If you are interested in driving for Crete Carrier, please call Recruiting at 1-800-998-2221. Our referral code is SLOKEV. We’d love it if you would use it. And let us know so we can thank you!! We appreciate it! And we appreciate you!!! If you are looking for any product that we use and recommend you can check the links in the description. We also got you a discount for Truckers Path. Again...the link is in the description. Thanks for watching!! We are happy to have you along with us, discovering the Roads of America and learning about trucking!!
I try to apply but guess what they only hire out of Arizona tht as far west they would go but I’m base out of California also I don’t have any recent experience I quit Werner bro after dealing with them for 3 mos how ever I had a year of local and few months Otr
i've been watching alot of these type of youtube videos, as I research getting into the industry (or not) and your videos are much more concise than most. Thank you
Thank you for your comment! Glad you like our style! You’re right that too many videos about income spend too much time on blah blah blah. 😉 We also did lots of research on RUclips before Kevin became a driver. So now that he is a driver we wanted to help others thinking about getting into trucking with concise income information. Be sure to watch the most recent income video… How much MONEY a Truck Driver Made in One Year | Crete Carrier ruclips.net/video/2IFP-4HXRjs/видео.html Best of luck on your journey!
$1,600 per week to be OTR that’s not enough. When I started trucking I had a contract for $1,800 per week just to go up and down the east coast. As truckers we need to ask for better to risk our lives and relationships for so much time OTR, at least $2,000 per week. We need work with each other more to raise the standard.
@@aleciam4481 $2000 a week for OTR is underwhelming. I have seen a lot of LOCAL drivers make more than that. Usually OTR pays more than regional than local. I'll say at least gross $2500 a week.
I retired from the USPS 2 years ago and was driving 51 miles a day,6 days a week and making $2,600 net for 2 weeks and was home every day! No DOT, no cops, no scales not even any license plates on the trucks! Best driving job in the world! 8 hours a day and home by 1 PM every day!!
You are so right!! I have many friends from work that are still working and can't wait to retire. Management is now made up of former secretaries and mail handlers! They don't even know where the stations are!!
I started trucking for the money and found out it’s all bs. I average $400 per week. I made more at my last job digging holes… and got to go home every night. I just talked to my previous employer and he said he’d be interested in taking me back especially since I have a cdl now. Offered me a $6/hr raise from what he was paying me before. I’m thinking I’m gonna take the offer. I’m just disappointed in the trucking industry. I dreamed about quitting from my previous job to do this but it’s not at all what I thought it’d be.
I’ve been with Crete 15 years. Your mileage numbers are right on. In those 15 years I’ve averaged about 2,500 per week calculating just like you. I normally only take one week of actual vacation at Christmas. The other two weeks I just take the money. Crete has treated my well and I am looking to retire in about three years.
I drove for Crete back in 2003 and was making great money from the start. I had 16 years trucking when I started there and they treated me very well. My mother’s health got worse so I left in 2005 and took care of her. I then bought my own truck and started hauling produce. Stick with Crete if you’re going to stay a company driver. They have been around a long time and know how to treat their drivers.
Many missing miles is still zip code discrepancy. But Crete pays practical miles, while most companies pay mover miles. So Crete miles are way closer to actual driven
I've been driving since 1987, both local and OTR. You gave one of the clearest examples of payment breakdown and company experience with Crete Carriers Corp than I've had other drivers explain to me about their company
Congratulations Kevin you are literally making exactly what I'm making with Marten Transport. I'm 5 on 2 off up and down the I 5. Keep those videos coming.
Outside of that bullspit a$$ 2013 Int Prostar with the maxxforce engine they sold me, I honestly have no complaints about Crete 😂. I ran for them for about 3 years both company and lease to own owner op. The pay is pretty good, the dispatch team is solid and they get you home on time whenever you ask. The best word to describe Crete is; fair!
Congratulations on your success as a driver. You are doing great. Wonderful following you and Tonia. Enjoy your video very much. Have a great day and safe. Catch you on the next one.
Yes!!!! You can definitely make more money than that!!! Especially after you have a year. In certain circumstances you can come to Crete with 8 months. Talk to recruiting. Best of luck!!!
@@yellabish84 It’s our pleasure!!! When Kevin started we used RUclips to get an idea of pay and culture at companies. It’s not easy to compare because of all the different ways drivers pay gets put together. So we want to return the favor by helping other new drivers. Wasn’t easy as we were both brought up with the belief that you don’t talk about income. But it’s been worth it. We are very happy that our money videos are helpful. Best of luck and keep us informed about your next chapter. 😃
Nice to hear everything is working out better at CRETE for the two of you. Good luck in the future. Certainly enjoy your videos. Thanks for the short train footage. Never pass up on a train for us. Do you get annoyance pay for the cat brakes? Lol.
That’s great!! Thank you so much! Glad our videos were helpful!! Our referral code is SLOKEV. We appreciate you giving it to Crete and wish you a fabulous career with them!!! Let us know if you have other questions.
@@justinneal9189 Darn! We met a very nice Justin today. Wondering if it was you. Must be something about the name. 😆😆 Thanks for getting back to us. So while we have you here…how are you enjoying Crete? We hope it’s going well!?
Thank you for this video. I did the training program through Heartland Express and got my license Nov 2022. I’ve been making around $1250/wk with Heartland being out 2 weeks at a time. After I get my 1 year experience I think I’ll be applying for Crete
Hi there!! That’s pretty good for your first trucking job! Glad you’re having a good start to your new career! Kevin’s one year review is coming out this week. Check it out for details. We’d love to see you here if it’s a good fit for you! And if it is, please be so kind and use our referral code, SLOKEV. We’d be very grateful!!!
Crete Carrier was the company I first started driving with back in the beginning of 2013 and I left about the end of 2014. While it is honestly probably one of the better OTR companies and I definitely enjoyed going to be a more local. Being on one of Cretes Walmart fleets would probably be better than OTR honestly because the miles are more regular and so is your home time.
Thanks a lot for the information Kevin, much appreciated !!! Be safe out there. After 30 years in the electrical and/or the cellular communications industry, I'm going for it. Starting school in the beginning of January (2024). I'll keep Crete and you in mind in the future. Love your videos, very informative. 👍🏼🙏🏼
That's so killer!! I can't wait! But, I have questions! How do you obtain all of that info? What do you write down at the beginning and end of runs, and what comes from your check stubs? Is your odometer your friend? Is there a video in your rather vast discography that I can refer to, or maybe make another video describing how and what you do to configure your numbers? I also want to keep all of those records when I start driving for Leonard's Express (fingers crossed!) in January out of Caldwell, ID. It seems your method is a comprehensive way of doing that. As always, travel safely!
@clydesdale I'm in Boise, going to trucking school in January, and certainly thinking that Leonard's Express is a company to talk to. Good luck to you!
Kevin, sounds like you have a good steady run, good steady job, and a fine piece of equipment to drive, that counts for something. I watch the independents watching the load boards and grumbling constantly about the rates, the down time, the constant worry.. I kind of wonder why they don't do what you do......
In this market you want to be a company driver. Quite a few owner-ops are either shutting down or struggling to survive as the spot market is offering peanuts and dedicated contracted routes are the only way to make consistent money.
I’ve done over the road and regional I like it better doing regional I go home every week and I make more money with less surprises because I know my region 99 out of 100 times wherever I go I’ve been there before only thing bad about Midwest regional is the winter timeBut there’s no mountains whatever you do in trucking there’s always going to be a pros and cons type of thing about it everything has an upside everything has a downside over the road I think can be a little bit less of a stressful type of life sometimes but on the other hand it can be very very stressful too because its alot of guess work regional The only stress maybe it’s just that you have a lot of stops to make but the bottom line is you can’t go 100% all day every day you have to find your sweet spot to where you can maintain your sanity and drive the truck without an accident or a ticket day in and day out
I can't place the facility where you did the review, but I'm pretty sure the trailer backing part at the end is Kohler in Huntsville, AL? The curbs/parking lot for empties is not designed for trailers. It's a car parking lot! lol... I'm glad you are doing well at Crete! Hoping you hit $100K!!!
Going to finish off my first year where I am, but next April I am considering moving. I love where I am, good people small company. I can walk into the terminal and the manager knows my name. But there money is not there and the trailers are junk. I have been liking the videos you have been posting and Crete is definelty on my list. My goal is to get on with a company I can retire from.
Thanks for watching! You definitely need to consider Crete. We get lots of Oldtimers commenting that it’s the best company they’ve worked for. Keep watching our videos to see if it’s a good fit. And depending who you are driving for they would possibly take you earlier. But Kevin also finished out a year. People here are great too. You deserve to make top dollars for the work you do!!
I think werner just had regional driver that didn’t have much to do so they make the otr drivers move to trailer to their region them the regional driver take it
Congratulations you seem to be doing great in your new career. I have always held Crete in high esteem. I never met a disgruntled driver .I am a retired driver with 42 years of experience. I definitely would recommend a new driver to do as you go to Werner for a year for experience then absolutely go to Crete for a couple of years .then go to a local job as a L.T.L CITY or road driver .your doing great .always be safe and always be professional I know after 40 years of driving it's hard to fly with eagles when your sarounded by turkeys
I've been driving going on 5 years, the company i am currently at I'm out for 6 weeks and off for 2 weeks if i want off. with that my pay last year was 138,000. Oversized and heavy haul.
I made great money with Crete as a "Rookie." I was laid off from my local Electrician job & on Unemployment back in the early 2000's. So I qualified for a fully paid Federal Grant at my local College for an 8 month fully credited OTR training & job placement Program. I'm South of Houston & Crete was the Top Paying Company back in those days. I Loved Crete but they always kept me in the NE. Which everyone hates. My dispatcher had no issues getting me home for home time. However, OTR is for a single person & it's hard on a family Man. I made great money but left for a local job. I know back then Walmart & Krogers were the jobs to grab but they were hard to get. Now Krogers is begging for drivers. Then I had a Stroke & I've been on SSI/DI since I was 37yrs old.. I'm 53 now & miss those NW runs in my buddies 389. Those Dakota or 95 Runs Paid Top Dollar for me.. There will always be a special place in my heart for Crete. Oh flat land Nebraska Office! 🤟
Most of those ads dropped there requirements too 1yr but 1yr too work at any ltl company fedex ground or freight, ups ground, saia, xpo logistics, rl carriers, estes, old dominion ect you can make 75-100k plus a year with 1yr exp.. fedex ground is the easiest because theres no senoirity so you can come on right away making 100k and get a dedicated account but all the other ltl companies give you a raise every year no cap so just depends what your looking for..
I don’t know about you, but every time I do those tea calls they’re killing me man especially when you go into the city like Atlanta, Tampa, Kissimmee, Florida. It waste my time in the sense that I don’t get to make that many miles with the so-called tcalls.
Congratulations to both of you, great team work! What do you do with your trailer when you us personal conveyance (to the mall) or go home for home leave?
Hello Kevin, Not bad pay. I work for a local company driving a day cab drop an hook hourly pay home everyday an making 75.000 a year. Maybe that something you may like to look into an be home at the end of the day. Take care..
Hey driver, loving these videos, considering Crete! I started driving with Prime, went back home for a local job with XPO to be home every night, got a wife and kids I missed terribly, but I miss the road… so I feel torn and guilty about wanting to go back OTR. If I go back OTR it will be with Crete though, looks like a good company
Bro Mom and pop companies are where it's at. I live in Ms the company I work for is out of AL. I pull chicken from Ms to Los Angeles and produce back to florida usually Jacksonville or Lakeland.Then home a few days. I'm usually out 7 to 9 days max and I gross around 2700 maybe a tad over depending on how many pickups I had and if I get a backhaul out of Florida . I make 25%of the linehaul of the load.
Wow!!! That’s really great!!! So happy for you!!!! And thanks for sharing that here so drivers can see what’s possible!!! Hope we get to meet you somewhere!
I'm new to your channel and I really like learning what you guys go through day to day. Thanks for sharing Kevin and I think you do a great job. I drive a class A Motorhome and all the truckers I have met while fueling have been real nice guys and a few gals too. And your wife does a great job with the videos. Keep up the good work hope to see you out there someday.....Cheers!.....Rodney
Welcome to our channel!!! So nice to have you along! And we appreciate the compliments!! Not sure if you’ve heard in any of our videos that we are also RVers. Our other home is a Winnebago Sunstar. Also Class A. Presently in storage but we did 40 states together in three years full-timing before trucking. What do you drive?
I did not know,how cool is that!! We have a Berkshire, we have had it since 2012. I love driving it and we both just retired and we are getting ready to get serious about seeing our beautiful country. We are out of the Dallas Tx area. Ya'll be safe!!!
@@crossroadsrvtravels Awesome!! You’ll have so much fun! And I just checked your RUclips channel! Great that your posting! Wish I’d started when we started RVing. 🤦♀️
Sounds like they're treating you right. I'm not a fan of multiple weeks out. I'm home every weekend with heartland but with that being said I make less (60k) i could make a little more but that's me having a nice easy week and not driving myself to death
Last we heard Walmart required 30 months experience. We hear their employees are happy. But we don’t know details. Maybe someone else can comment here…
@@TheJoyofTrucking There are a few channels of Wallmart Drivers. It all depends where you are. Their pay from I understand is divided up between activities and miles. Wall pays for all things drivers do. But, if you add re in a wintery or cold area, you will have to throw iron. The channels are very interesting but like any job, it is not for everyone.
@@TheJoyofTrucking I know this is a few moth old video, but if you'd like any insight on Walmart, my brother has been Driving for Walmart for almost 6 Years now. We are both Truckers, I work for Knight, He went from Knight to Walmart. I know all about Walmart. If I make it to 30 Months Experience, I will end up there. I'm only on my 8th Month of Trucking at the moment.
When I started with Schneider in ‘07, I was getting $0.11/mi. I hopped to Werner after that and went to ~$0.17-0.18/mi. Was at that for the first 6 months. Just bitch-haulin’ wherever they sent me. After the first 6 mo, I was eligible for a dedicated route, Kraft from Illinois to New York and back. With that I was at $0.25/mi till I left the industry 2 years later.
I have 8 offers for driving jobs, starting at 100k per year. One I am favoriting is 120k. They pay by the hour. Overtime after 50. There are many better jobs out there. Best price per mile is .77 cents.
Glad everything is working out for you as for me definitely not to happy with this company trying my best to stick it out with hopes it will get better.
Come to swift my friend. I made 68k my first year. This last year which was my second I made 109k in a daycab. Yes company driver on a Walmart dedicated.
Hey man! I love your videos! Do you drive out of Lincoln NEBR? I know Crete has a major hub there or might even be their home base. Asking as a born n raised Nebraskan :)
Great for you. Glad you are keeping on top of what you are taking in. Do you input your your pay statements into a spreadsheet to help you track your figures.
Ok but i didnt get CDL for as many miles finally loaded 2 times a month over size loads buying truck took oct thru dec off ok miles miles don't think so
Hi im Richie I live in IRELAND 🇮🇪 I am a professional HGV / CDL driver and was thinking of heading to the US to try out hauling over there My question is would you recommend the move and if so what company would you recommend
Hello there! That is tough for us to answer. You’d need to look into visa issues. Also would they accept your license or would you need to get your American CDL? Time and cost of that? And what are you making now with what benefits? European Trucking has more civil HOS than US. What are your reasons? Hopes? Ideas? Would you need to go with a starter company? Could you go straight to companies that accept your experience? We don’t know the answers to any of this. We are very happy with Crete, but we don’t know all the steps you’d need to take to work here and how it would compare to what you’re doing now. 🤔🤔🤔
Hey driver, I appreciate the information. I am considering driving for Crete and was told by the recruiter they do not have driver facing cameras unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Did you start at Crete with a driver facing camera? Please answer quickly because I'm leaving for orientation. Thank you!
Hi there! They decide based on your experience and driving record. Kevin had only one year experience when he started with Crete so he had an inward facing camera assigned for 60 days. We put up with it because we liked what Crete had to offer. At night we covered it. It was no problem for the 60 days. Then they removed it. We hope it doesn’t keep you from giving Crete a go if it’s a good fit for you. And if you do continue and don’t have someone else’s…please be so kind as to use SLOKEV as a referral code. We’d be very grateful!!! Good luck! Let us know where you are doing orientation and how things go for you.
Not knocking what your making but fedex ground you will gross 1600-2k plus a week 5 on two off just need your doubles and triples endorsements but best too get tanker and hazmat as well to be fully endorsed.. you only need 1yr experience too drive with fedex ground and basically can take off whenever you want and they have benefits as well some contractors do 401k as well.. you can make .70cpm solo up to .80-1$ a mile for teams the higher paying contractors want you too stay out for multiple weeks at a time.. but you can come on team or solo straight on too a dedicated account unlike other ltl companies its based upon senoirity and can take time too get a dedicated account.. But if your happy thats all that matters your still making excellent money no doubt . So if it aint broke dont fix it..
If you are interested in driving for Crete Carrier, please call Recruiting at 1-800-998-2221. Our referral code is SLOKEV. We’d love it if you would use it. And let us know so we can thank you!! We appreciate it! And we appreciate you!!!
If you are looking for any product that we use and recommend you can check the links in the description.
We also got you a discount for Truckers Path. Again...the link is in the description.
Thanks for watching!! We are happy to have you along with us, discovering the Roads of America and learning about trucking!!
No thank you.
I try to apply but guess what they only hire out of Arizona tht as far west they would go but I’m base out of California also I don’t have any recent experience I quit Werner bro after dealing with them for 3 mos how ever I had a year of local and few months Otr
i've been watching alot of these type of youtube videos, as I research getting into the industry (or not) and your videos are much more concise than most. Thank you
Thank you for your comment! Glad you like our style! You’re right that too many videos about income spend too much time on blah blah blah. 😉
We also did lots of research on RUclips before Kevin became a driver. So now that he is a driver we wanted to help others thinking about getting into trucking with concise income information. Be sure to watch the most recent income video…
How much MONEY a Truck Driver Made in One Year | Crete Carrier
ruclips.net/video/2IFP-4HXRjs/видео.html
Best of luck on your journey!
$1,600 per week to be OTR that’s not enough. When I started trucking I had a contract for $1,800 per week just to go up and down the east coast. As truckers we need to ask for better to risk our lives and relationships for so much time OTR, at least $2,000 per week. We need work with each other more to raise the standard.
What company was this ? Offering that starting out curious if you'd like to share? Plus the inflation in economy right now you are striking gold lol
@@aleciam4481 $2000 a week for OTR is underwhelming. I have seen a lot of LOCAL drivers make more than that. Usually OTR pays more than regional than local. I'll say at least gross $2500 a week.
Well said
👍👍👍
Remind me of grumpy old man, you can wish him one hand and crap in the other and see which one gets filled first😂
I retired from the USPS 2 years ago and was driving 51 miles a day,6 days a week and making $2,600 net for 2 weeks and was home every day! No DOT, no cops, no scales not even any license plates on the trucks! Best driving job in the world! 8 hours a day and home by 1 PM every day!!
It certainly was before until management ruined it... Source: Former rural carrier
You said it!!!!!!@@SgtPence
You are so right!! I have many friends from work that are still working and can't wait to retire. Management is now made up of former secretaries and mail handlers! They don't even know where the stations are!!
Yea but you ain’t no truck driver but maybe you could carry a truck drivers jock strap
I started trucking for the money and found out it’s all bs. I average $400 per week. I made more at my last job digging holes… and got to go home every night. I just talked to my previous employer and he said he’d be interested in taking me back especially since I have a cdl now. Offered me a $6/hr raise from what he was paying me before. I’m thinking I’m gonna take the offer. I’m just disappointed in the trucking industry. I dreamed about quitting from my previous job to do this but it’s not at all what I thought it’d be.
I’ve been with Crete 15 years. Your mileage numbers are right on. In those 15 years I’ve averaged about 2,500 per week calculating just like you. I normally only take one week of actual vacation at Christmas. The other two weeks I just take the money. Crete has treated my well and I am looking to retire in about three years.
What kind of retirement does crete offer?
👍👍👍😃🥰
How was road test? We start owner operator next week with my boss truck
How do yall survive with the opti idle system they always didn't work well for me
@ramblingbill9101 what kind of truck you have with crete? Please if you don't mind me asking
Saw a Werner truck flipped over on the ramp to Interstate 39 in Lasalle-Peru on 12-2-22. Keep the rubber side down.
I’m at 69 cents a mile at Shaffer and I’ve been at Shaffer for over 3 years.
I drove for Crete back in 2003 and was making great money from the start. I had 16 years trucking when I started there and they treated me very well. My mother’s health got worse so I left in 2005 and took care of her. I then bought my own truck and started hauling produce. Stick with Crete if you’re going to stay a company driver. They have been around a long time and know how to treat their drivers.
Thanks for the insight. Sorry about your mom. Glad you were able to show up for her. I’m sure that meant the world to her.
Many missing miles is still zip code discrepancy. But Crete pays practical miles, while most companies pay mover miles. So Crete miles are way closer to actual driven
I've been driving since 1987, both local and OTR. You gave one of the clearest examples of payment breakdown and company experience with Crete Carriers Corp than I've had other drivers explain to me about their company
Thank you so much! Appreciate the compliment!
Congratulations Kevin you are literally making exactly what I'm making with Marten Transport. I'm 5 on 2 off up and down the I 5. Keep those videos coming.
👍👍👍😃
Marten is a good one too, I regret leaving them to go back to flatbed 😅 if I wanted to go back to refer I'd be hitting them up
I started flatbed as a rookie and was grossing 1600-1800ish Per week at .57 cpm
That’s a great company and some great pay. I’d have to say most all the Crete Shaffer drivers are professionals on the road.
👍👍👍😃
your honesty is one of a kind
Good job Kevin Congratulations I know you couldn't do it without Tanya
Outside of that bullspit a$$ 2013 Int Prostar with the maxxforce engine they sold me, I honestly have no complaints about Crete 😂. I ran for them for about 3 years both company and lease to own owner op. The pay is pretty good, the dispatch team is solid and they get you home on time whenever you ask. The best word to describe Crete is; fair!
👍👍👍Where are you now?
Congratulations on your success as a driver. You are doing great. Wonderful following you and Tonia. Enjoy your video very much. Have a great day and safe. Catch you on the next one.
You surely made a good job move! Roll on safe!
The folks that own Crete care about their employees their vendors and their company. Best of the Best. Be careful out there and take care.
It's getting cold out there. Try and stay warm..
Looks to me you made the right move. Lots of luck in the future. Keep safe guys.
Favorite company so far
Way to go Kevin! Great decision to switch and many thanks for moving stuff around the country so we can enjoy life.
That looks kind of like General Mills in Buffalo NY where you're sitting while recording this.
I’ve had my CDL a year and I only make 1100 a week and only have 5-6 months experience this really inspires me that I will find something better soon
Yes!!!! You can definitely make more money than that!!! Especially after you have a year. In certain circumstances you can come to Crete with 8 months. Talk to recruiting. Best of luck!!!
@@TheJoyofTrucking thank you for sharing info on this subject because some drivers seem to gatekeep these certain things
@@yellabish84 It’s our pleasure!!! When Kevin started we used RUclips to get an idea of pay and culture at companies. It’s not easy to compare because of all the different ways drivers pay gets put together. So we want to return the favor by helping other new drivers. Wasn’t easy as we were both brought up with the belief that you don’t talk about income. But it’s been worth it. We are very happy that our money videos are helpful. Best of luck and keep us informed about your next chapter. 😃
@@TheJoyofTrucking thank you so much again and y'all stay safe
Nice to hear everything is working out better at CRETE for the two of you. Good luck in the future. Certainly enjoy your videos. Thanks for the short train footage. Never pass up on a train for us. Do you get annoyance pay for the cat brakes? Lol.
Hey Kevin! Happy to hear you made the right move! You deserve it! Safe Driving! Bill 😊
Awesome!!! Can't wait for the next comparison video between Crete and Werner!
For a megacarrier, Crete is one of the better ones
That’s what we hear from a lot of drivers. Yes!
Congratulations Kevin and Tanja. It definitely looks like you made the right move. Hope y'all have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.
I applied at Crete and will let them know I found your videos!
That’s great!! Thank you so much! Glad our videos were helpful!! Our referral code is SLOKEV. We appreciate you giving it to Crete and wish you a fabulous career with them!!! Let us know if you have other questions.
Hey Justin! Are you the driver in Indianapolis that Kevin spoke with today?
@@TheJoyofTrucking Not I sir
@@justinneal9189 Darn! We met a very nice Justin today. Wondering if it was you. Must be something about the name. 😆😆 Thanks for getting back to us. So while we have you here…how are you enjoying Crete? We hope it’s going well!?
Thank you for this video. I did the training program through Heartland Express and got my license Nov 2022. I’ve been making around $1250/wk with Heartland being out 2 weeks at a time. After I get my 1 year experience I think I’ll be applying for Crete
Hi there!! That’s pretty good for your first trucking job! Glad you’re having a good start to your new career! Kevin’s one year review is coming out this week. Check it out for details. We’d love to see you here if it’s a good fit for you! And if it is, please be so kind and use our referral code, SLOKEV. We’d be very grateful!!!
Crete Carrier was the company I first started driving with back in the beginning of 2013 and I left about the end of 2014. While it is honestly probably one of the better OTR companies and I definitely enjoyed going to be a more local. Being on one of Cretes Walmart fleets would probably be better than OTR honestly because the miles are more regular and so is your home time.
Thanks a lot for the information Kevin, much appreciated !!! Be safe out there. After 30 years in the electrical and/or the cellular communications industry, I'm going for it. Starting school in the beginning of January (2024). I'll keep Crete and you in mind in the future. Love your videos, very informative. 👍🏼🙏🏼
That's so killer!! I can't wait! But, I have questions!
How do you obtain all of that info? What do you write down at the beginning and end of runs, and what comes from your check stubs? Is your odometer your friend? Is there a video in your rather vast discography that I can refer to, or maybe make another video describing how and what you do to configure your numbers?
I also want to keep all of those records when I start driving for Leonard's Express (fingers crossed!) in January out of Caldwell, ID. It seems your method is a comprehensive way of doing that. As always, travel safely!
@clydesdale I'm in Boise, going to trucking school in January, and certainly thinking that Leonard's Express is a company to talk to. Good luck to you!
@@88KeysIdaho Right on, Bro! Best of luck to you!
@@thedale2112 Check out the Slack Group for the "Trucker Dump" podcast. I'm Mohican on there.
@@88KeysIdaho Will do!
Kevin, sounds like you have a good steady run, good steady job, and a fine piece of equipment to drive, that counts for something. I watch the independents watching the load boards and grumbling constantly about the rates, the down time, the constant worry.. I kind of wonder why they don't do what you do......
Started at Werner too lol 😂 Werner is only good for seat time
In this market you want to be a company driver. Quite a few owner-ops are either shutting down or struggling to survive as the spot market is offering peanuts and dedicated contracted routes are the only way to make consistent money.
Yes. That’s sad but seems to be the case.
I’ve done over the road and regional I like it better doing regional I go home every week and I make more money with less surprises because I know my region 99 out of 100 times wherever I go I’ve been there before only thing bad about Midwest regional is the winter timeBut there’s no mountains whatever you do in trucking there’s always going to be a pros and cons type of thing about it everything has an upside everything has a downside over the road I think can be a little bit less of a stressful type of life sometimes but on the other hand it can be very very stressful too because its alot of guess work regional The only stress maybe it’s just that you have a lot of stops to make but the bottom line is you can’t go 100% all day every day you have to find your sweet spot to where you can maintain your sanity and drive the truck without an accident or a ticket day in and day out
I can't place the facility where you did the review, but I'm pretty sure the trailer backing part at the end is Kohler in Huntsville, AL? The curbs/parking lot for empties is not designed for trailers. It's a car parking lot! lol... I'm glad you are doing well at Crete! Hoping you hit $100K!!!
Stay healthy 😊
Congratulations on your victory ✌️ 👏 🙌 😀 ❤️ 👍
Thank you!!
Starting orientation with Crete Shafer 1/3/23 👍🏼
Going to finish off my first year where I am, but next April I am considering moving. I love where I am, good people small company. I can walk into the terminal and the manager knows my name. But there money is not there and the trailers are junk. I have been liking the videos you have been posting and Crete is definelty on my list. My goal is to get on with a company I can retire from.
Thanks for watching! You definitely need to consider Crete. We get lots of Oldtimers commenting that it’s the best company they’ve worked for. Keep watching our videos to see if it’s a good fit. And depending who you are driving for they would possibly take you earlier. But Kevin also finished out a year. People here are great too. You deserve to make top dollars for the work you do!!
Congratulations!! I'm looking to start CDL school in March.
Very nice numbers. Crete sounds like a great company. My only hang up is them requiring you to follow their route and where to fuel.
I used to ignore the splits from a Werner
😆😆😆😆 Gutsy guy!!! How did that go over?
Good afternoon Kevin and Tonya
I think werner just had regional driver that didn’t have much to do so they make the otr drivers move to trailer to their region them the regional driver take it
Congratulations you seem to be doing great in your new career. I have always held Crete in high esteem. I never met a disgruntled driver .I am a retired driver with 42 years of experience. I definitely would recommend a new driver to do as you go to Werner for a year for experience then absolutely go to Crete for a couple of years .then go to a local job as a L.T.L CITY or road driver .your doing great .always be safe and always be professional I know after 40 years of driving it's hard to fly with eagles when your sarounded by turkeys
I've been driving going on 5 years, the company i am currently at I'm out for 6 weeks and off for 2 weeks if i want off. with that my pay last year was 138,000. Oversized and heavy haul.
when I was with Werner. had full 70. got to CA, was told to drop it. called dispatch told me the load will handle by 5 drivers.
😤😤😤
Great earnings, so glad all is working out very well 👍
I made great money with Crete as a "Rookie."
I was laid off from my local Electrician job & on Unemployment back in the early 2000's.
So I qualified for a fully paid Federal Grant at my local College for an 8 month fully credited OTR training & job placement Program.
I'm South of Houston & Crete was the Top Paying Company back in those days.
I Loved Crete but they always kept me in the NE. Which everyone hates.
My dispatcher had no issues getting me home for home time. However, OTR is for a single person & it's hard on a family Man.
I made great money but left for a local job.
I know back then Walmart & Krogers were the jobs to grab but they were hard to get. Now Krogers is begging for drivers.
Then I had a Stroke & I've been on SSI/DI since I was 37yrs old.. I'm 53 now & miss those NW runs in my buddies 389.
Those Dakota or 95 Runs Paid Top Dollar for me..
There will always be a special place in my heart for Crete. Oh flat land Nebraska Office! 🤟
U should have started ur own electrical company
Always wonder how you got right at it after getting the CDL. I always see ads expecting 2 years experience to apply for those trucking jobs.
Most of those ads dropped there requirements too 1yr but 1yr too work at any ltl company fedex ground or freight, ups ground, saia, xpo logistics, rl carriers, estes, old dominion ect you can make 75-100k plus a year with 1yr exp.. fedex ground is the easiest because theres no senoirity so you can come on right away making 100k and get a dedicated account but all the other ltl companies give you a raise every year no cap so just depends what your looking for..
Good video. Organized, informative amid interesting. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
cool to see, crete carriere is pretty local to me
👍🎊
I don’t know about you, but every time I do those tea calls they’re killing me man especially when you go into the city like Atlanta, Tampa, Kissimmee, Florida. It waste my time in the sense that I don’t get to make that many miles with the so-called tcalls.
Got three years in
Congratulations to both of you, great team work! What do you do with your trailer when you us personal conveyance (to the mall) or go home for home leave?
Hello Kevin,
Not bad pay.
I work for a local company driving a day cab drop an hook hourly pay home everyday an making 75.000 a year. Maybe that something you may like to look into an be home at the end of the day.
Take care..
Thanks for sharing! That sounds good!! Happy for you!!! Might be good for us once we have a home. Merry Christmas!!!🎄
@@TheJoyofTrucking
Merry Christmas an Happy New Year to you an Family...
Be safe out there... Take care...
@@mikerod1864 🥰🎄👍
Very smart guy. Detailed
Thank you!!
Hey driver, loving these videos, considering Crete! I started driving with Prime, went back home for a local job with XPO to be home every night, got a wife and kids I missed terribly, but I miss the road… so I feel torn and guilty about wanting to go back OTR. If I go back OTR it will be with Crete though, looks like a good company
Post office to post office is how some companies figure milage. Out of route miles also can hurt your pay.
Bro Mom and pop companies are where it's at. I live in Ms the company I work for is out of AL. I pull chicken from Ms to Los Angeles and produce back to florida usually Jacksonville or Lakeland.Then home a few days. I'm usually out 7 to 9 days max and I gross around 2700 maybe a tad over depending on how many pickups I had and if I get a backhaul out of Florida . I make 25%of the linehaul of the load.
What’s the name of the company?
I had a 3 minute live unload....bumped to the dock they drove three dune buggies off with three people. Lol
Good for you....good smoleans...back in the 70's, I drove 60-70 hrs per week and my gross for the whole year was 21,780.
You were banking, With inflation that’s about $150k in todays money
I’m with Shaffer, seven years
I make over 100.000 a year
Wow!!! That’s really great!!! So happy for you!!!! And thanks for sharing that here so drivers can see what’s possible!!! Hope we get to meet you somewhere!
Yeah you never go home either
Outstanding job! Keep up the good work
Thank you!!!
@@TheJoyofTrucking Where are they based out of?
@@andrewelliott123 Crete is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska but has terminals all over the country.
I'm new to your channel and I really like learning what you guys go through day to day. Thanks for sharing Kevin and I think you do a great job. I drive a class A Motorhome and all the truckers I have met while fueling have been real nice guys and a few gals too. And your wife does a great job with the videos. Keep up the good work hope to see you out there someday.....Cheers!.....Rodney
Welcome to our channel!!! So nice to have you along! And we appreciate the compliments!! Not sure if you’ve heard in any of our videos that we are also RVers. Our other home is a Winnebago Sunstar. Also Class A. Presently in storage but we did 40 states together in three years full-timing before trucking. What do you drive?
I did not know,how cool is that!! We have a Berkshire, we have had it since 2012. I love driving it and we both just retired and we are getting ready to get serious about seeing our beautiful country. We are out of the Dallas Tx area. Ya'll be safe!!!
@@crossroadsrvtravels Awesome!! You’ll have so much fun! And I just checked your RUclips channel! Great that your posting! Wish I’d started when we started RVing. 🤦♀️
When Kevin noticed the train, I was waiting for a "squirrel shout".
Sounds like they're treating you right. I'm not a fan of multiple weeks out. I'm home every weekend with heartland but with that being said I make less (60k) i could make a little more but that's me having a nice easy week and not driving myself to death
I made $850 less then $110,000.00 last year and I didn’t have any referrals!!
WOW! That's great! How long have you been with Crete?
Hi Merry Christmas to both of you
Thank you!!! You too!!!
Walmart says they're paying there drivers over 100k with little to no experience. Not sure if they still are, or how true it is.
Last we heard Walmart required 30 months experience. We hear their employees are happy. But we don’t know details. Maybe someone else can comment here…
@@TheJoyofTrucking There are a few channels of Wallmart Drivers. It all depends where you are. Their pay from I understand is divided up between activities and miles. Wall pays for all things drivers do. But, if you add re in a wintery or cold area, you will have to throw iron. The channels are very interesting but like any job, it is not for everyone.
@@TheJoyofTrucking I know this is a few moth old video, but if you'd like any insight on Walmart, my brother has been Driving for Walmart for almost 6 Years now. We are both Truckers, I work for Knight, He went from Knight to Walmart. I know all about Walmart. If I make it to 30 Months Experience, I will end up there. I'm only on my 8th Month of Trucking at the moment.
When I started with Schneider in ‘07, I was getting $0.11/mi. I hopped to Werner after that and went to ~$0.17-0.18/mi. Was at that for the first 6 months. Just bitch-haulin’ wherever they sent me. After the first 6 mo, I was eligible for a dedicated route, Kraft from Illinois to New York and back. With that I was at $0.25/mi till I left the industry 2 years later.
I have 8 offers for driving jobs, starting at 100k per year. One I am favoriting is 120k. They pay by the hour. Overtime after 50. There are many better jobs out there. Best price per mile is .77 cents.
Great Job
Just finished my first month with Shaffer..Great company. Love my asset manager Travis. I aint goin anywhere.
So glad to hear that!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏
Glad everything is working out for you as for me definitely not to happy with this company trying my best to stick it out with hopes it will get better.
How many miles and pay per week??? If I don’t mind
I can’t tell you how many times that a company tried to make me split the load, and I just ignored them and kept driving 😂
Good for you, Keep safe.
Thanks brother to share your experience 🙏🙏🫡🫡🫡✌️
Come to swift my friend. I made 68k my first year. This last year which was my second I made 109k in a daycab. Yes company driver on a Walmart dedicated.
Hey man! I love your videos! Do you drive out of Lincoln NEBR? I know Crete has a major hub there or might even be their home base. Asking as a born n raised Nebraskan :)
Thank you for this video
Great for you. Glad you are keeping on top of what you are taking in. Do you input your your pay statements into a spreadsheet to help you track your figures.
Ok but i didnt get CDL for as many miles finally loaded 2 times a month over size loads buying truck took oct thru dec off ok miles miles don't think so
🤔🤔🤔
I made 39155 in 6.5 months. Most of mine loads are drop and hooks. You can make some money if you willing to run your butt off.
would prefer to hear what the net is rather than the gross.
Net is different for everyone. So it’s easier for viewers to compare gross.
Hi im Richie
I live in IRELAND 🇮🇪 I am a professional HGV / CDL driver and was thinking of heading to the US to try out hauling over there
My question is would you recommend the move and if so what company would you recommend
Hello there! That is tough for us to answer. You’d need to look into visa issues. Also would they accept your license or would you need to get your American CDL? Time and cost of that? And what are you making now with what benefits? European Trucking has more civil HOS than US. What are your reasons? Hopes? Ideas? Would you need to go with a starter company? Could you go straight to companies that accept your experience? We don’t know the answers to any of this. We are very happy with Crete, but we don’t know all the steps you’d need to take to work here and how it would compare to what you’re doing now. 🤔🤔🤔
Hey Kevin , great info
How old are you if you don’t mind me asking ?
I’m 54 , will these companies still hire me ? Thanks for your videos
After 30 months go with Walmart,you will make way more and more home time
On my way!
Sounds good
Hey driver, I appreciate the information. I am considering driving for Crete and was told by the recruiter they do not have driver facing cameras unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Did you start at Crete with a driver facing camera? Please answer quickly because I'm leaving for orientation. Thank you!
Hi there! They decide based on your experience and driving record. Kevin had only one year experience when he started with Crete so he had an inward facing camera assigned for 60 days. We put up with it because we liked what Crete had to offer. At night we covered it. It was no problem for the 60 days. Then they removed it. We hope it doesn’t keep you from giving Crete a go if it’s a good fit for you. And if you do continue and don’t have someone else’s…please be so kind as to use SLOKEV as a referral code. We’d be very grateful!!! Good luck! Let us know where you are doing orientation and how things go for you.
Great video driver
Very interesting.
👍👍👍😃
You need to flatbed. You would get another $20 per day base with National Gypsum.
Not knocking what your making but fedex ground you will gross 1600-2k plus a week 5 on two off just need your doubles and triples endorsements but best too get tanker and hazmat as well to be fully endorsed.. you only need 1yr experience too drive with fedex ground and basically can take off whenever you want and they have benefits as well some contractors do 401k as well.. you can make .70cpm solo up to .80-1$ a mile for teams the higher paying contractors want you too stay out for multiple weeks at a time.. but you can come on team or solo straight on too a dedicated account unlike other ltl companies its based upon senoirity and can take time too get a dedicated account..
But if your happy thats all that matters your still making excellent money no doubt
. So if it aint broke dont fix it..