C.R. England drivers ... tell me about the company
 

I have an offer on the table from C R England, 2 1/2 weeks in school, in Mira Loma, CA...90 days on the road training.

Tell me about the company, if you know.

Anything you can think of, good, bad, mediocre. It all helps.

Thank you

Cal

Personally I wouldn't go through them! But at the very least, if you do go with them, DO NOT LET THEM CONVINCE YOU TO DO A LEASE DEAL!!!!

+1 :thumbsup:

Their new motto is "Drive Life" Run for your life Charlie Brown.

Just GOOGLE C.R. England. The 3rd result (the first two are crengland.com) is RIP OFF REPORT followed by increasingly bitter tales of woe.

Okay, so tell me then, if not England, who?
 

Honestly it matters little what company name I put up, no doubt the sour grapers, legitimate or not, would post.

I'm sure England has some reply that would be "their side" of all the horror stories posted out there on RipoffReport dot com; I could post about the raw deal I got from a past employer too, but that isn't my nature. I'm a positive thinker, and frankly do not respond well to those who toss up the negative straight off. It is a character flaw I have to seek the positive.

I've looked at several companies, England, Werner, CRST, Watkins, Swift, blah blah blah. And there is never a dearth of ill will toward this or that company. Plus this isn't the greatest time to be entering a new career, but I believe in being positive and looking for the good.

My last employer started out as a temp job and I ended up being there 5 1/2 years. It wasn't my dream job, made lots less money than the job I had lost to that company I could rail about, but there were things about the job, despite the misrepresentations I was given at the start, that made it a great run. No doubt if I stay positive I can make a great run somewhere else.

Here's the deal then, let me turn the question upside down, what company would you recommend to someone who will need to go through training? I gave up my Class A license thirty years ago when I left Texas and didn't feel the need to keep it in California. I have to do the classes, get the tests behind me, relearn it all. So, where should I point myself and keep my positive attitude intact?

Thank you all for your thoughtful caring responses.

Cal

There was a guy who was on here not too long ago who went through training with UPS. I think his handle was brown 67. Try looking up his thread.

Jumbo he has something like 15 years as a package car driver. He wasn't hired off the street.

Most companys have slowed or enven stopped the training schools, All co. have there pick of exp. and new drivers. You should ask yourself if there is so many unemployed drivers out there why is xyz company hireing all the time?
Just do a search on here and then start calling, DO NOT just send in the genric app. form that goes to 100's of co. (most are never even looked at) send each co a app. BOL

Look,
There is a reason why there are so many negative things posted about CRE, Werner, Swift, et al. They haul cheap freight on the backs of people who are, for whatever reason, unable to find employment with a better company.
They straight up DO NOT CARE about you, your family, your health or your ability to meet your obligations other than the ones they set for you.
On the other side of the coin, if the only job you can get is with one of them then take it, use it as a stepping stone or temp solution until the economy picks up and other companies are hiring again.
I also suggest getting on with a reefer company. Flatbeds and dry vans might sit idle during a recession, but people always have to eat.

Believe the question the OP asked, was about being hired as a newb (either freshly licensed, or looking for training/licensing). I watch these threads intently, as I'll be in the same boat end of July when I finish school.

It seems that the ones that DO hire newbs - are described as "Satan on 18 Wheels" by most folks online (Swift, JB Hunt, Prime, CR England, Covenant, USA Truck, SNI - have I missed any?) - BUT - when someone needs to get that 6 months to 1 year to actually APPLY to a better gig - those SEEM TO BE THE ONLY CHOICES.

So I guess, the best question would be - OF ALL THE GREAT SATANS - which one is the "lesser of evils"?

No one ever seems to want to ANSWER that question, EVERYONE however - is more than willing to talk feces on any company that a newb enquires about. Would be SO NICE - since this board is about helping one and other - for someone to actually ANSWER THE QUESTION...


Rick

They are all for the most part equally evil :).

Of the companies that hire new drivers, I would go either with Sni, Coventant, or USA, and I think TMC hires newbs too if you like flatbed.

Calmur, you asked for" the good, bad, mediocre", and then chastise somebody for telling you the truth. Do you want somebody to come on here and sugarcoat it for you and then you find out how much the company sucks. Do a search on here about all of the England posts and see how far off people are about them. If your just starting out, it's going to suck no matter where you go. It's just a matter of who sucks less.
Personally I would work 3 straight shifts 7 days a week at McDonalds before I would work for England. I started out with Schnieder in '91 so I'm a little partial to them. I don't even know what they pay these days but I seem to hear less about them than anybody else. Go to pumpkindriver.com and read what their company drivers have to say. You can do a search on here about probably anybody and get some decent info.

Bottom line is, it is up to you to filter the BS and decide. This IS a valuable place to get that kind of info but you can't fault somebody for giving you the info you asked for.

OMG, Rick, if you only knew how much you just entertained me! Reminds me of the day the Jehovah's Witness preacher came to my house and rang the bell. I went to the door and opened it all smiling and friendly and said with joy in my voice, "Are you Jehovah's WitLesses?"

He answered with an equally joyous voice, "Yes I am!" At about "am" it hit him what he was agreeing with and he lowered his eye brows and glared at me and said, "are you the devil?"

I said, "but of course I am," and closed the door.

I think I'm going to like you Rick.

Cal

Robertt, if you got the idea I was chastising you or anyone else, please accept my apology. I was actually chastising myself for asking the question upside down. I certainly am not here to piss anyone off or annoy anyone for that matter. It is my goal to sort through, as Rick says, "the great Satans" and settle on the littlest of the Satans...and get through that year of fire and brimstone.

Cal

Hey calmur,

I bet you did all the research that you could before you came to C.R. England. I did all that research and came up with a similar company called Central Refrigerated Services Inc., then I came on here and asked some of the same questions that you have asked.
I got most of the same answers about Central Refrigerated that you are getting about C.R. England. From what I am finding, a lot of OTR drivers change carriers more than they change their underwear!

I am like you in that I will tend to look for the good in people. The complaints about these companies seem to be a former employees way of sticking it to the man! I even read about a guy that got terminated because he couldn't pee in a cup. Reading between the lines I would bet he would not pee in a cup because he knew he had drugs in his system. I have peed in many a cup and I know for a fact that they would have let him drink 10 gallons of water if that is what it took.

I would say that you will be alright if you go to C.R. England with a positive attitude. I leave for Central Refer next week, and I have already been studying my CDL manual. I plan to be prepared when I get there so that I do not have to rely on my trainer.

One thing that I will say is that I chose Central Refrigerated over C.R England because of the pressure that England puts on it's students to become Lease Operators. I do not want to get stuck with a lease so early in my new career.

Best Of Luck to you at C.R England. As for me, I intend to give details of my experiences for those that will follow.

Please do not 'not rely' on your trainer! That CDL manual quite honestly doesn't tell you jack. As long as your trainer is capable of safely going from point A to point B, they will have infinitely more wisdom to relay to you then you could ever gleam from reading anything.

I was only talking about passing the CDL exam. A few posts I have read here and otherwise say that the classes are large and instructors are spread thin. I plan on being able to pass that exam with flying colors. Of course I will take everything that my mentor has to offer, I just hope that I can get a good one!

at any rate, just do your job without too much whining, and you'll do fine. it also helps if you're super low maintenance.

I don't know much about how central does training, but I know swift when I got my training through them, the memphis school would start with 300 new students every week, and something like 50 or so would actually go on and pass by the end of the 3 weeks.

I went to their Richmond school, my class started with 34 the first day, and by graduation time only 9 made it, and only 3 actually stayed on to go solo after trainers, and only 1 made it past 6 months... me, and that was only by about a month :).

Thank you, that pretty much is what I'm catching onto; but even the guy who couldn't pee into a cup deserves to blow off steam. I've worked about a dozen jobs in my life and I've never worked one job where there wasn't someone who was out to make my life miserable. It just isn't worth it to be miserable.

I'm beginning to think driving is a bit like marriage; some men go from gf to gf, or wife to wife over the least complaint; but there are some of us who have choked through the tough spots and end up 30 years later with the same lady. May not be as much drama, but its nice to wake up and feel that knee in your back.

Thank you for your input; I'm suppose to meet with the England recruiter tomorrow, she'll have "a lot of 'splainin' to do". I wanted to hear the good and the bad, but asked the question upside down. I should have asked only for the good and known I'd hear the bad too.

My father, of beloved memory, always told me, "son there are two kinds of people in the world, you and everyone else. Be yourself." Well being myself is being upbeat.

I know I'm rambling, but when I was laid off last month it never crossed my mind that it was about me; my boss had to lay off 1 in 3 of about 95 employees, and I really liked him, so I asked him if he was alright. It threw him off, he was prepared for anger and instead got a smile and a "it has been a pleasure." Honestly, I'm a bit pissed that 5 1/2 years can come down to 5 1/2 minutes; but I've always survived...thank God! I will survive this round too!

Thank you for your input.

Cal

i never worked for england
i went to the swift school in 95.i got 2 years experience and got a job with no sleeper
i have read enough in landline magazine about the class action lawsuits by the lease purchase victims. also on here about the lease operator with the minus 1000$ paychecks to be glad i did not apply there. i think any of the other large carriers mentioned here would be superior.
i have no regrets. it was a great oppurtunity and ill be at it as long as they give me new medical cards

90 Days with a Trainer?? OMG!!!

Laid Off
 

Hi guys and Ladies hey i have a ? for you to i have been driving for 17 years now and come from a long history of OTR drivers in my family.I have heard rumors about Prime And CR England,I am sitting home collecting unemployment and going nuts i want to go into buissness for myself driving but don't have the funds to do it,What should i do or were should i start.I don't want to be another company hoar been there and done that running my ass off and not making no money.

not kool
 

Don't take this the wrrong man, and im not a moderator. Thread jacking not kool

You want to go into business for yourself but you have any money? And you have heard the rumors about Prime and England? If you are waiting for us to tell you where you should go to get your own truck with no money you will be here awhile. Also, If you felt like a company ***** running your ass off and not making any money then you should look for another company. A lease purchase deal will really make you feel like a *****.

Thats was almost two months ago Jumbo. By now he's half way to a six figure income at CRE!

I agree. Four digits in front of the decimal point and two after. But all six in red ink.

I was talking with a Werner trainee at a shed last week. He was telling me that he has to drive 60,000 miles before he can be released on his own. 60,000 miles!! In this economy he might not graduate to solo driver until next year!!

I've only two words: BULL CRAP! Last I checked, it was 300 hours of line 3 time... unless they changed policies.. again.

Talked to a CRE Driver last week at a produce shed last week here in FTL. Told me DO NOT GO WITH CR. He had a trainee onboard and was averaging 2,500 miles a week WITH the 2nd driver onboard (whereas trucks with trainee's onboard are "usually" run as "teams" - and "should be getting" 2X that mileage).

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU LEASE A TRUCK FROM THE SAME COMPANY THAT DISPATCHES YOU - UNLESS - (and I've NEVER heard of this happening), you can TAKE THE TRUCK and lease on as an O/O with ANOTHER COMPANY if you're not happy with the dispatch.

If you lease a truck from a REGULAR LEASING COMPANY - you are free to sign on with whatever company you choose. If you lease FROM the company you drive for, you can ONLY HAUL THEIR FREIGHT. Your LEASE PAYMENT comes OFF THE TOP OF YOUR SETTLEMENT, whether you're running 50 miles or 5,0000 - THEY GET THEIRS FIRST.

Rick

Whose just starting to apply to all the "coolie carriers" with a FLORIDA HOME ADDRESS (yeah - GOOD LUCK TO ME!)...

So I guess, the best question would be - OF ALL THE GREAT SATANS - which one is the "lesser of evils"?

No one ever seems to want to ANSWER that question, EVERYONE however - is more than willing to talk feces on any company that a newb enquires about. Would be SO NICE - since this board is about helping one and other - for someone to actually ANSWER THE QUESTION...


i can answer that question if you want a decent learning experience as a newbie i would chose werner, i didn't have problems once i learn the system (paperless log) it took maybe a month to learn but the next few months was cool. would still be there but the Dot sweep me up with the swift cdl problems

Wow!! If you want some entertainment from reading some hard core bitching and moaning, go read the CR England threads over on Ripp Off Report. WOW. There are multiple women on there even claiming to have been raped by their trainers!! There are some hard core cases of being pissed at the company on there.

C.R Dingaling is a sh*t company run Forest run..................don't waste a second with these bottum feeders.
Plenty of good companies out there.

Interesting - as that was MY QUESTION (know the verbiage looked familiar).

I DID do an app with Werner - need to call back and get my "package" (resume, cover letter, license, MVR, etc. etc.) to the recruiter.

Got a call from a "friend of a good friend" tonight - guy just happens to be a CRE Trainer. Says they're no better (or no worse) than any other company out there. One thing in particular he mentioned is that you're either going to be lease or team with them it seems. No more solo's.

For me - I'm getting into this because I CAN'T STAND PEOPLE (been in customer service for 30 years). I just wanna haul freight, listen to music and be LEFT THE HELL ALONE. Sharing a "rolling walk-in-closet" on a FULL TIME BASIS is not exactly what I have in mind for my future. OTOH - for the after-CDL-school "finishing touches" of training and that first 6 mos. to 1 year of "required experience" to move upwards and onwards - ANY JOB at this point is better than sitting home, UN-EMPLOYED and logging on LINE ONE...

Rick

be forewarned:

Every
New
Guy
Leaves
After
Ninty
Days

This may happen to you, do not jump for these fools when they tell you to jump.

3 months with a trainer, geez, i was with a trainer the most of 6 weeks with these fools.

Same here
 

I to was approached by C.R England about 4 months ago,probably the same day I applied,no joke, they were trying so hard to recruit me, I said I didn't know yet, but they kept asking, they had me signed up and ready to go, till I googled it, like the other fellow said, and there it was, Rip-off alert, so needless to say I didn't do it.
Don't do it, heard a lot of bad stuff:thumbsdown: