Prime INC Pittston, PA

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by primetime, Feb 25, 2011.

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  1. Husker_Trucker

    Husker_Trucker Medium Load Member

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    Another thing you may want to check out before absorbing the cost of having the DPF removed from the truck for cleaning is to check the doser valve. Basically it controls the flow of diesel into the DPF while it is in a passive or active regen. On my last truck I would have to pull over and do a parked regen every 400-500 miles after a period of time. When the shop pulled it out, it was all gummed up and choking off the flow of fuel. Also may want to check the injector on the DPF as well, had one of those get plugged up too.
     
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  3. Ducks

    Ducks "Token Four-Wheeler"

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    Thanks, Husker! I'm making a list... and he'll be checking it twice. (Gonna find out what part's dirty or nice.) :biggrin_25525:
     
  4. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

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    On a company truck they'd probably want to see if they could delay working on it until it gets turned in - but even on a lease truck that should come under the lease - part of what's termed the "running gear."
     
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  5. Ducks

    Ducks "Token Four-Wheeler"

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    I suggested as much because I read on-line that if the filter isn't cleaned periodically, it could require replacement -- which carries a hefty price tag. He's had the truck 1-1/2 years and to his knowledge it's never been checked.

    Jack's a company driver and I think the truck is closing in on 400,000 miles. When he signed on with Prime, I think he told me they usually hold onto their trucks until they hit the 500,000 mile mark. So I'm thinking they're not going to invest much in this particular vehicle.

    With only about a year left with this truck, he's starting to think about what's coming down the pike for him. He's not liking anything he hears about the lightweights and will not run OTR without an APU. When the time comes, maybe he can latch onto another turned-in lease truck. But he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it.

    On a positive note, he got a new dispatcher and is running harder now and does not have to fight for short haul pay, hazmat pay, load lock reimburement, etc. After a somewhat rough first year, things are starting to look up (knock on wood). :yes2557:
     
  6. lunaglow

    lunaglow Light Load Member

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    Feb 28, 2011
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    This is a long story but an accurate one. PRIME left a bad taste in my mouth.

    My husband and I went to PRIME Inc. in Sept of 2010. My husband has been a Driver for 17 years and was a million miler with another company. He had to quit driving for a while due to Diabetes. After he got it under control he wanted to get back to driving. He wanted to do something different. So went the lease program with PRIME. I went with him and spent up until a month ago on the road 24/7 in that truck. I decided to go through there school to get my Class A. I have had a class B for several years. Well they put me through under there spouse program. While I was in school for Truck driving he was in class to become a trainer. I had never in my life ever driven a standard shift vehicle. So stupid me tries to learn in a 10 speed Pete.

    Well I was expecting a school that would actually teach you how to drive the thing before they turned you loose on the road. BOY WAS I WRONG!!!
    There idea of training is One week of orientation and preparation for the WRITTEN TEST for your class A PERMIT! You have 8 hours of simulator training and 4 hours of behind the wheel. Then they put you on a Truck with a driver trainer and expect you to drive the thing without running over or rolling back into any thing or any body! You have one month out with your trainer and back to Springfield MO. for your driving test for your CDL.

    Well I never made it. My husbands sugar levels got totally out of hand and he became very ill. He was taken of the road by his Doctor. And I was left flapping in the breeze. I contacted PRIME to see if I could finish my training. 1st they said that they brought me on under the spouse program and were not obligated to finish my training. I got a bit upset and called another person at PRIME. They said that they did not have any WOMEN trainers and that they did not have any trainers that would take a female on there truck! Well I thought that rather strange seeing how I saw a lot of women drivers for PRIME. So I talked to someone else. Then they said that they only had 3 female trainers and there was a long waiting list and that I would have to jump through hoops and show them what I had learned while out with my husband. I was not able to train under my husband at that point in time. Because if any of you are familiar with Diabetes you know that when sugar levels are out of whack that person you once knew is not the same person anymore. He was short tempered and ugly and yelled and screamed and cursed me, and was making me a total nervous wreck. I tried to explain that to them but no one would listen!

    So unless you have some kind of idea on what you are doing do not go to PRIMES school! All it is is a MILL to put warm bodies in the drivers seat. I SAY SHAME ON THEM!!:biggrin_25513:
     
  7. FINALCUT

    FINALCUT Bobtail Member

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    Jan 16, 2011
    Bradenton Fl.
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    I'm sorry your experience here was bad,But many people have trained here and do very well.Everyone is different,what works for some,does not work for others.Blaming the school and the lack of trainers and calling it a driver mill is not fair.

    The lack of female trainers is a problem every where,and a Man with a female student on his Truck is just asking to be sued,even if he does nothing wrong,he and the company may still get sued for an alledged sexual offense.It is a sue happy,gimme gimme,gimme world,and everyone is always looking for the easy, fast way to make a buck,even if they need to commit purgery and make up a story.No way in hell would I train a Female and risk being sued and losing my job.

    The people that are able to get thier CDL here,or anywhere that trains,will always seek the praises of the company.The people that don't make it,for whatever reason,will always call it a driver mill and say it was horrible and the training sucks.Different strokes for different folks I guess.Well,good luck to your Husband and you.Hope all works out well.
     
  8. lunaglow

    lunaglow Light Load Member

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    Your opinion is a valid one. Evidently you work for them. All I am saying is if a person like me wanted to actually LEARN how to DRIVE that PRIME is NOT the place to go. You need to go to a REAL school to be taught how to operate the truck. Yes PRIME has nice headquarters and pretty fancy trucks. WE ran our butts off while we worked for them until around the Holidays then our Truck stopped making money for us. We did not see a paycheck in our favor from the middle of December thru all of January and finally just before my husbands Medical in February we got a whoopin $150.00 paycheck. Yes I am angry but I am honest and not out to trash any one just to warn people to check really good before you go there. My opinion is there school is not right for people like me who knew nothing about how to operate the truck and it is not a FEMALE friendly school.
     
  9. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

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    First, I'm sorry to hear of your husband's health challenges - its difficult dealing with his problem considering how the truck stops expect you to eat.

    I went to a "real truck driving school" - and yeah, I sat in a classroom more than I sat in a driver's seat. Got some good information from that, and the instruction was one-on-one. Permit test prep was basically the same as everywhere - you may get more of a class on air brakes, but it boils down to self-study with your state's CDL manual.

    But when it came to getting on the road with a trainer, I was woefully unprepared - compared to the average CDL graduate from the PST program. So in my opinion, your criticism of the PST program is unwarrented. You get much more time behind the wheel, and I'd say that no company invests more in each driver candidate than Prime does by the time that they are placed on the road by themselves.

    In your previous post, you mentioned you had a class-B - so you were used to driving large vehicles, yet you then rip the PST program for "expect you to drive the thing without running over or rolling back into any thing or any body." Well, yeah! You shouldn't have had that much trouble considering your previous experience. Look - not everyone is cut out to drive a large commercial vehicle, and you went to the program looking to follow your husband. Be honest, how long would you have stayed without him driving with you?

    In the long run they may have done you a favor. I don't think you'd be happy driving alone, and if you had left early, you'd be stuck with a large bill for training.

    Good luck to you and your husband in your future endeavors...
     
  10. lunaglow

    lunaglow Light Load Member

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    Yes I have a Class B and I drove a School Bus that had an AUTOMATIC transmission. And yes I am searching for a school that can properly train me to drive a rig. And yes I want to be by my self out there with out someone constantly criticizing my driving. We are getting a Divorce after 20+ years. And yes the plan was to help drive with him. Now plans have changed, such as life. And Yes I would be perfectly happy out there just me and my dog. I have passed all of my written test with flying colors. Not once did I have to do a do over. My driving record is spotless. So Yes with the proper training behind the wheel I am more then confident that I can do the job! And yes you are probably right they did do me a favor. I got to see what they were all about. And no I owe them nothing because they paid me or my husband nothing. I was out money not them. I had to change my Texas CDL to Missouri and now back to Texas I was out money for the Campus Inn and for my physical.
     
  11. U2Exit

    U2Exit Road Train Member

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    You blame Prime for not having enough female instructors... You signed up for the Spouse program... THATS WHAT YOU GOT.

    Blame your Spouse... he was your instructor. You never would have gotten in the front door THIS YEAR if it wasnt for him. There are half a dozen posts around here from women who have been told that there is at least a 6 month to a year waiting list for femal instructos at Prime. Not a new story.

    I had ZERO experiance behind a large vehicle when I came to Prime. My instructor put me behind the wheel for a couple of hours around town before we left Springfield.

    Guess what? He didnt make me do anything he didnt think I was ready for. He sat next to me everytime I was behind the wheel for the following four weeks. I learned. He would set up cones in truck parking areas and back lots of truck stops to practice manuevers and backing.

    Your angry at your husband and taking it out on Prime. Prime delivered what you signed up for... your husband turned out to be a bad trainer.

    I have heard it more often than not that training a spouse or significant other is a crap shoot. It either works, or goes really bad quick.
     
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