really are, thats an all time high for this company and if they figure it out you won't be getting that much anymore.

I'm sorry to say that I did a good deed for a fellow Crete driver and swapped loads with him so he could get home for Thanksgiving,my reward for doing this is a 550 mile run that I picked up on the 22nd and doesn't del.till the 27th
and I was told I cannot T-call.Needless to say not hanging around here to long.

I would love to take the time to argue the point with you, but I have to PU my trailer here in IN in 10min and get it to Cali by Monday, another 2100 miles on the paycheck. 500 miles a day is all I need. Drive safe Y'all!

By the way, your reward for helping the other driver is just that. He was able to spend time with his family. That may not have happened without your kindness. Feel good knowing you did good.

I have also found that after a less than desirable run, all you have to do is contact dispatch or your Fleet manager and let them know that you would appreciate a better run to help make up for it. I usually get just that. Remember, how you present your self and treat others can make a big difference in how you are treated. Well, I'm hooked to my trailer and have to Roll. Adios

[Karnajj]

bibcheese your getting the normal amount of miles for Crete drivers,and if it stays consistent count your blessings.

And for evertruckerr who claims to be getting 3000+ I wouldn't go spreading that around because if you really are, thats an all time high for this company and if they figure it out you won't be getting that much anymore.

I'm sorry to say that I did a good deed for a fellow Crete driver and swapped loads with him so he could get home for Thanksgiving,my reward for doing this is a 550 mile run that I picked up on the 22nd and doesn't del.till the 27th
and I was told I cannot T-call.Needless to say not hanging around here to long.

Wasn't going to contribute to this thread until I read this post. I've been with Crete months and most of the time I too avg 3000+ miles. There are many weeks when I get 3400-3500. This last month has been the worst since coming here but I am still satisfied.

[evertruckerr]

Karnajj, hey bud.

Still going good here. PU in Indiana last Friday and dropped it in Fontana Monday, 2066mi.Then loaded north of LA with a load going close to Chicago late Friday night. 1986mi. That's 4052mi in 8 days,including a 34hr reset in a warm hotel room waiting for the storm to blow thru Denver. I don't doubt that bad weeks are in the future, but as long as I get this many good ones, I'll be a happy camper.

If there is a Crete driver out there who runs National and is only getting 2300-2500 miles a week on a consistent basis, I would be inclined to question that drivers Log Book management. I don't mean running illegal, Crete is painfully insistent on legal Logs. But it is very important to know how to budget your day with the fine new regs the government has thrown at us.

[peabody]

I have said that there are some very happy drivers for Crete,I'm not one of them and I'm far from alone.By the way I'm on the national fleet also that means nothing to me. As far as calling the customer I did it was the Thanksgiving weekend and they were closed till the 27th.If you recall I asked to T-call the load and was refused.
I have done the math on your mileage claims and you must have a lot of what I call get out of jail free tickets ( good points) and you and I both know how you get those and I refuse to play those kind of games.Not enough miles isn't the only problem with Crete,the rider policy sucks,the accurate to the Qualcomm logs are unreasonable and not money producing,the holiday policy is rude need I go on I can.I will be moving on, no matter where I go can't be worse

[devildice]

I have said that there are some very happy drivers for Crete,I'm not one of them and I'm far from alone.By the way I'm on the national fleet also that means nothing to me. As far as calling the customer I did it was the Thanksgiving weekend and they were closed till the 27th.If you recall I asked to T-call the load and was refused.
I have done the math on your mileage claims and you must have a lot of what I call get out of jail free tickets ( good points) and you and I both know how you get those and I refuse to play those kind of games.Not enough miles isn't the only problem with Crete,the rider policy sucks,the accurate to the Qualcomm logs are unreasonable and not money producing,the holiday policy is rude need I go on I can.I will be moving on, no matter where I go can't be worse

as a side note, what is wrong with the rider policy?

[-FlyByNight-]

I have said that there are some very happy drivers for Crete,I'm not one of them and I'm far from alone.By the way I'm on the national fleet also that means nothing to me. As far as calling the customer I did it was the Thanksgiving weekend and they were closed till the 27th.If you recall I asked to T-call the load and was refused.
I have done the math on your mileage claims and you must have a lot of what I call get out of jail free tickets ( good points) and you and I both know how you get those and I refuse to play those kind of games.Not enough miles isn't the only problem with Crete,the rider policy sucks,the accurate to the Qualcomm logs are unreasonable and not money producing,the holiday policy is rude need I go on I can.I will be moving on, no matter where I go can't be worse

as a side note, what is wrong with the rider policy?

Here's your answer devildice and many more can be found by clicking the link in my sig and then click the FAQ link on the home page.


Q. How can I take advantage of your family rider program?

A. Specific family members are allowed to ride along at no cost to the driver. Authorized passengers are a spouse, children, step children, foster children and grandchildren of the driver. Generally, only one passenger from this group can be on the truck at a time and all passengers must be cleared and authorized by the Safety Department before getting on the truck.


Peabody,

I would like to know how much communicating, (Macro 15, 23 or phone), you do with dispatch and your fleet manager to help you gain more miles, get home for a holiday or just home time. Do you use the load matrix sheets that come out monthly to help you? I've only been with Crete for seven months and can basically echo what the previous drivers have said. I'm not going to say Crete is perfect, because they aren't. However, I do feel that they are without a doubt one of, if not the best OTR companies out there. Not every company is the right fit for every driver, but I think Crete comes closer than any other. I also feel a driver's attitude is everything. You reap what you sow in life. If you truly feel that no matter where you go can't be worse than Crete, I'd suggest you NOT hire on with Arrow Trucking or Marten Transport, because Crete is miles ahead of them. Pun intended. :wink:

[evertruckerr]

Peabody wrote:

I will be moving on, no matter where I go can't be worse

Sometime it doesn't matter where you work because the problems simply follow you, or perhaps you proceed the problems.

I've worked at other companies.

It can be worse.

[peabody]

Okay I'll give you that one there are worse companies but you haven't heard what I have been saying it's not the miles because a change in dispatcher can improve that.You imply that my attitude might be the problem to the contrary I am a very quiet spoken low key kind of guy who enjoys working the straw that broke the camels back so to speak is the rider policy my spouse of 20 years is not allowed on board with me for the simple reason we are not legally married,she has been with me on every truck I have ever driven and we even teamed for awhile she is my right hand she helps out tremendously and makes life on the road easier,I also cannot have my best friend or my wifes grand kids out with me other companies have allowed them on board. My attitude isn't the issue here I do my job to the best of my ability I'm always on time for del. I have nearly a million miles under me of safe driving.They will be losing a good driver because of their policies.
Like you said not every company is a good fit and Crete and I don't fit.
One last thing, I do believe That if some one asks about a company they have the right to hear opposing thoughts on the company so they can dig through all the information to see if the company they are looking at will fit their needs . My opinions are just that my opinions they are neither right nor wrong but are formed by things that have happened to me at Crete.