Shaffer Trucking Reviews: SAFER Record, Pay, Crete Family

A recruiter says Shaffer Trucking: reefer, Nebraska family, late-model trucks, and a seat next to Crete and Hunt. Then you search the name and land on a pile of unrelated “Shaffer Trucking” files in other states, plus people treating Crete, Shaffer, and Hunt as three federal carriers. They are not. Look up Crete Carrier Corporation and the Shaffer DBA before you treat a star rating as the whole story.

Pay, home time, and online ratings move. Verify current figures with recruiting, on Indeed, and on the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot. Rules change. Verify current requirements at fmcsa.dot.gov before you act on anything in this guide.

Shaffer Trucking safety record: what FMCSA data shows

Start with the federal file. On the Company Snapshot pulled for this article, USDOT 73705 is Crete Carrier Corporation, DBA Crete Carrier Corp Shaffer Trucking, at 400 NW 56th Street, Lincoln, NE 68528, phone (800) 998-8000. Entity type: carrier / broker. USDOT status: ACTIVE. Out-of-service date: none. Authority: authorized for motor carrier of property (except household goods) and broker of property (except household goods) under MC-126118. If a recruiter hands you a different number, stop.

The same snapshot — FMCSA systems dated 09/08/2026 — lists 5,257 power units and 4,975 drivers. MCS-150 mileage is 615,615,633 for 2026, form date 05/11/2026. Cargo checkboxes include general freight, fresh produce, refrigerated food, beverages, paper products, and construction. That is Crete dry van and Shaffer reefer on one card, not Hunt’s open deck.

U.S. roadside inspections, 24 months before 09/08/2026: 9,886 total. Vehicle 4,244 inspections, 736 out of service (17.3%). Driver 9,882 inspections, 43 out of service (0.4%). Hazmat 55 inspections, 1 out of service (1.8%). National averages printed on that snapshot (table dated 08/28/2026) are 22.26% vehicle, 6.67% driver, 4.44% hazmat. Both vehicle and driver OOS sit under the printed averages. Hazmat sits under it too. That is a rate comparison for the combined Crete/Shaffer file, not a claim a Shaffer reefer never fails a Level I, and not a Shaffer-only grade.

U.S. crashes, same window: 14 fatal, 141 injury, 275 tow, 430 total. FMCSA counts involvement in reportable crashes without a determination of responsibility. A fleet this size will show volume. Read the current file yourself.

Canada on the same snapshot: 0 inspections and 0 crashes in 24 months. Do not invent a Canadian average.

Safety rating: Satisfactory, rating date 05/30/2007, later review 05/07/2012 typed Non-Ratable. A 2007 Satisfactory line is not a weekly grade. Most carriers never get a new rating unless FMCSA investigates. Walk the fields with our SAFER score company lookup.

Do not mix in lookalikes. A SAFER name search for “Shaffer Trucking” returns small files in other states and lists the Lincoln company as Crete Carrier Corp Shaffer Trucking, not a separate Shaffer USDOT. Open SAFER by USDOT 73705 and confirm Crete Carrier Corporation in Lincoln.

Hunt is a different card. Hunt Transportation Inc, USDOT 72097, MC-82841, Omaha, is ACTIVE on a snapshot also dated 09/08/2026: 164 power units, 157 drivers. Vehicle OOS 27.1% (188 inspections) sits above the printed 22.26% national average; driver OOS 0.9% sits under 6.67%. Crashes in 24 months: 14 involved. Safety rating: Satisfactory (04/06/1999). If the pitch is flatbed, this is the file — not 73705.

Who Shaffer is — reefer inside Crete, not a third mega

Shaffer Trucking is Crete Carrier Corporation’s refrigerated division (divisions, company history). Company copy dates Shaffer to 1937 in New Kingstown, Pennsylvania, and the Crete purchase to 1974. Crete itself started in Nebraska in 1966 and sits in Lincoln. Hunt is the open-deck brand, bought into the same privately held family. Driver recruiting for all three lives on cretecarrier.com.

The product is three brands, two federal files. Crete is dry van. Shaffer is reefer (company copy of more than 1,100 tractors and 2,800 refrigerator trailers, including tri-temp). Hunt is flatbed / drop-deck / RGN on USDOT 72097. Three logos on one header do not give Shaffer its own DOT number, and they do not put Hunt’s inspections on Crete’s card. Company recruiting requires one year of CDL-A tractor-trailer time. Hunt copy adds a company-paid TWIC, Omaha orientation, a $670 orientation and securement payout, and a pre-work screen. If a recruiter sells “the Crete family” without naming the trailer, you do not have an offer yet.

Pay: 21-day OTR CPM, then ask which board

Crete and Shaffer post cents-per-mile on the national OTR fleets, not one ladder for every dedicated account. The figures below are from the company’s company-driver page when this article was researched. Rates change. Verify current pay for your role — CPM, practical vs short miles, which fleet (21-day OTR vs dedicated vs regional vs Hunt 30-day), and any raise already in the offer — in writing.

• Crete and Shaffer OTR (21-day): starting $0.68–$0.73 per mile after a posted $0.04 raise; company copy that the top 50% average over $107,000 a year.
• Hunt flatbed: no CPM band on that page. Company copy highlights a 30-day OTR seat with the top 50% “over $112,000,” Omaha orientation pay of $670, and a company-paid TWIC.
• Dedicated and regional: the same page says pay went up, without posting a public CPM. That is an account bid.
• Miles: Crete, Shaffer, and Hunt say they pay practical miles, advertised as 3–5 percent more than short-route miles. Ask for a sample settlement. Referral copy: $500 after orientation plus 1 CPM on that driver’s first-year miles.

Those annual numbers assume the miles and the fleet on the same page. A short dedicated week is not a 21-day Shaffer OTR week. TheTruckersReport’s Shaffer page shows user-submitted weekly figures that swing from thin weeks around $731 to a displayed average near $2,048 (verify current). None of that is your settlement. Ask for a recent check on the fleet you would run, including a slow week.

What drivers actually say

Public review pages are not a verdict. Indeed’s Shaffer Trucking reviews, updated 01/16/2026, sat at 3.7 out of 5 across 96 write-ups (verify current). Pay scored about 3.8; work-life about 2.9. Titles in the mix include “I give them a C-,” “Good company,” “Terrible!,” “Dispatch is Terrible,” and “No forced dispatch.” The split is pay when the miles are there versus a 21-day clock. Check that against your bid.

TheTruckersReport sat at 2.8 out of 5 on a smaller sample of 19 (verify current). Recurring positives: a paycheck that can work if you stay out. Recurring negatives: home-time promises that do not match the board, and dedicated accounts that pull national drivers off their lanes. Forum talk still treats Shaffer as Crete’s reefer, not a separate mega. Weigh recent driver titles, not a blended star from 2015 threads.

Who Shaffer fits — and how to vet it

Shaffer tends to fit an experienced company driver who wants temperature-controlled freight inside a privately held Nebraska family, will live with a 21-day OTR clock or a named dedicated account, and will confirm USDOT 73705. Crete is the same house with a dry van. Hunt is open deck on USDOT 72097. Look elsewhere if you need weekly home time as a slogan, you were sold a Gaston or Lyndhurst lookalike, or you want Hunt pay on a Crete SAFER card. Compare best OTR trucking companies and how to read trucking company reviews.

1. Confirm the legal name and USDOT. Crete Carrier Corporation, DBA Crete Carrier Corp Shaffer Trucking, Lincoln, 73705. Hunt is 72097.
2. Re-open the SAFER snapshot the week you would start. Use the SAFER lookup walkthrough. Remember 73705 is Crete and Shaffer.
3. Name the product on the offer. Shaffer reefer, Crete dry van, or Hunt flatbed — and whether it is 21-day OTR, 30-day Hunt OTR, regional, or a named dedicated account.
4. Get current pay in writing. CPM, practical miles, detention, orientation pay, home time for your ZIP.
5. Cross-check people, not just the reefer photo. Indeed, TheTruckersReport, and a carrier search on cdlscan. cdlscan is two-sided — carriers review drivers, and you can research the house — and search does not require buying a full report. It will not replace SAFER or the offer letter.

A Shaffer reefer seat can make sense if you want temperature-controlled freight out of the Crete family and will confirm USDOT 73705. It is a poor fit if you need a no-touch dry van and weekly home time that never moves, or if the recruiter cannot say whether you would sit on Crete, Shaffer, or Hunt.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shaffer Trucking’s USDOT number? Shaffer does not have its own federal file. Crete Carrier Corporation in Lincoln, Nebraska, is USDOT 73705, MC-126118, DBA Crete Carrier Corp Shaffer Trucking. A name search for “Shaffer Trucking” returns other companies. Open the snapshot by number and confirm the 56th Street address.

Is Shaffer Trucking the same as Crete Carrier? Same privately held company, different product. Crete is the dry-van division. Shaffer is the refrigerated division. Both sit on USDOT 73705. Hunt Transportation is the flatbed brand on USDOT 72097. Ask which trailer is on the offer.

How much does Shaffer Trucking pay? Public recruiting for Crete and Shaffer 21-day OTR listed starting $0.68–$0.73 per mile, with advertised top-half earnings over $107,000. Dedicated, regional, and Hunt are different bids. Those are recruiting numbers. Verify current pay for your role in writing.

What does FMCSA data show for Shaffer Trucking? On the 09/08/2026 snapshot for USDOT 73705, authority is active, the safety rating is Satisfactory, U.S. driver OOS is 0.4% against a printed national average of 6.67%, and U.S. vehicle OOS is 17.3% against 22.26%. Crashes in 24 months: 430 involved, not a fault finding. That card is Crete plus Shaffer. Hunt is a separate snapshot. Re-check SAFER before you sign.

What do Shaffer Trucking reviews say? Indeed sat at 3.7 / 5 on the January 2026 recap; TheTruckersReport sat lower on a smaller sample. Recurring praise: pay when miles are there. Recurring complaints: a 21-day clock. Read recent posts for the fleet you would run.

Should I choose Crete, Shaffer, or Hunt? Choose the freight, then the file. Dry van is Crete. Reefer is Shaffer. Open deck is Hunt, with its own USDOT. Pay posters and home-time clocks are not interchangeable, and Hunt does not share Crete’s 73705 card.

How do I look up Shaffer Trucking on SAFER? Do not search a brand slogan and stop. Open FMCSA’s Company Snapshot for USDOT 73705, confirm Crete Carrier Corporation and the Shaffer DBA, and walk inspections, crashes, and the rating. If the seat is Hunt, open 72097. Our SAFER score company lookup is the walkthrough.