Complaint Review: C R England

well I went thru this so called school a few years back, when you walk into a trucking school and see the security armed with 9 mm pistols right there you should have your ears up and eyes wide open, then in your orientation class they ask you not to listen to the rumours going around in the building, not good or bad just DONT LISTEN!!!

Then you go to be interagated by this ex fbi guy,if you pass good luck if not you are escorted immediately out of the building by armed security, put on the streets of salt lake city with no return ticket home (bring money to get home on or your stranded.You CAN get some good out of it by passing all your testing and getting your cdl a that is yours no matter what,word of advice!once you pass your test insist on having your licence or at the least a copy,they will hold it from you until the last second before you get into one of THERE trucks,so if you get wise to this company and decide to quit, they have your licence and GOOD LUCK going to motor vehicle to get a copy of it BAD NEWS.

Best advice go to another big company and stear clear of crengland, you'll be alot happier and deal with a h**l of alot less stress in your life.. GOOD LUCK IN WHAT YOU DO....

well I went thru this so called school a few years back, when you walk into a trucking school and see the security armed with 9 mm pistols right there you should have your ears up and eyes wide open, then in your orientation class they ask you not to listen to the rumours going around in the building, not good or bad just DONT LISTEN!!!

Then you go to be interagated by this ex fbi guy,if you pass good luck if not you are escorted immediately out of the building by armed security, put on the streets of salt lake city with no return ticket home (bring money to get home on or your stranded.You CAN get some good out of it by passing all your testing and getting your cdl a that is yours no matter what,word of advice!once you pass your test insist on having your licence or at the least a copy,they will hold it from you until the last second before you get into one of THERE trucks,so if you get wise to this company and decide to quit, they have your licence and GOOD LUCK going to motor vehicle to get a copy of it BAD NEWS.

Best advice go to another big company and stear clear of crengland, you'll be alot happier and deal with a h**l of alot less stress in your life.. GOOD LUCK IN WHAT YOU DO....

well I went thru this so called school a few years back, when you walk into a trucking school and see the security armed with 9 mm pistols right there you should have your ears up and eyes wide open, then in your orientation class they ask you not to listen to the rumours going around in the building, not good or bad just DONT LISTEN!!!

Then you go to be interagated by this ex fbi guy,if you pass good luck if not you are escorted immediately out of the building by armed security, put on the streets of salt lake city with no return ticket home (bring money to get home on or your stranded.You CAN get some good out of it by passing all your testing and getting your cdl a that is yours no matter what,word of advice!once you pass your test insist on having your licence or at the least a copy,they will hold it from you until the last second before you get into one of THERE trucks,so if you get wise to this company and decide to quit, they have your licence and GOOD LUCK going to motor vehicle to get a copy of it BAD NEWS.

Best advice go to another big company and stear clear of crengland, you'll be alot happier and deal with a h**l of alot less stress in your life.. GOOD LUCK IN WHAT YOU DO....

I am not sure that you as a company driver will ever understand the problems that drivers have once they sign that lease.

I think that perhaps instead of calling these people that have obviously suffered through some tough times with this company names, you as a company driver should research the lease program. The company drivers make money because there is no overhead for you. There is no risk in being a company driver. You are also limited in what you can do to grow as an individual. Should you ever take a "risk" and try to make your own company and own your own truck, you might understand the dilimma.

You really should ask a lease operator sometime to see their operator settlements. It is not a matter of complaining, its a matter of trying to accomplish the dream of owning your own truck and being successful. This company wants you to fail so they can collect money. They want you to think that they are on your side. The reality is they use the "cheap freight rates" to make themselves more money. While you, the driver are out there away from your family, missing your children growing up and striving to be safe and make a living, they are sitting at a warm desk that no doubt, you paid for. They are with their families every night. They see their children growing up. They get paid to screw you.

So continue sitting on that "company paid soap box" and be safe out there. You as a truck driver know that no driver will ever be happy. But instead of telling these drivers that they are whinning, do some research on that company and give commendations to those that took that chance and lived through it.

Encourage the newer guys and gals to do their best and PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. And one more thing, DON'T EVER CRITICIZE people willing to tell you their experiences. Learn from others mistakes. Dont work for a company that has no morals.

Drive safe and catch ya on the flip.

My husband and I came to a decision to get our CDL's and train and work with CRE. Our choice was either I re-enlist and get sent overseas or we work together to make something better for our children. We started the CRE school in 09/2004, but our original hire date is 10/01/04. No credit is given for those 3 weeks with CRE school. We both got on 1 trainers truck and that lasted 7 weeks, but the 3 of us were having a blast! We were truly blessed to get such a wonderful trainer (thanks billy). When we were finished and had passed the upgrade process, we then went into what was called 'Q-Fleet'. This fleet is supossed to help you better understand their Lease program, of which there are MANY to choose from. Our problem with CRE at that point was that the SAFE miles we had with our trainer in no way counted toward a safety bonus or safe miles. Our safe miles began when we stepped into Q-Fleet. We signed our lease, with a 6 month DEMO lease up front, and another year afterwards. In that DEMO lease CRE offers, you can pull out of it at any time and for any reason what-so-ever, all that is required from the Driver is a 30-day notice to the Lease dept and to the Driver's DM. We kept our truck, as we were bringing home an average of $1500.00 per week. But, since March 2005, we have only had a handful of paychecks in which we've brought home more than $500.!! I had to get off the truck in July 2005 so my husband became a trainer for CRE. My husband has a TC in California to help him pick up new students in Mira Loma and he also has a TC in Texas to help him get new students in Dallas area. He has had to literally FIGHT these two to KEEP two students on his truck. CRE is constantly griping that they do not have enough trainers with all these students coming in and sending quals to the trucks asking trainers to take on two students, but the TC's fight the trainers on this issue. This should never be a fight. The trainer has say over 1 or 2 students on HIS/HER truck, not DM, not TC, not PC, not Payroll, not logs --- the 1 who makes the $592.00 payment a week just for the truck.

Let's take this back a bit --- When my husband and I signed our 18-month lease, with 6 month demo up front - we were welcomed into the Dedicated Conway division immediately. Our DM used us and abused us, which is exactly what we wanted and were completely happy running that way. When the Conway Fleet was dispersed in late March of 2005, we were thrown into CRE's North American Division. The DM we had there had absoluletly NO CLUE how to run a TEAM. We were given, AS A TEAM where our truck never stops, 5 days to get a load from Jersey City, NJ over to far West Los Angeles. 5 DAYS??? When we got to the Mira Loma yard 2 1/2 days early, we were told no local driver available to deliver load and we had to sit on it. When we told our DM we were goin over to another dedicated fleet, he ran us ridiculously more! We took home more than $1,000.00 2 weeks in a row, then he started running us solo again. So we did switch to a dedicated run. We were told that on this run, it was required to reside in GA, IL, or CA in order for optimal home time. However, considering they NEEDED any drivers they could get, us living in TX was no problem. We could run I10/I20 whenever we chose to, cuz we LEASE, so getting home to see our young teens shouldn't be a major issue. When I came off the truck in July 2005 and hubby went to training, he was again told home time shouldn't be a problem cuz of CRE school in Cedar Hill, TX.

Since July 2005, I've seen my husband numerous times for a few hours, and sometimes for a full 24 hours! But, since his lease is up May 20th, and since all this immigration crap is all over the news, and since our last name is EXTREMELY Mexican as is my husband and our children, he's LUCKY to send me $400.00 a week without using the $300+ a week they take out of gross pay for the tax reserve.

When we signed our lease, I had a lot of questions as the lease lady was going over all the important parts of the lease and I wanted it completely clarified to me what we were signing. At first, she seemed pretty receptive of my questioning, but she quickly became irate and started telling us that 'we can discuss this later or even perhaps tomorrow'. I FORCED her to sit down and discuss whatever I felt I needed to, and yes -- we didn't sign that lease until well after 6pm that night. We are not the ones who set up the group lease signing event, we are not the ones who wrote out that lease, so the least the lease dept could do was to clarify what they expected THOROUGHLY --- it took a bit, but she did just that. We new EXACTLY what we were getting into when we signed that lease.

We've had our problems with CRE, don't get me wrong. Our biggest problem with CRE is that with all of those people working in the Logs dept, Lease dept, Owner Op dept, Payroll, Maintenance, Safety, the DM's, the TC's the PC's, the Truck Instructors, ETC., CRE departments DO NOT converse with one another. The afterhours department does not relay messages to DM's or Maintenance if there are problems on the loads, and that is just 1 MAJOR area of NON COMMUNICATION that CRE has.

So, let me end with this little note --- if you got 'screwed' because you VOLUNTARILY committed yourself to a $500+ a week payment, plus insurance, plus permits, plus, plus, plus --- then it is your own undoing. Yes, CRE is in business to take your bottom dollar. How do you think they managed to survive the great depression Part Two?? If a little ol california blonde and former correctional facility inmate can make someone sit down and explain every line on that 200 page lease, then so can anyone else. There are too many leases to choose from. Look at their lease program this way --- would you sign a 3 year contract to work for any new employer??? NO --- so why sign a 3 year lease on a truck with anyone when you are just starting to work for them?? We have many comlaints, but NONE that CRE can turn around and blame us for.

My husband and I have both worked for C.R England,Inc.I personaly think that they have alot of good things going for them in their company, BUT when old man England steped down and let the brats take over they started looking at more ways to make money.I think someone has done a poor job on teaching them the differance between making money and stealing money.As the head over safty said to me " my job is to protect C.R England, Inc. and thats what I am going to do."I think it's great to see someone so devoted to their job, but not when they are willing to lie, cover up, and help their bosses steal from the work force of the company by using their ignorance. They stole from my family and I know others that worked for them and have lost everything they had. And as for company or lease... I've seen lease drivers burned bad, and as company drivers...we started with good miles and pay,but because we would not go lease they dropped miles; thus pay went down and they pushed us on out. And as for being charged for repairs...they take all com checks from your pay, be it for fuel or repairs. But when you look for it to be put back into your check they will say you did something wrong.We had figured that C.R England,Inc. took about $6,000. in aprox. 7 mths. and if you talk with other people they can tell you the same.

My husband and I have both worked for C.R England,Inc.I personaly think that they have alot of good things going for them in their company, BUT when old man England steped down and let the brats take over they started looking at more ways to make money.I think someone has done a poor job on teaching them the differance between making money and stealing money.As the head over safty said to me " my job is to protect C.R England, Inc. and thats what I am going to do."I think it's great to see someone so devoted to their job, but not when they are willing to lie, cover up, and help their bosses steal from the work force of the company by using their ignorance. They stole from my family and I know others that worked for them and have lost everything they had. And as for company or lease... I've seen lease drivers burned bad, and as company drivers...we started with good miles and pay,but because we would not go lease they dropped miles; thus pay went down and they pushed us on out. And as for being charged for repairs...they take all com checks from your pay, be it for fuel or repairs. But when you look for it to be put back into your check they will say you did something wrong.We had figured that C.R England,Inc. took about $6,000. in aprox. 7 mths. and if you talk with other people they can tell you the same.

My husband and I have both worked for C.R England,Inc.I personaly think that they have alot of good things going for them in their company, BUT when old man England steped down and let the brats take over they started looking at more ways to make money.I think someone has done a poor job on teaching them the differance between making money and stealing money.As the head over safty said to me " my job is to protect C.R England, Inc. and thats what I am going to do."I think it's great to see someone so devoted to their job, but not when they are willing to lie, cover up, and help their bosses steal from the work force of the company by using their ignorance. They stole from my family and I know others that worked for them and have lost everything they had. And as for company or lease... I've seen lease drivers burned bad, and as company drivers...we started with good miles and pay,but because we would not go lease they dropped miles; thus pay went down and they pushed us on out. And as for being charged for repairs...they take all com checks from your pay, be it for fuel or repairs. But when you look for it to be put back into your check they will say you did something wrong.We had figured that C.R England,Inc. took about $6,000. in aprox. 7 mths. and if you talk with other people they can tell you the same.

I am a L/O for CRE. I get the miles I need. I get the home time I want. I am happy.

First, CR England has done what they said as far as I am concerned. There is nothing in the contract that I signed that has or has not happened. It is in plain English and all there in black and white. I even had overnight to read it over. Guess what it looked fine to me.

Second, My driver manager is one hell of a guy. We have had our problems (very few) but have not held that against each other. He listens to me because I listen to him. I have his cell phone number and have used it. We talk and he knows me by name not just by number, and he has a lot of numbers.

Third, I run what i am given. I f I cant legally do it I say so. We talk on the phone and if we cant find a way to do it, the load is given to someone else. If that is not good enough for some of you safety is there 24 hrs a day. And they can get the load taken off of you.

Fourth, As of Dec 1st, I am averaging about 3250 miles a week for the year. The miles are there. I take what is given to me. Short or long(mostly long) trips because once again I know my DM is doing his job. That way we both make money.

Lastly, If a driver for CRE wants to drive he can. If he wants to go home he can. If he wants to make money he can. If he wants to lose money he can.

The point is CRE/Swift/Knight/Navajo/Schneider/JBHunt/Prime/ Werner and every single company out there is in the business to make money. Where you go has nothing to do with what you make. You have to do with what you make. If you are not happy here you wont be happy somewhere else. The industry as a whole is falling to pieces but that is another story all together...

A small note, when i say he I mean, "the truck driver", God bless you ladies that are giving it a go. You keep it up Frank. And hey, lets all act like we know what we are doing out there, I have a life and so do you Respect it

Well, here we go again.

I appreciate David's comment about it being illegal to be fired for being gay. Welcome to Utah, David. It is a "right to work" state. Also, sexuality is not covered by any (utah) state, or federal anti discrimination laws.

Secondly, I wish some of you babies would learn proper English. I am absolutely amazed by some of the writing in this forum.

Earl, I am very offended by your comment about mormons. Other than some passing contact, have you ever known a mormon? I am NOT mormon, but I believe that all religions deserve proper respect. I guess I should have expected this from someone who is probably a BIBLE THUMPING, HYPOCRITICAL, (SOUTHERN?) BAPTIST!

Perhaps your time would be better spent trying to get a high school diploma, rather than trying to discredit someone else. Get a life, all of you!

I too drove for england.I went thru 3 trainers before i found one that wasn"t too nuts.I wont say his name but he was good.now i hear he is calling it quits due to the driver mgmt.make no mistake baout it especially the rookies about to graduate and all they see is alot of money.englands" lease policy sucks and it only benefits england.to be rushed into signing is a tactic they use so you wont see the fine print that says GOTCHA} I my self went thru englands school in spartanburg sc and made top gun.Every thing u need to know is in the paper work they give you if onlyb you read it.I learned along time ago about englands practices.Thats the mormans 4 you.Every body sees the school in south carolina and west valley city as party cntrl.Well thats your first mistake.to put it simple you can make money at england just dont lease a trk read every thing and under stand it i did and i"m just a dumb red neck in fla.buyer be ware.

I am a C.R.England Company Driver who has had 2 non preventable accidents and 1 truck was totaled,and yet hummmm i'm still working with the same company,go figure,yet all i see in all the criticizing is lies,and a bunch of whining babies,maybe what your not reporting is your own mistakes,maybe you people should take a look at "what"your husbands/wives are not telling YOU!
1),there is only 1 payroll with-in CR England,yes different "people"are in charge of "payroll"but the money comes from 1 location there is not "different payrolls"only one.
2)CR England is not going to make you "pay"for their trucks/trailers that break down,come on people,stop listening to the lies,some people are just gullible.
3)it's illegal to be fired for being gay.
4)recruiters can tell you,that you will
make .45 unless the "company"says it don't beleave it,he's there to "hire you"duh!
5)these are just a few things,i would like to pass on,so next time someone wants to say something about their company tell the whole truth,not what you think is the truth,take a look at yourself and stop your da*m whining and grow up,no one here can help you it just makes you look like a whining little baby,which from reading all the things you wrote thats all it is "here say"

My father currently is trucking with CR England and i'll tell you this. He is a L/O with this company and runs on avg. 4500 to 5000 per week and they have made so many payroll errors where is net check should be around around 1600 to 1800 per per week based on there .87 cents per mile. How do I know this it's because I do payroll for a different trucking company. He does not take any advances out and likes to drive. This company dazzles you with bull sh*t to get you to sign the contract and has no intention to uphold it of what so ever. There is no money in this company of any kind and I would not recommend you seeking a career with this company. Please look into other company such as Swift, U.S. Xpress Enterprises and others like A.G. Edwards, Knight with reputations that aren't as bad as C.R. Englands. Any how my dad got a new DM and things have been on the upside alittle but there still alot of work to be done.

Man no matter how many pointers you give to people ---still this company is full of sh*t! From their schools to their lease programs they are at the bottom of the SH*T list. There isnt one good reason why any one should go to one of their schools, work as a company driver, or lease one of their trucks. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY NO MATTER IF YOU ARE A NEWBIE LOOKING FOR A SCHOOL OR VETERAN DRIVER LOOK SOME PLACE ELSE AND FORGET THE NAME CR ENGLAND!

Yes, its very true that the Lease Operator option at CRE is not good. A few people make alot of money with it, but the vast majority fail. The reason CRE wanted to put more L/O's on the road is L/O's can run a little fast than company drivers, and aren't strictly held to the log books (atleast that is how it was when I worked in after hours for the North American Division). When a tracker (which I was) has a tight load, they look for a lease or owner operator to run it. For some of the more "critical loads" they will even shoot you an express code for cash to get it there on time. They also like to put Lease Operators on coast to coast runs. That is where the real money is. Problem is, those runs are in the "specialized department", and are few and far between.

A few points to help you make money as a CRE Lease Operator.

1) Don't run out your hours trying to get their load in ontime. You become a hazard to yourself and all those around you when you drive sleep deprived. You also force yourself to sit it out while better loads are given to other drivers.

2) Don't take short runs to get their load delivered ontime, unless they pay you nicely.

3) The real money is in long hauls, so don't let them send you on a short run unless they have a big one for you afterward.

4) Treat your Driver Manager well, and he will treat you well. Don't deliver late, and have excuses. DM's aren't interested in excuses, they are only interested in having good drivers. Your DM's monthly and yearly bonuses depend on your stats, but only if he has you moving. If you are a screw up driver, they will let you sit until you quit. In the eyes of the trackers, CS, and DM's the only excuse for delivering late is weather. They can pull up the weather nation wide for any moment of the day. They can tell if you are lying.

5) Don't get a record with the law, or with the company. A criminal record will get you fired. A bad reputation with the company or with the booking, tracking, and after hours people will ruin you in a heartbeat. Don't work for CRE if you are lazy, it will only hurt you in the end.

6) If your DM has you sitting, bug him until he gets you moving. Remember though, if you are sitting its for one of two reasons: 1) you screwed up. 2) There aren't any loads at that moment.

7) Show up clean and groomed to deliver a load. I can't tell you how many customers called in to complain that a driver smelled or looked like a bum. ConAgra in Greeley Colorado was most known for doing that, as well as Kimberly Clarke in Ogden Utah. All those reports go to the DM and the Division Director. They will put you out of service (though you won't know it) if you get too many complaints like this.

8) Don't behave as a child. Lying, cheating, stealing, covering up. Those things are childish. I can't tell you how many Grandmothers died on my shift. How many people called to get off a load so they can make it home to see their child born. So many family tragedies happen at night when most of the world is in bed. Hmmph! I think not! If you need a day, just let the DM know. If you are in good with him, he will take care of you.

9) Don't spend your paycheck before you get it. Don't call up begging for an express code for such and such, and so and so. If its a personal expense, or isn't supported by reciepts, it will be deducted from your pay. I actually had a few drivers get money by saying the truck was broken down, and they needed a hotel until the freightliner opened in the morning. I gave them the money. When it turned out that the truck was fine, they had the money taken out of their paychecks. They even had the nerve to be upset about it.

10) Be nice to fellow CRE employees (drivers, office people). They really make or break your Lease. If you rude to an office person, that will get around within a few days. You will see a drastic drop in the quality and quantity of your loads.

11) Don't try to trade loads with another driver. Even if your DM authorizes it, it will probably irritate him and cost you in the long run.

12) If you are gay, never let that be known. You will loose your job within a week. The Englands are quite homophobic. I suppose I should have known that going into the company.

Anyway, I hope this helps some.

Good Luck.

I worked for CR England in the winter of 1999 for 2 months as a DRIVER, they were hard pressing for a lot of drivers to go to O/O. Have at that time 15+ years driving. Was recruited out of S. CAL Make long story short, was told by recruiter at Salt Lake I will get .30 mile after all my employment was verified. Talked to them 3 or 4 times before I would commit myself to them. Before I went to Salt Lake again I verified with them the rate that they are going to pay me quote ".30 mile". Got my truck first pay check ".21" a mile!!! Got a hold of some gal up there to solve this problem and said that it was just a mistake in payroll, give her a couple of days to straighten this out. She came back, had good news for me, instead of ".21" a mile they are going to pay me ".23 a mile". DM got me back to Salt Lake I had a meeting with the big boys told them what happened and finally they came back and gave me ".28". I told them "thankyou and this will only make me look else where". After 3 more weeks i Left them. I did not lose money with them but when you start off wrong with somebody it is a sign that is the way it is going to be!!! They even payed me $500.00 to sign on at the beginning. So, I got out while I was ahead!!

I just want to ask all the wannabe O/O who want to lease tractors from big copanies like England, Swift. ASK YOURSELF, IF THERE IS ANY PROFIT IN HAVING YOUR OWN TRUCK ANY MAKE ANY MONEY IN IT, WHY IS THE COMPANY LEASEING IT TO YOU THEN? IF THERE WAS MONEY IN THE TRUCKING PART THEY SURE WOULD NOT GIVE IT TO YOU!!!! THINK ABOUT IT!!!!
DO YOU HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU DO IT.

My wife and I drove for england and had the most misserable time of it.

All we wanted to do was drive it right. Legal.

The companies dont care about legal or right they just want money.

Every real owner operator I ever talked to said that these reasons are exactly why they bought there own truck.

A real owner operator definition can be found in the motor carrier atlas.

One of those defining categories is an owner operator is not governed. His speed is not governed. Only a company driver is.

If your company has you governed at their speed then what you are doing is paying them to drive their truck.

Now thats the grand ripoff.

And to the brainless real man trucker. " I've never refused a load" " I'll get it there, dont worry" "oh you mean it's late, thats ok I got my way's" It's caword drivers like you that actuly give the industry a bad name. You risk lives on the road to please your blood sucking company.

And when you finaly kill someone you wonder why your glorious company has left you.

I have no respect for HE MAN DRIVER.

NEVER QUESTION just do.

Join Owner Operator independent drivers asociation. You dont have to be an o/o to do it.

and they will help you do it legal. and show you how to fight for your self.

Well I am sure you felt pressured in to signing the new contract. well I know this is used as a way to legaly rip you off. Never ever sign a contract with out hiring a Lawyer to review it. then sign it. Now if the company says that they will not let you do this. Then don't walk a way RUN!!! For Once you sign it thats it. They write the contract to protect them not you. and Sorry this happened.