CR England Training Pay
So, you’re interested in starting your trucking career and want to know about CR England training pay? Well, you have come to the right place. We will detail what you will be paid as well as a timeline of when that pay changes during your start at this company.
CR England has been around since 1920. They are a company that many drivers elect to start their trucking career. They do train new drivers, and the training program offers the following benefits:
- 17 Day CDL licensing program
- Travel and Hotel costs covered for trainee driver
- Tuition training covered by company
Just Be aware
Some of these benefits do come with a commitment. The cost of the CDL school is $4995. If you want to attend the school with no out of pocket expense for the school tuition, you must sign a contract with CR England which is for 9 months. If you complete this contract you will not have to pay back the cost of tuition. If you do not complete the contract you will have to pay them the cost of tuition plus training costs. It has been reported that they will proactively seek that reimbursement should you leave prior to the 9 months.
Where does the training take place
CR England has partner schools in the following locations:
- Fontana, California
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Cedar Hill, Texas (Dallas area)
- Burns Harbor, Indiana (Chicago area)
- Conley, Georgia (Atlanta area)
Length of CDL School
The initial portion of your cdl school training lasts 17 days and consists of a mixture of classroom and range/driving time. You will take a D.O.T. Physical, obtain your CDL permit, learn in a classroom setting, then practice backing, parking, and driving skills culminating with passing your CDL exam and getting your Class A driver’s license.
Phase 1 Training and Pay
Upon successful completion of CDL school you will be assigned to a trainer and begin your Phase 1 training. This phase will last for between 160-180 hours or approx. 1 month. The pay while you are in Phase 1 training is $10.00 per hour while actually driving. Pay while you are in On-Duty status but not driving (example: fueling the truck, pre-trip inspections etc.) is your home state’s minimum wage. CR England has determined that the average wage during this phase is $501 per week.
Phase 2 Training and Pay
After successfully completing Phase 1 with a trainer you will go to Phase 2. In this training phase you will be assigned as a second seat driver. This phase is designed to last approx. one and half months. During this time you will partnered up with another driver and you will drive as a team. The pay during this phase is .28 cents per mile split evenly between you and your teammate driver (each of you receiving $.14 cents per mile for all miles). That .28 cents is for all miles that the vehicle is moving regardless if it is you driving or your teammate driving. CR England has determined that the average weekly wage during this phase is $578.
Phase 2 Lead Driver and Pay
After completion of phase 2 as the second seat driver, you will be upgraded to Phase 2 Lead Driver. In this phase you will receive a truck and be the lead driver for that truck. You will have a second seat driver assigned to your truck and you will still run in a team structure. The pay during this phase is: .28 cents per mile (for all miles run as a team) split between you, the lead driver and your second seat driver. In addition to this .14 cents per mile that you receive as a lead driver you also get .02 cents per mile. CR England has determined that the average pay per week during this period is: $673.
Advanced Lead and Pay
After you have reached the fourth month with the company and are in good safety standing with the company you can apply to be an advanced lead driver. During this time you will receive $.28 cents per mile split evenly like the other phases ($.14 per mile each for all miles that the truck is moving) but also in addition you will receive $.04 cents per mile as an advanced lead driver. CR England has determined that the average weekly wage during this time frame is: $753 per week.
6 Months and beyond - Pay and career options
At the 6 month point with the company you can elect to become a trainer of new drivers, or elect any of the other options that CR England has available for your career path such as:
- Become a Trainer for the National, Regional or Dedicated divisions
- Become a Team Driver for the National, Regional or Dedicated divisions
- Become a Solo Driver for the National, Regional or Dedicated divisions
- Join the Intermodal Fleet
According to CR England the average per year pay for a driver with their company after one year of experience is: $52,832 per year. They also state that the average pay for a trainer per week is: $1383 which equates to $71,916 per year.
Closing thoughts on CR England Training pay
If you are looking for paid CDL training with a shorter time commitment than the industry average (which is usually a 1 year contract) CR England may be an option for you to consider. Understand that the amounts that were given were furnished by CR England and that the averages could vary due to many factors. Our opinion is that if you choose to select the option of paid cdl training go into it understanding all the factors involved and be prepared to commit to completing the contract term.