Ok, my wife is about to go to work for CRST. 3 weeks of school then out with a trainer.Does anyone have any experience with them that you would like to share?
Run away, quickly. If she is able, go to school locally. My fiance' didn't go through their school, but he had to take a refresher when he went to them. He had to pay for it. His paychecks were $hit, and some weeks he ended up owing them. I'm not sure of how training is through other companies, but you have options. Look into them before she sells her soul to CRST.
You may want to do a search on this forum about CRST. I have only met one individual who went through their training program. He seemed to like it alright except for his trainer. The problem seemed to be that the trainer was that he was from another country and didn't speak very good English. Other than that this guy said that he liked it. There seem to have been several who have had bad experiences with them. If it were me and I wanted to get my training for free, I might consider CRST. They seem to have a shorter commitment for training than most of the other training carriers. You can find good and bad with most carriers. I suggest that if you live near a truck stop, to spend some time and talk to some of their drivers. Your best source of current information would be from those who are working for them now. Good luck.
Most carriers offer some sort of referral bonus for recruiting. I would not rely on a single driver. Talk to as many as possible. I think most will be candid with you, whether they get a bonus or not. I leased to CRST Malone for about 3 years. For the most part, my experience was positive. CRST Malone is the flat bed division and is separate from CRST Vans or the other divisions. There isn't a training program in the flat bed division. I was never much into recruiting. I think I referred 2 people the entire time I was there. In those two cases, I would have referred them with or without any referral. Some of us would not refer drivers to a carrier unless we felt it would be a good match. Out of the two I referred, one is still there, the other isn't. By talking to several people with the same carrier, you will get a much better picture of the company. The longer a driver has been with a company the better picture he can give you. Longevity will tell you more than anything else. You need to find those who have either gone through the program or may currently be going through the program. That is what I would do. Good luck.
You can also check out www.ripoffreport.com and go to trucking companies. Read some of those posts that are there.
But, keep in mind that these are all one sided stories. Don't be too quick to judge. BOL
