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Old 03-10-2013, 03:22 AM
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Default CRST MAlone lease - my daily experience

I've just signed on to crst malone and i thought id give my experiences here over time. Hopefully i will try to do this regularly.

Orientation - I went to orientation in rockport (who's shop coincidentally has a very good reputation). Unlike most companies orientation was HECTIC. We spent the first day on paperwork, safety and securement training.
The second day we spent on safety and securement. I've never driven a split axle or done flatbed so i ate this stuff up. Malone is HUGE on safety. They dont want you running illegally ever. There was a guy coming back to malone who was fired for having a single seat belt ticket 3 years previous. They also use a company that reports on trucks. CRST has a bad rating but that's because all it's companies are under one umbrella. The newbie training companies horrible safety rating is basically screwing the flatbed etc operations so they are hardcore on dot and safety. One thing that stood out was the LEAST experienced driver in orientation had 5 years experience. Only two of us didnt have flatbed experience. I wondered why they didnt complete all our prehire before we got there then i saw the office.. those people are BUSY from the second they get in.
Third day more securement and final paperwork including signing the lease. From there they sent all the lease operators out in rental cars to pick up their trucks. Mine was in atlanta. It was insanely hectic. Picked up my truck and got a call from my terminal (alabama) manager who'd set up a load to delaware because another drivver got hurt. The truck was empty so called maintenance and they sent a guy to fuel it and follow me to the truck stop. Picked up the load next morning and drove home to load my junk.

The truck - the lease drivers (9 out of 11 in orientation) got 2009 to 2010 columbias. The 2010's were 3 year leases. I got a 2009 with 700k or so on it and an 80 week lease. There IS a balloon payment but they offer to start pulling Cents per mile to pay that off whenever you want. Your choice. The maintenance program works more like insurance.. everyones money goes into a pool and if something breaks it just gets repair. Maintenance is .13 to .15 a mile (depending). Everything important is covered. A year before end of lease it drops to .10 but the lease program changes and engine etc arent covered. Imho overall a good deal becasuse you dont have to worry you'll drive 3 months and need an inframe. IF you get a truck that never needs repair of course youre getting screwed. If you need a new tranny it's pure win.
If you buy a 20k truck and it needs 25k repairs though you'll be offered a new lease. I like this OVERALL except for the last part. I see what theyre doing though.. it's basically insurance.
Payments are $325 a week except for the slow time (3 or 4 months a year i forgot) when your payment drops to 140. This part is Sweet.
All the standard fees. If you ran 3k miles a week your Total would be 1100 BUT.. from everything ive seen most drivers drive half of that or a little more.
Loads pay Well. In the areas most of us run anyway they seem to average around 2 a mile. Some more (theres a load from pa to ny on the board right now that pays well over double that). In really bad areas it seems to pay much lower but so far not any that actually lose money.
Lots of loads... as im looking at the board right now if i were willing to run a little out of route i could make money and get home a lot running the nc/sc/ga/pa/oh/il etc area.

I just did the math and if i were willing to sit in PA for a couple days then be in ny friday id bring home 13-1400 this week. I'm not and am running back to sc if this load is there monday morning.
Basically id get paid 1300 bucks to sit on my *ss all week. Wow.. way different than company van...
Then i plan on a short haul or two and home. If i havent mentioned it i really like their load board.

Safety in rockport is headed by a great guy who was an otr driver for over 20 years. He knows his stuff. He's hardcore about safety.
Dispatch is serious about you getting rest. Most safety concious company ive ever seen.
Agents and fleet managers (they ARENT dispatchers) treat you with respect. Nice.. Ive talked to a few lease drivers and o/o's since. So far they all like the company a lot. No idea about the company people.
Rockport terminal manager was straight to the point, polite, seemed like a good guy who didnt bull****. bull**** seems extremely lacking so far. thats different..
Alabama term manager didnt really give me a chance to turn down my first load though you could read between the lines. Im pretty sure because this is a: your first run and b: they REALLY needed this delivered. I was going to deliver it friday night but got held up by a lot of misc things and then found out they oculdnt take it til monday morning anyway (which is why i went home). I plan on leaving at 6am sunday morning and shutting down sunday night as close as possible. It's < 600 miles so not a problem. Oh and it pays $2 a mile to the truck. the load back pays This load may cover my fixedc costs for the week. Everything after this run Gross - fuel - .15cpm = profit. We get some pretty hefty fuel discounts at TA etc. Worst case it comes very close. If im right about how the board works it definitely does.
You can get paid twice a week. I dont know how they divide truck costs between them, i imagine everythign at first. If thats true then tuesday ill recieve a $0 check and next week. IF i pull this off as i think, have no breakdowns, run 5.5mpg or more my second settlement should be hefty. IF. And if im not missing anythign etc. I'm calculating 1100 a week in fixed costs + .71 a mile fuel (including pump discount). Again IF im right .. if i didnt have to sit in NJ or DE for a day id make an insane settlement (by grabbing at least another 700ish mile run this week).

I fully expect i have missed something.

The CONS of the company:
Because of circumstances i didnt have time to get the truck to a shop and get the things i want/need done to it. I want an oil change and i want a mechanic to see if the dampness in the oil is condensation or something serious. (note it looks much better now but im still having it changed). The right seat is SCREWED. I wouldnt care but it literally flops around. There is a chip in the windshield. I wouldnt worry about it but windshields are only covered at the beginning so i want it replaced. I'm worried about fuel mileage and power. Im pulling 44k and the truck has SERIOUS problems with hills. This is on a split axle on a truck set up for a lot more weight. My fleet manager is a complete newbie. But he's a nice guy so far. Neat in a way as we'll learn together. Less neat in.. well..newbie. Night dispatch etc are Awesome.

Some upsides: $ per mile. Im literally shocked at the difference between flatbed and dry van. Shocked. Trialer: i was told just to drop the trailer it was hooked to to pick up this preloaded one (we stick with one trailer period). It was pretty sweet. The one i picked up is brand spanking new and the driver who had it kept it beautifully organised. The securement gear looks brand new. I should end up paying used prices for it.
Honestly... i'm seriously thinking about buying my own side kit if this works out. Screw tarping. I wish they ran. I wish they had curtain sides. When/if i buy my own trailer im going to ask if i can use one (thanks for the 1000th time gman).

So far this looks like EXACTLY what i wanted (except my first load being northeast) and the load board is looking good. If i can get over the fear of new things (flatbed) this will be great i think. I need to rig up a redneck apu (or get a real one installed) and seriously.. get the sidekit. And if the truck doesnt turn out to be a pos i think i'll like this. Crossing my fingers! We all know initial impressions are usually a little too optimistic.
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Old 03-10-2013, 03:57 AM
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It sounds like you are off to a good start with CRST Malone. I am anxious to hear how you do with the lease as time passes.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:54 AM
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Thanks man all i'm really worried about is learning flatbed.. getting the hell out of delaware this week.. and if the truck is a good one or junk
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Old 03-10-2013, 01:34 PM
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Good luck, and please try to keep us updated
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Old 03-11-2013, 02:15 AM
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I'm fairly sure of the answer to this, but I'm not 100%. Would they hire an o/o who already had a truck, or will they only take folks leasing trucks from them?
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Old 03-11-2013, 02:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VPIDarkAngel View Post
I'm fairly sure of the answer to this, but I'm not 100%. Would they hire an o/o who already had a truck, or will they only take folks leasing trucks from them?
Most people who lease to them have their own truck. When I leased to them only about 20% leased a truck from them, but that was a number of years ago. I had my own truck and trailer.
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Old 03-11-2013, 10:13 PM
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Dear Jesus did I read that right? You signed a 80-week lease for a 2009 Freightshaker with over 700k miles on it? Mother of pearl, good luck with that driver.
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Old 03-11-2013, 10:51 PM
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VIPangel i actually think their business model is to get good o/o's and the lp is a way to do that. They dont handhold, they make some money off l/p's but frankly other than the maintenance pool (which im not sure they profit on) it looks like their $$ are the 25% off the top. For that o/o's are where the money is.

First days in the truck. Picked up loaded flatbed (BRAND new) from hurt driver. Was planning to hammer down and get to de by 6pm and sleep in their yard (wouldnt have worked anyway despite what google sat says). Still worried about the oil but it seems to have cleared up. Jumped in to get on the road and... hmm air leak. Only happens when i MASH the brakes but im going down old fort mountain.. i may be mashing. Add in that the jake seems to suck half the time and kick butt half the time. It "jerks" the truck at low speed/high rpm and doenst do jack at lower rpm. (this cleared up too). Have to drive 12 miles the wrong way to pay TA $55 for one (OUCH). should have called maintenance but paid out of pocket to get it done. Headed down old fort at low speed (20mph.. then faster) and it handled it without sweating. Lot of pain in the ass delays and i get to delaware... there aint jack in delaware folks. Note i made IDIOTIC newbie mistake #1. I went to bed with my lights on. Dear god i feel like a moron. Truck started!!! I love my truck a tiny bit now... Delivered the load to inside dock.. great guy workin the dock. Driver musgt have used every bungy on the damn truck to secure. It was pretty but damn man overkill. Hit a $24 toll to DE (really... youre gonna charge everyone leaving/entering your state.. and you wonder why more people/business dont show up?). So thats another 50 off my net grr. Still i think this load paid for the fixed costs.
Had dispatch put load to Beech island , sc. 5 hours later i get a call from the broker who says they need all 48ft of trailer, an 8 foot tarp (was he trying to get me off it?). Bunch of other pita stuff so i told them to pull it off me. I'd be motivated to jump on a load in the morning but dispatch has kept calling and i need Sleep! so im going to look again in the morning when the good loads show up. Theres a load to manhattan from nj that pays about 4 a mile. Problem is -manhattan. Plus the tolls are INSANE around nyc. You can easily drop 200+ in tolls up there. Some to calvert city, ky from nj that pay garbage ($1.44 or something no fsc). I MAY end up taking but i doubt it seriously. Im not running your **** load through hellroads because you know someone desparate will take them.

Ok theres a load that is SERIOUSLY tempting me. All you o/o's and heck.. the rest of you are going to laugh at me. New kingstown, pa to ruskin , fl. Basically Tampa before you get your maps out. Better than miami of course... Our load board doesnt have much >3 days out so no idea on loads out. There are a lot of hops out that would get me back north to ga, sc etc. There are some nice paying loads to texas from there but two bad freight areas in a row doesnt seem like a good plan. also : theres no way in h*ll im getting home for at least another week if i do it. I'm sortof ok with that though this is the first time in trucking ive EVER felt like i was in control and it was an adventure! (i actually sorta hate trucking most of the time). I know me and ill bet i end up taking the florida load because i'm something of an idiot. If i want a paycheck friday i need to deliver another load by tuesday evening and get it all transflo'd in. dont think thats gonna happen. but the one after that will be SWEET if i can run (everything now til monday is fuel + .15cpm.. everything else is profit).
Im at a truckstop in the boonies of delaware (its actually a nice place to shut down). I think im gonna relax, get some sleep tonight. When i wake up in the middle of the night ill hit all the other open load boards and see whats up. Honestly crst's freight board pays hella better so ill probably end up sticking with it. Im gonna sign up to getloaded though looks like they have some sweet loads (when im making $$$). The landstar board is just.. not great.

What i learned:
1. Dont act like a damn newbie swifty (no offense guys just a joke) and leave the lights on lmao. Seriously that was mindnumbingly stupid.
2. Safety head warned us the first 90 days would suck moneywise but after we got the system down we'd bring in $$$. I see why now jumping in headfirst and working the system is where its at. For instance if i werent a dumbass i'd either a: take the nyc load (not gonna happen) and pocket at least 500 for the day (maybe more) or id jump on that cheap freight to kentucky to get out of here.. not gonna happen .. probably.
1.48 or whatever a mile is a joke. I'd ACTUALLY make profit but when you figure it weekly... that kinda run pays me like 20 cents a mile to run through **** roads and lots of the worst cities.
3. this not idling is kinda cool when your truck is set up for it. Ive got more weight in blankets,comforters than in tools.
4. TOOLS!!! Carry tools and spares. If i hadnt brought my tools id have still been on the way to this load and maintenance woulda had to fork out a few hundred.
5. Shouldnt have let them rush me. I have a pockmark in the windshield ill probably have to just eat and pay for in the future because i didnt INSIST on having the truck set up from the first. I should have insisted on an oil change and the windshield being fixed. (DOT wont get me for this it's not cracked. It will though). The reason i didnt is when you start a new commpany they dont know who you are and i dont wanna be "that guy" from day one when the term manager and broker NEED me to take a run for them. That stuff pays off in my experience.
6. DONT RUN THE NORTHEAST. (This was foisted on me as my first run). I'm used to chicago so the traffic etc is no biggy. Im from wnc and lived in ky so the hills are nothing. FREIGHT is the pita. From what i see you have three kinds of loads: GOLD loads that pay killer and are a frickin nightmare to nyc etc. Crap low paying garbage that will get you out. Good loads that get you out of the ne and pay well.. but are fought over. Ya.. i think that broker had one of his boys in mind for this load. Hell if he'd just said that "i had that load planned for one of my guys to get out/home/runs it regular if you'll drop it ill make it up to you" id have done it in a heartbeat. Relationships are what all business is really about.
6. Honestly i live in freight central strangely enough (near asheville, nc). There is a good amount out of charlotte, greensboro, winston etc of course but SC is positively loaded with good freight. I knew electrolux and paper were down there but checking the load boards its pretty easy to get in and out of SC from anywhere. Once i get near home so i can really run my own truck i plan on being within 100 miles of the house every day or three and home every weekend unless i get greedy.
7. I cannot run this business like i ran as a company dry van. Just running balls to the wall wont make you extra $$... it will just keep you running your ass off with no sleep for the SAME money. I can make more money sitting 2 days and getting that extra .50 a mile than i can running for cost + .20 on the theory it gets me somewhere. (then again honestly for somethign that got me to nc/sc/tenn by tomorrow evening id probably run it for 1.50 or less .. wont happen thoug)


Also If youre willing/want to stay out a lot you CAN run texas and florida. Just remember SOUTH florida and EAST texas youre going to be dropping some $$$ on deadhead. You can run cali but dont plan on coming back east for weeks. Once you get that way your best bet is to run the state of cali til you get burned then start heading east. Ive been working the load boards

Now... to write 1000 times in notepad "I will not take a run to florida.. i will not take a run to florida"... man.. tampa sounds sweet right now...
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Old 03-11-2013, 11:03 PM
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these posts will become less babbly over time. Sorry i knwo i have a big boring mouth. Once the excitement/nervousness wear off they'll be succinct. Also: pretty sure im going to florida. 3 grand for 1300 miles. At that rate i can deadhead out of fl if i really want to and still bring home $$$
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Old 03-12-2013, 12:39 AM
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I enjoy your babbling. It's very informative.
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