Crete - What's the catch?
 

So I've been lurking for a couple of weeks, and want to go OTR (wife is of the 'ex' variety, kid lives w/her 300 miles away, no girlfriend, etc). And nearly unanimously, Crete is suggested. They pay 41 cpm, compared to many of the places that pay 30-35. I only found one 'horror' story here, compared with dozens about Werner, CRE, USX, etc. So what's the catch? Why are they paying more, and why are they in need of drivers? It doesn't look like they have a school, is that it? They don't have the big shiny ads in the magazines? Am I missing something?

Should be testing on Friday for my CDL. Tomorrow I'll be at school all day practicing range stuff.

Don't quote me on this, but I believe a new student starts out at about 34-35/mile, not 41. And they will only take recent grads from one of their approved schools, which I believe has to be PTDI certified. As for a catch, I really don't think there is one. I know somebody who drives for them, and he's kept busy and seems happy.

It's .41 cpm after one year on the national fleet . Also the hometime isn't something that Crete is known for if you are on the national fleet , they do have dedicated fleets which get you home quite a bit .

No catch. Most of the above is right on. Students start at around $.34 and Crete does not have their own school. They take students out of PDTI accredited schools. Crete pays more because they can...they are one of the few debt-free companies out there with money in the bank. If you want the straight scoop, call Bill at 800-998-9980, then dial 98731. He's their student recruiter. Tell him Mike from the ClassA board steered you in that direction and that he owes me a steak dinner the next time he's through Iowa.

Thanks for the replies, especially the 34 cpm figure. I couldn't find it on their site.

My school is PTDI certified so no problems there.

TF, I'll call tomorrow or Friday.

Boy, that new-hire trainee that just hired on, that I had lunch with the other day Columbus, Oh---is gonna be real mad then-- when he see's his first pay settlement--he told me he was going to get $500.00 a week while training, then .41cpm when he gets cut loose from his trainer. Maybe, I shouldn't have told him what I make first.
You think he was just bumping up the numbers?
So they go from .34-.41 in just a year....that's still pretty darn good incentive to stick around.

Possibly, but I suspect it is more to do with him hearing only what he wanted to hear. A very common occurance among drivers when looking for a company, and it does not matter if the driver is a 30 day wonder or has 20 years.

Well, I meant "bumping" up the number--told to me" during our conversation.

I'd hate to think a recruiter would have told him a Lie, that's one number that
has to be made real clear from the get-go. I mean, recruiters will often "figure" in bonus money, etc Then rattle off lots of $$$ figures that you "could" make. But you should always ask for base pay figure.

Does anyone here know, for future recruiting efforts--- is this .34cpm "fixed" for 1 year, then at 1 yr anniversary it Jumps to .41cpm, or is there
some kind of graduated increase during those first 12 solo months?

I'm not sure about the per mile rate, but I think he's right about the $500 weekly while training.

I don't know if they would be considered "catches," but here are a few of the knocks that are mentioned often on this board:

[Disclaimer: I believe everything I read on the internet :lol: , so I have made no effort to vet this information. It is just some of what people here have said.]

Pretty generic trucks
No pets
Logs audited against Qualcomms
Opti-idle
65mph
Paperwork required for pay/TRANSFLO

Some of that might matter to you. Some of it might not. As with any company, it's a matter of balancing what you like against what you don't like. .41cpm at one year of experience is not bad at all, so that would likely count as a positive. For some people, one or more of the things listed above would count as negatives. For others, perhaps none of those things sound bad.

Just take your time and figure out what works for you before you get swept up in a cpm figure that you might not ever see if you hate your job and quit in six months.