May vs. Crete

[Flydragon]

I am fresh meat, just out of school and I've got applications in at May & Crete. Both indicate they'll hire me and now I'm wondering if anyone has anything to say about May.

I've seen plenty here on Crete, enough to know it's a big company (with all the good and bad that goes with it), they have freight, they pay decent enough, and I'll be out 2-3 weeks at a time. Home is in Las Vegas, NV and both companies will run me out of Phoenix.

Here's the question. What is May like? I tried a search but the name of the company is too common a word (I got something like 2,300 hits).

[Colin]

My biggest issue with May (drove from Apr 2004 - Oct 2004) was the lack of cruise control when the headlights came on. Yes, I'm serious.

Ask the recruiter in these exact words, "Is the cruise control still active when the truck's headlights are on?" If they say no, think real hard about driving at night in the winter with no cruise. Lights should be at 3:30 pm or earlier during winter depending on weather conditions....

[Bumper]

2-3 weeks out with Crete??? Try 3-5 weeks instead.

And who told you they had frieght????? :shock:

[repete]

I stayed out 2-3 weeks when i was otr( Crete) and useully didn't have much trouble getting home when I wanted, I did find that seemed to limit the loads I was offered when I stayed out 3 or more I seemed to get longer runs. I never sat much and almost always got as many miles as I wanted. Now I'm dedicated and the only complaint is about the pet policy, oh well, that and if you have the NYC pay comeing you have to ask for it they send you there but then payroll "miss's it" thats the only bad things I got to say about them.
As far as May Thanks for reminding me , my wife's got a birthday comeing up!

[eptp88]

I never drove for either but I went to orientation in Pensacola Fl with May back in Sept. 07. I only live a few hours away in Valdosta Ga so my wife took me and they let her stay in the room until I left on Thursday. They paid for her to eat with us everyday, they only feed you lunch but it's Ryans Steak house or some chinese resturant and they are both all you can eat. I forgot a paper they needed so they told me to go home and fax it to them in Or. and then someone would be by my house to pick me up and take me to Or. to get my truck. That was weds. around 9 am so I asked them if we could stay in the room one more night and leave early Thursday am and they said yes no problem. Me and my wife had a free mini vacation on May. We went to the beach everyday it was a blast and May seems like a good company.

[Flydragon]

My biggest issue with May (drove from Apr 2004 - Oct 2004) was the lack of cruise control when the headlights came on. Yes, I'm serious.

Ask the recruiter in these exact words, "Is the cruise control still active when the truck's headlights are on?" If they say no, think real hard about driving at night in the winter with no cruise. Lights should be at 3:30 pm or earlier during winter depending on weather conditions....

That's interesting. I never heard that one before. I will ask that question.

Anyone out there driving for May right now? My only beef with them is starting at .30 cpm and going to .34 after one year, vs. Crete's .34 to start and then .41 after 1st year. Freight being equal that's a huge difference. I'm looking for a good reason to choose May over Crete.

[lucky13]

I never drove for either but I went to orientation in Pensacola Fl with May back in Sept. 07. I only live a few hours away in Valdosta Ga so my wife took me and they let her stay in the room until I left on Thursday. They paid for her to eat with us everyday, they only feed you lunch but it's Ryans Steak house or some chinese resturant and they are both all you can eat. I forgot a paper they needed so they told me to go home and fax it to them in Or. and then someone would be by my house to pick me up and take me to Or. to get my truck. That was weds. around 9 am so I asked them if we could stay in the room one more night and leave early Thursday am and they said yes no problem. Me and my wife had a free mini vacation on May. We went to the beach everyday it was a blast and May seems like a good company.

Just wondering why didnt you end up driving for them?

[evertruckerr]

I have to go with Crete, big surprise there.

You will get paid better per mile at Crete. But if home time is more important to you than pay you would probably be better off with may. They have a very strong freight base on the west coast and I believe they have a number of accounts in Vegas itself, at least they did a few years ago.

Keep this in mind about May trucking. They have one of the strictest, if not THEE strictest idling policy in the country at the moment. Other companies may join in if they see it working.

You will not be allowed to idle at any time (there may be exceptions, I'm just going by what I've read on other threads on this board) without getting prior permission from your fleet manager on a daily basis. If they don't think the weather warrants it you will be charge back for idle time and it will be deducted from your pay. I also read a number of other fairly negative points, as well as good.

Here's a thread, all you ever wanted to know about May Trucking.

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...980&highlight=

[Colin]

I have to go with Crete, big surprise there.

You will get paid better per mile at Crete. But if home time is important to you than pay you would probibly be better off with may. They have a very strong freight base on the west coast and I believe they have a number of accounts in Vegas itself, at least they did a few years ago.

Keep this in mind about May trucking. They have one of the strictest, if not THEE strictest idling policy in the country at the moment. Other companies may join in if they see it working.

You will not be allowed to idle at any time (there may be exceptions, I'm just going by what I've read on other threads on this board) without getting prior permission from your fleet manager and a daily basis. If they don't think the weather warrants it you will be charge back for idle time and it will be deducted from your pay. I also read a number of other fairly negative points, as well as good.

Here's a thread, all you ever wanted to know about May Trucking.

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...980&highlight=

I'm not sure that is correct unless they've changed their policy a great deal.

You were previously allowed 30% idle time without penalty. Reefer drivers could ask for extra idle time anytime, but dry van could only ask after reaching the 30% threshold.

Is this no longer the case?

[Colin]

Hmmm. You changed your post and it's different enough for me to ask for a clarification.

EDIT: Disregard.

[evertruckerr]

Colin wrote:


Sorry Colin for the edit while you were in the middle of posting a reply, I went back to clarify that very point.

I'm not sure that is correct unless they've changed their policy a great deal.

You were previously allowed 30% idle time without penalty. Reefer drivers could ask for extra idle time anytime, but dry van could only ask after reaching the 30% threshold.

Is this no longer the case?

I do believe that has changed, but I could very well be wrong.

I don't want to be make it sound like I have any solid info on this subject, I'm only stating my understand of what I read on another thread. That is why I included the link in my reply so anyone that is interested can check it out for themselves.

[Flydragon]

evertruckerr, your "CRETE - A Year in Review" thread was what got me interested in Crete in the first place. In fact, I made my decision on which school to attend based on what schools Crete accepted. So your thread influenced me there, too.

Since graduating I've been looking at reasons not to go to Crete. But the fact that they pay better than any other entry-level carrier, and seeing you posting every week that you're getting freight to haul... well it brings me back every time.

I value integrity highly, and mine tells me I owe you a referral on my application to Crete. If you PM me with your information I'll pass it on and have it added to my application. I don't think I can respond with a PM of my own since I don't have the posts yet.

Thanks for that valuable thread. It has helped me a lot.

[evertruckerr]

Flydragon wrote:

value integrity highly, and mine tells me I owe you a referral on my application to Crete. If you PM me with your information I'll pass it on and have it added to my application. I don't think I can respond with a PM of my own since I don't have the posts yet.

I do thank you for the thought, but it's too late. A referral must be mentioned on initial contact. After that it will not be honored.

But if you have any further questions, feel free to ask. I'm happy to offer whatever help I can.

Good luck and drive safe.

[Barrelburner]

You will have a hard time getting home to Vegas with Crete. Used to be, Crete drivers living in Vegas had to park the truck at the Salt Lake terminal and drive their car home.

[eptp88]

Just wondering why didnt you end up driving for them?

Well I was picked up by a driver and I swear I'm not making this up. I had my wife and 13 yr old daughter with me and everyother word was a swear word. I'm not a religous person so to speak and I do curse from time to time but not in front of kids and strangers. He told me he was a recovering meth addict and he could not read. I was not to be with a trainer only a few days to get to Or to get a truck. Turns out 3 weeks with this clown. Anyway after the first night I had sever back pains and I thought it was the lack of a matteress on the top bunk, maybe 1/2 inch thick. I weigh 275 lbs so I figured thats why my back hurt. The third day it was worse and this guy was as well. We were going back by my house from Fl on the way to Pa. so I told May I couldn't take him or the pain of sleeping on that bed and bailed. Turns out my back hurt on and off like that until Tuesday this week when I had a kidney stone the size of a .25$ gum ball surgically removed. He did show me his check stubs and he averaged 3000 miles or very close to it a week. The trucks are nice Pete's and the do have a tough idle policy. They do deduct from your check anything over 30 if you don't have prior permission but he said it was not hard to get permission just agrivating, now fuel is 4 a gal it may be hard as well.

[Flydragon]

You will have a hard time getting home to Vegas with Crete. Used to be, Crete drivers living in Vegas had to park the truck at the Salt Lake terminal and drive their car home.

Apparently, with the population growth of the greater Las Vegas area (approaching 2 million), that problem no longer exists. I was told I could bring my truck home. Crete has a terminal in Phoenix and that's where I'll be based.

Home time is another thing altogether. It is probably the one thing that gives me pause when I consider Crete.

[bluebeetle]

Getting a truck home to Vegas will be longer then getting you back to Phoenix or Salt Lake.

Please check with the Driver Development Fleet on Monday to make sure about getting to take your truck home.

[Flydragon]

Getting a truck home to Vegas will be longer then getting you back to Phoenix or Salt Lake.

Please check with the Driver Development Fleet on Monday to make sure about getting to take your truck home.

If I'm reading you correctly, even if I do get to take the truck home it still means longer times out. I will contact Driver Development Monday.

[Flydragon]

Checked with Crete today and, yes I will be allowed to take the truck home as long as there is a safe place to park it (there is). There are no driver positions available for the Western region so I'll be driving for the national fleet.

According to Crete, that means on average I'll be 3-4 weeks out. The good news is that I may end up running to Southern California once and a while and that will put me through Las Vegas. If I have the time I can stop at home.

8 weeks training @ $500/wk. (4 weeks out, 1 week home, then another 4 weeks out.) Then dad gives me the keys to my own truck and I run for a year at 34 cpm before getting bumped up to 41 for the second year.

I must be nuts. But I'm going to do it anyway.

[Bumper]

Best of Luck to you.