LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The company that truck driver Aristedes Garcia, who was allegedly slain by his co-driver, Miguel Ibarguren, worked for has a history of labor complaints, according to an investigative report by Time.
The company, CRST, was one of the six companies that the White House announced would be creating registered apprenticeships through its Apprenticeship Accelerator program. The program seeks to address driver shortage by training more drivers, including 18- to 20-year-olds. It is not known if Ibarguren or Garcia were part of the program.
CRST reportedly has a reputation as an unpleasant place to learn to be a truck driver, according to Time.
“Like many other long distance freight haulers, it offers to pay for drivers’ commercial license training if they commit to working for CRST for 10 months. In those 10 months, new drivers are partnered with slightly more experienced drivers and haul freight across the country; one sleeps in a berth while the other drives. This practice is called team driving and enables companies to move freight more cheaply and quickly than with a solo driver who would have to stop to sleep,” the Time article states.
The Iowa-based company has also had issues when it comes to sexual harassment claims. There were up to 200 sexual harassment claims involving CRST drivers, Time reports.
“One woman said that she was raped by her trainer, and told that without corroborating evidence like a video, the company could not do anything,” the article states. “She said CRST then billed her $9,000 for training; the case was settled for $5 million last year.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
How can a trainer train if he’s in the sleeper? and how can a trainee learn from somebody who doesn’t have YEARS of experience..that’s YEARS as in more than one
They cannot. I was a trainer for 12 years but I had 44 years experience first. You can’t teach what you yourself don’t know. And no one know it all about trucking.
I’m not sure what the connection is with the murder victim and the training program. I think that these two guys didn’t like each other and one of them crossed the line. As for the lady and her trainer rapist, one can only hope that CRST has changed its policy of matching men and women together. That combination is a ticking time bomb.
Why are we spreading rumors, without any knowledge. My uncle was a seasoned driver, in fact he was about to retire. They traveled together for over 3 weeks, he was murder days before his final destination. If my uncle knew or had an issue with the killer, he would have never fallen asleep. So stop spreading rumors. The cops have a very detailed timeline with video before and after the murder- to include the killer buying cleaning supplies and cleaning the cab. The killer is denying the murder.