Pros
My recruiter was a very nice person!
Cons
3 of 7 Print all In new window For the Glass Door site Inbox x Just Me 3:32 PM (55 minutes ago) to me About CRST to Glass Door Reviewers. Entered my information online for a over the road trucking position! CRST was the first to respond quickly. My Recruiter was very nice and professional, she had me enrolled in a refresher course in a very timely manner! Was lucky for I was sent to Hawk Eye Community College for the nine to ten day course! CRST outsources that college for their driver shortage. The first day at Hawk Eye Community College I was informed about all the rules of the College. The course would run with no days off which I was fine with. The courses cost would be $1400.00 which I was not informed about by CRST, but still was fine with! Was also informed that my hotel that CRST put me up in would have to be paid for by me also! Was fine with that, but started wondering how I was put into debt around $2000.00 the very second day, but was still ok with that for a CRST representative called via like a phone con- ference no video and explained to the class it would be deducted from your CRST pay at $40.00 a week until paid in full. Keep in mind Glass Door Reviewers about CRST. I am making a 40 day journey about as short as possible! Hawk Eye Community College is and was in my opinion the best training center I have ever ran into to obtain a CDL. The staffs only complaint, was that CRST/NADA was not sending over enough students/refreshers. CRST was being greedy about the Government Grant money/Grants in my opinion. CRST houses you with a roommate or when taking any of their refresher courses to obtain a CDL class A license! If you end up in Cedar Rapids Iowa for a CRST refresher course, or to receive a class A, you will be housed with TWO roommates! They have two locations in Cedar Rapids. The Training Head Quarters and NADA. I never visited or was sent to NADA. NADA is were you are trained to receive your Class A, unless you were lucky and sent over to Hawk Eye. The Head Quarters Training Center is mostly used for Orientation and sending you out to start working for CRST. They have three buildings. Expedited, Dedicated, and what I call the main building Housing. Back to my story. When I showed up in Waterloo Iowa at the hotel for my refresher course to be completed at HCC= Hawkeye Community College, my first roommate was from Ethiopia. Very nice guy, and was heading back to Cedar Rapids Iowa in a couple days to start working for CRST as a Owner Operator if I remember correctly. My second roommate showed up a day later at the hotel. I had two days left at HCC! The last night at the Hotel my phone was stolen. This guy was from Atlanta and all about some kind of Gang, and kept claiming I was stealing his stuff. I took my phone loss, which I had previously all set up for this job. Found a cheap one at a near by store and headed to Cedar Rapids for CRST orientation. Orientation lasts 3 to 4 days depending on CRSTs current staff situation! Orientation involves making sure you brought your non laminated social security card, current and non expired medical card, and of course your Class A license! After watching a good amount of videos and going over the many safety issues that can and will arise out on the road, along with a good amount of tests, you will be introduced to part of the CRST operations staff! You will then be assigned a Driver Manager through your Driver Services Manager who will then tell you who your Lead driver will be the first 28 days out! My conclusion, and what happened next. My assigned Driver Manager was a very nice person. He kept my Lead driver and I loaded the whole time out. My Lead driver became stressed the first nine days out. Keep in mind I was his first student and it was his first time training. My lead driver became stressed for he usually was home once a week and now that was not happening. I felt he was taking it out on me, and I decided to keep the bull butter to myself, for my Driver Manager was handed double the work load, as in 2 fleets because another Driver Manager was fired and CRST handed that work load to my current Driver Manager. He was sending out a please no phone calls message over the Qualcomm on a daily basis until the company found another Driver Manager. He stated the phone calls were quite overwhelming for him to answer all of them. Please communicate over the Qualcomm only was his message! After my 28 days out with the Lead Driver that was his first time training a student, it was time to head back to Cedar Rapids for my evaluation from the Lead Driver. He stated on my paperwork at the last minute, without letting me see his review first, in front of a busy Friday transflo office, that I would not make a good CRST driver, and stating that I needed to sign all four pages. This guys only goal the whole time out with me in my opinion, was to get his dedicated lane back with CRST with a new Co Driver that he already had set up upon arrival, since he lost his last Co Driver! I picked up and hauled a load a little under half way that was not going to be delivered by me for I was off the truck and the load was headed to Spokane Washington! In conclusion I contacted my Driver Manager via email and asked if I was terminated, for my Lead Driver stating I would not make a good CRST driver! He stated no that the company has to get/give a second opinion. I did not tell him my Lead driver had a attitude problem giving the bird to most of the bad traffic he encountered out on the road. I did tell that Lead Driver to knock that off, for that could come back on me! My Lead Driver also had 2 accidents backing up in his career, and stated that was why I would not make a good CRST Driver! I never rush my backing and never will. My Lead Driver would try rushing my backing and I would not listen according to him. Still no accidents on my end. My Driver Manager handed over my situation to the Driver Services Manager who finally called me after one day stating the truck was in Cedar Rapids to receive a second CRST review and she would call me back when they had personnel to take me out for the test. She never called me back that day, so I called her back leaving a message for what to do. Have not heard from CRST for 3 days now. All that company preached about was communication is the key. In my opinion CRST became to big to fast and now have no decent communication skills what so ever, except in keeping the flow of Orientation, Safety, and training knew drivers from around the WORLD that have no clue what being an over the road truck driver consist of. The truck is your home. Good luck drivers.