What to look for in your 1st company issued truck from Prime?

Discussion in 'Prime' started by gillz107, Sep 7, 2016.

  1. gillz107

    gillz107 Light Load Member

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    I'm finally finishing my TNT training this week, and should be doing some classes before I get issued a company truck I guess.
    So I have a couple of questions about what to look for in your 1st truck:
    - Should I get lightweight or condo truck? (I understand you get paid a bit more with a lightweight, so maybe I lean towards that)

    - Do lightweight trucks perform better overall than condo trucks or vice versa?

    - What ammenities should I put on the truck? (tv/direct Tv combo, fridge, etc.,)

    - What to look for in maintanence report

    - Any other things I missed?

    Thanks!
     
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  3. Highway101

    Highway101 Road Train Member

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    TV, Fridge, I used a coleman, cheaper than the one they sell, C/B, Microwave, Crockpot. Laptop computer, with Verizon Hub.
    Maintence, look and see how many times it has been in the shop, and how many drivers had the truck. COndo of course is bigger, if you can get it, BUT you are paid less. Condo's perform better in my view as they have a bigger engine.
     
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  4. SidewaysBentHalo

    SidewaysBentHalo Medium Load Member

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    I'd say Registration, IFTA, Insurance information, not sure what else in that realm of required paperwork since I'm a newb myself.
     
  5. brsims

    brsims Road Train Member

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    Big question would be "how long do you plan to be out?" for me.

    I did a year and a half (roughly) in a 'light weight' truck similar to what Prime runs. Trust me, that sleeper gets mighty small mighty quick if you stay out for extended periods.

    If you're gonna run regional with frequent stops at the house, a small sleeper is fine. If you're going OTR (two+ weeks at a time) I'd take the bigger truck. More storage space for your stuff, and more room to move around in. Never discount the value of comfort.

    Plus, the bigger sleepers generally have a bigger bed to sleep in. My old Mack 'lightweight' had a bunk so narrow my shoulders barely fit in it. My current Cascadia, on the other hand, has a bunk almost as wide (and every bit as comfortable) as my bed at home. My quality of sleep has greatly improved!
     
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  6. gillz107

    gillz107 Light Load Member

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    As for the size of the interior, I'm not a huge guy by any means, so I thought if I get a lightweight, and remove the passenger seat, would that be some improvement for size? I actually don't have that much stuff to take, but I would reconsider if the lightweight is too small, even for me.
     
  7. Highway101

    Highway101 Road Train Member

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    Can't leave the yard and they won't let you through Outbound without that LOL
     
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  8. darthanubis

    darthanubis Heavy Load Member

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    I thought that was hilarious!!!!
     
  9. w.h.o

    w.h.o Road Train Member

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    In a lightweight you don't have cabinet, just the top shelves, unless prime set it up differently. Would be hard to set a tv up and your cooler mostly on the passenger seat. It's basically just a bed when you walk in. I would rather have the space
     
  10. gillz107

    gillz107 Light Load Member

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    Feb 23, 2016
    New York
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    Update time!

    Last week, I finally got my truck. When I went to the Z building, they just gave me the paper with the truck # (the truck is a Cascadia btw) and stuff about what if there's any issues with the truck.
    On the outside, it looks like it's in good shape; the tubing looks a little rusty, but nothing too severe. On the inside, the driver seat looked like someone ripped it with a knife and left cigarette burns on it. Must've been one pig of a driver. The Qualcomm looked like it's seen better days. It's a little hard to touch the lower left corner of the screen, but I figured out a way to get it to work. The dashboard looks pretty old too, like the RPM and speedometer displays look like they were taken from a late 80's sedan. Everything else from the bunk area looks pretty decent actually.
    Now as for performance issues; the day after I got my truck, I noticed that the truck lost a lot air from the air tanks. It was below 60 PSI when saw it that morning. So I took it to the shop and they changed some tubing and air tanks I think. After that, no issues so far.
    Next, once I finally got a load and went on the road, I noticed that the jakebrake seems to be quite underpowered. I have a load thats just over 30,000, but the truck still seems pick up speed when I put it in 9th gear and set the jake at around 40-45 mph. I can't even tell if it's engaged at times, because I can barely hear it when it's on, and there's no indicator light on my dashboard that shows it on when I press the button on the wheel.
    My FM told me that they'll try to get me a newer model that's not as old as the one I'm in now, but I have a feeling that'll be a looong while before that happens for a company driver like myself.
     
  11. Highway101

    Highway101 Road Train Member

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    The jake works better at lower gear levels, 6th or 7th I found it best.
     
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