Complaint Review: Crst - Cedar Rapids Iowa

I applaud anyone here with good intentions to help someone. Unfortunately, you have to be careful with the information because it can turn out to be a rant with incorrect or misleading information. I will also say that any trucking job is tough, whether it be CRST or somewhere else, especially in today's economy and the lack of miles out there. Sometimes you have to be lucky to be successful as a driver. I think you can have a below-average experience like Big Frank or an above-average experience like DragonRider. That said, a couple things should be cleared up. If you pay for your own schooling, you can quit anytime you want. If you would like CRST to pay for it, you will make less money while they recoup their cost, and if you quit before that period is over, they want you to reimburse them if you stay in the trucking business. They do have dedicated routes, but it does not play a huge portion of their overall business. CRST gets an "A" grade from the Iowa Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/iowa/business-reviews/trucking-transportation-brokers/c-r-s-t-international-inc-in-cedar-rapids-ia-4000111 The standard engine is a Detroit series 60. I don't think Detroit even makes a DD14. CRST has started to buy some DD15s from Detroit, but right now it makes up 10% of their fleet. CAT C15 Acert engines make up about 5% of their fleet, and those will probably be gone in a year or less. They do have an idle shutdown feature that shuts down the trucks after 3 minutes, but that is installed only on trucks that have an APU or the Opt Idle feature (which would allow idling longer than 3 minutes if the temperature dictates). They have changed some of the engine specs that hurt RPMs in order to get better fuel economy. Bad for the driver short-term maybe...better long term because that translates eventually into more freight opportunities. Unfortunately, they will fire you if you try to install your own inverter. Most drivers could do it themselves, and they used to let that happen. But after 2-3 tractors burn to the ground before, I guess they decided that wasn't too smart and changed the policy. Thibault - 8% idle time in incredible and too low if anything. Under 20 is plenty good, especially in summer or winter. I would try talking to maintenance and have them pay for the wiper fluid rather than worry about dispatch reimbursements.

well my wife and i have ben here now 6 months at first i thought it was great they hired me at 40 cpm and my wife of 3 months exp. at .33 cpm no contract we got ok miles 4500-4800 mls a wk then droped off to 1200-1500 where it has been since we are rated as a 1 speed for on time and low idle our total idle is at 8% for time with co. with us living in desert and running east coast through winter that is very good enough of us here is a good over view they have cot pay for local work to 15 dollars split on trips less than 100 miles and finaly have changed you do not have to wake up co driver to back up /go through scale / pull in to truck stop ect. there perdiem plan takes .02 cpm and keeps it and it is milage based this has nothing to do with milage you are aloed aprox. 50 per day to deduct on your taxes they will refuse to have safty issues like worn brakes fixed we sat in fontana yard for 8 days yes 8 days 6 for a trans that was bad damaged by last team in truck shop confermed this 1 day of local work 1 day well on mothers day week end there was 138 trucks in fontana yard not counting ones at T\A ontario and others in area as to pay we have gone as long as 3 pay poriods with out pay but turned in trip packs for clearity we git payed tue. thur. every week this is for exp. drivers looking to go to crst all the new trucks are cut to 65 mph not a prob. but here is how it works as performance must trucks dd14 detroit 455 hp 355 finals with short rubber 22.5's idle shuts off if clutch is engauged {so if at light in nutral well you git picture} on acert cat motors rpm is caped at 1600 rpm witch calculates to aprox 375hp! and many problems related to running it that low on dd14 they are set same but it is a low rpm motor so it is not quite as bad but still will not pull next gear on a hill if loaded above 25,000 lbs. you have no in cab trailer hand brake {johnson bar} no sliding 5th wheel i have trained for 3 co. over the years by the way i have 18 years exp. iam a trainer for crst i also do new hire and up grade road tests this is also to inform on charges they will put on you to do things outher driver states to save you money inverte install 300.00 cost of inverter to power fridge/microwave 250.00 microwave {wallmart} 50.00 fridge real one 100.00 thermal eletric 100.00 cost if you do not have co. install your inverter your job yes they will fire you over this cost of stoping at wallmart to restock food and what ever your on time record goes down this afects freight you git and how much you sit {once agin ours is a 1-1.5 the best you can git is a 1 if you are in texas in summer and need windshield washer fluid and ran out of what co. gave you 2 weeks ago they will not reemburse you or for any thing else tolls they will pay for them but you have to pay for them first by gitting a advance and atm fees and comdata fees are on you also and cell phones well in this day you will need one and not a prepaid i have had verizon for years and be for that gte same co. diff. name crst will require you to call air freight be for you can take load or loose it, this time fraim is aprox. 30 minits if you are in most places in usa, pay phones are gone so you are S O L if you have co cell and your rating goes down for that CRST WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A DIME FOR CELL PHONE USAGE EVER !!!!!!! in ending if you are home less and need a home it's a great place to work till you git on your feet i feel fortunit i am not broke and do this for the love of the job if you ever see me i will help you any i can but not with money but skills and training

I have been with CRST for six years. Never once have I had any type of problem. Repairs to my truck are made in a timely fashion, the pay is excellent, the miles are great. The winter time can be hard on anyone including us. High winds and snow in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, etc. This happens every year so we are prepared. My dispatchers have treated me like gold. My partner and I have never had to "come down hard" on them if we don't get the miles we need. Dispatchers cannot just pull freight out of thin air. They do their best to get us a good load each and every time. They understand we are out here to make money and a good living for our families. If you want to complain about them try walking a mile in their shoes. Try sitting down and watching them handle 80 - 100 trucks per day and keep everyone happy. If you don't have a headache after watching them work, then there's something wrong with you. Dispatchers are people just like you and me. I've never once had a problem getting answers to questions and have even interrupted their day to shoot the breeze. My co-driver and I have certain cities we enjoy laying over in and often request "slow rollers" going through or to those cities. Do we get the loads? You better believe we do. As for hometime, never a problem. The only time we've been late coming home was because of weather in Utah. Snow closed the road on I-80 and we were stuck. I can't control the weather and neither can anyone else. Getting sick or hurt? Not a problem either. I have had to be off for surgery and so has my co-driver. Both times CRST expressed its support and even sent flowers to the hospital and a get well card signed by several dispatchers and corporate figures. They have given us extra days when we requested it. Not once has anyone ever told us to get our stuff off the truck. Our truck is the same whether we are gone two days or two weeks. I don't know any of the people who have a bad experience with this company. All I know is that I am happy, I make money, and I am treated like a person and not just a name on a piece of paper. I can go anywhere on the Cedar Rapids grounds and I am greeted with hello's and how are you and it's good to see you again. This is a great company. DragonRider 10/18/08