Originally Posted by Semi-Retired

The starting pay is going to be 34cpm to start as you know. Depending on the company that you work for, here is my suggestion to you. If you want to remain a company driver then I would probably stay where you are if you can handle it. If you want to stay with flatbed then there are great companies out there right now like Melton and Arrow out of Tulsa OK. If you want to be an o/o you have a couple of choices when it comes to prime. (1) If you have 8 full months at the company that you are with right now then you can come over and get your own truck in about 4 days and start making about $1250-$1600 depending on how hard you run and if you know how to manage your books. That takes a bit of practice. (2) You can come over here and you can go with a trainer for a bit. I think they count some of your miles of OTR towards this and you can get in your own truck at that point. If you want to stay company then most any company will do so long as they are big enough to have freight contracts and small enough to understand that you need a check. Rule of thumb to me is that I do not do OTR for $700-$800 a week when I can make that at home. ALWAYS have a goal that you want to obtain. This will require a business plan. Work every day to obtain that goal. Make sure that you have a series of smaller goals that have to be obtained to reach the larger one. That way you can start to see your progress. If you need help, I am always here to lend a hand.

Be good and be safe

Glenn
Prime 67133

Originally Posted by Jarhed1964

Thanks Glenn,

I'm not with a company right now. Started with Prime, but had to come home due to some family issues. Went to work for a new company in SoCal and it was going well, til I realized that they had no intention of paying me. I'm a former exec but love driving. Right now, I'm tossing up going on Active Duty with the Marine Corps, or continuing to drive. My buddy is a lease op at Prime. I dont really want my own truck, I'll stay company. As much as I'd love to flatbed for Prime, I'm having trouble with the low pay. I'm already kicking Boyd, Maverick, and Arrow around in my brain.

Originally Posted by waterman

You know , after looking at many company sponsored training programs out there , this seems like a pretty good deal for newbies. I also am going to apply with Prime .

Train on site 4 days - Obtain permit.Drive on the road 3-4 weeks with a CDL instructor. Return, pass Skills Test - Obtain Class A CDL. Team with a trainer for 4-6 months with guaranteed pay. NO COST TO YOU IF YOU STAY 1 YEAR! $1750 if you stay 6 months. Maximum note - $3500 - No Interest!

A lot of people including myself who have an interest in obtaining their CDL don`t have 4 or 5 k to plunk down for school right up front and are hesitant about going through a CDL mill and getting thrown out on the road without enough hands on experience by companies that want cheap labor to move freight.

With this program ,from what I gather you can team with a trainer BEFORE you get a CDL which would give you the added benefit of having 1 on 1 behind the wheel training for at least a month before taking the test rather than being pushed through a company sponsored school in 2 weeks where you dont get enough 1 on 1 training. As long as their willing to teach you then your going to get better training than you would at a CDL mill. 6 Months training after that would also be a big help . What about taking the time to practice backing , how do they work that into the schedule ?

The idea of putting people in trucks with little hands on training is a scary thought . Nothing can replace years of behind the wheel experience but at least with this program those of us who want to learn to drive a truck might have a better chance of surviving rather than becoming a danger to other drivers and ourselves . It would be nice if Prime had a way of guaranteeing that you have a professional train you and not some moron . BTW , why is Prime on the bad list on the homepage ? Its important for those of us looking into a career in truck driving to have accurate information and guidance from people that know the business and know what their doing .

Originally Posted by Semi-Retired

Most turn over rates are high due to the wonderful grass that is on the on there side...NOT

Originally Posted by Desperado

Unless something changed over at Prime you will be leasing the truck from Prime .