Please help!!! Usa truck or prime inc.

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by scorpiorias, Jan 6, 2010.

  1. QuoteWarz Insurance

    QuoteWarz Insurance Light Load Member

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    Prime, sounds like a good opportunity for you to get your training done and get some good experience. Plus the paid training is probably important to you because you are new in this field and need some guaranteed money for a while. I have heard conflicting reports on FFE so it might be a good thing in the long run if you miss that first day.
     
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  3. LavenderTrucker

    LavenderTrucker Medium Load Member

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    Hhmm.... Ducks, I think you may be onto something.. If those who despise the trucking industry and feel it is at best a dead end, if not a highway to poverty would quit, it would create openings for those who want to be in the industry and make their way...
     
    foodmojo Thanks this.
  4. Ducks

    Ducks "Token Four-Wheeler"

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    After re-reading my post, I felt it was inappropriately worded and requested that it be removed. You said it so much better than I did. Thanks so much, Lavender!
     
  5. scorpiorias

    scorpiorias Light Load Member

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    Thank you guys, it a tremendous help hearing what you all had to say. I really wish I had a coin to flip. From what I have heard so far, USA is out!

    Prime would have been a near best option if it wasn't for their forced lease agenda toward new drivers. The training pay and benefits is somewhat competitive for an entry level driver of which I believe is a ploy by prime to lure newbies into there lease program. Upon realizing that future employers will probably see it that if you can pull a reefer, you can pull a dry van but same cannot be said in reverse; I felt it will probably be of more advantage to get that (Prime) reefer rather than (USA) dry van experience just for the sake of being more marketable. Does anyone agree with me?

    I know very well that if I happen to go with prime, I will be seeking employment somewhere else as soon as I am done with the training face. It will be great if I could find a company where I don't have to device a plan for departure before I actually get the job. Thats why I have been obsessively calling Crete, and letting them know how bad I want it. If I don't hear anything from Crete by Friday, I will be heading to prime. But I wont stop there, I will keep on calling Jenny until she says something I wanna hear.
     
  6. Ducks

    Ducks "Token Four-Wheeler"

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    While Prime does push their lease program, it's not forced. It's an option, and entirely your choice when you're done training. While I believe those drivers who opt for the lease option get first choice of available trucks, that by no means leaves "junk" trucks for those choosing to become company drivers. Prime has a pretty decent fleet of newer model trucks, and they're good about getting you into the shop for any problems that may arise as well as scheduled PM work.

    If you plan on leaving any company immediately after training, I'm not sure what employment opportunities will be available to you with only the training experience under your belt. Most companies want 2 years experience... some one... and there are a few that will accept you with only 6 months.

    I'd encourage you to choose a company you're willing to commit a year or two to before leaving -- whether it be Prime, USA, or any other company.
     
    Brickman Thanks this.
  7. JustSonny

    JustSonny Big Dummy

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    Hey Scorpiorias! It's me, the "coin toss" guy, again. You might have already done this, but if not, there are some pretty active threads about Prime. There's some good information from drivers who have "been there, done that" and are "still there, doing that" with Prime. I would be willing to bet good money that if you jumped into a couple of those threads some of the drivers would jump on your questions. Try it! You are in a "choosing frenzy" mode right now, get your info from the horse's mouth. I can hear them whinnying now.....not whining, whinnying! Wake their butts up!:director:
     
    Ducks Thanks this.
  8. RickG

    RickG Road Train Member

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    Oldnewbiegonnabe , you know there is no such thing as a solid offer . How many called to orientation get rejected there or get past that and get rejected by a trainer ? From what I've read many of the rejections are unjustified .
     
  9. JustSonny

    JustSonny Big Dummy

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    Yeah, I guess it was just "wishful reading" on my part. Scorpiorias didn't say the offers were solid, did he? I guess that makes sense. I've had more than a handful of interviews (non-trucking) in my time and, as I think back on them, I didn't even get the opportunity to interview until the company was well satisfied that I had the requisite qualifications for the job....and the company had a legitimate need for my services. I guess that's why carriers call them "pre-hire" letters. "We'll hire you if.......". It's those ###### ifs that spoil the porridge. Poor guys like me are subject to getting pre-hire letters, jumping through all the hoops required by the companies, basically doing everything right....then we get sidelined by "We'll hire you if.....we actually have something (freight, for instance) to hire you to do." It's a dog-eat-dog for world for us wannabes and we're all wearing Milkbone underwear.
     
  10. Layne

    Layne Bobtail Member

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    RickG, grow up. You're obviously challenging me because I called you out first thing on here. You apparently don't do much except sit on this forum and naysay everyone and everything whenever you're not driving. Unemployment is up EVERYWHERE. Stop throwing the numbers around for trucking like it's some major deal. Life sucks, yes. Big whoop. I'm going to take a gamble, yes. Again, big whoop. I'm going to try to do what I want to do to enjoy it and survive rather than suffer at something that gets me through but I absolutely hate. I'd rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable.

    I say this with conviction.... To hell with you and your opinions, your beliefs, your views. I am choosing what I value and running with it. This is the last I will ever say to you because your attitude is not worth my time anymore. I hope you enjoy your reclusive life of trying to shatter others' dreams, wishing you had something better to do with yourself.

    To everyone else, thanks for the support! Keep it real!
     
    nical, JimTheHut and Ducks Thank this.
  11. RickG

    RickG Road Train Member

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    The ones that need to grow up are the ones that irresponsibly want to run off and try to get a CDL and play billy bigrigger . They waste thousands of dollars and months of their lives so they can try to run off weeks at a time leaving their wives to face the debt pressures .
    Some wannabes would make good truckers and deserve a job but the high number of misfits keeps raising the odds against the deserving people . Even worse , potentially good drivers get shafted without good reason at orientation because carriers bring in more applicants than they need at the time .
    Fathers could put a lot of food on the table and buy a lot of clothes for kids with the thousands given to CDL mills . But what else are you going to do ? Wouldn't it be smart to ask that question before spending thousands of dollars and then asking the same question months later when you either can't get a job , get rejected with a negative DAC , or find out you can't survive on the low pay you get because you can't get enough miles ?
    Some wannabes are going to deservedly hear their wives tell them the rest of their married lives how dumb it was to try to get a CDL .
     
    JustSonny Thanks this.
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