ask your questions about prime inc here

ACE-I is the upgrade orientation/classes for folks done with TNT training, and upgrading to A-seat solo status before they get their own trucks.

ACE-II is the business class for lease operators. It's a one day class held on Mondays and Saturdays at Springfield and Pittston - I'm not sure what Pittston's schedule is on it though. You need a couple of months running time to get enough data on what you're business is doing before scheduling it - there is some analysis of how you're operating your individual business, interpretation of settlements, some very basic accounting principles, how all the pieces fit together at Prime, etc, and you get your questions answered. It's invaluable, and almost all of the folks who show up at TTR complaining about the lease program never bother attending - that's a rather broad "hint." If I recall correctly (and I could be wrong on the amount) you get $100 tacked onto your settlement for attending.

 

Thanks IP. Cant understand not going to a class you get paid to attend lol. Talk about easy money.

 

Too many folks figure if they can mash a throttle and grind gears enough to be a company guy, that lease stuff has to be so easy that even a cave man can do it. (Thanks Geico!) They get so caught up in building up "miles" that they can't see the important things. It's not about miles, its about gross revenue and minimizing costs - that's a lot of the thrust of the ACE-II class.

 

Yeah being lease where Im at now and successful I might add,I have a lot of company guys ask me about miles. They're like "running these elogs has to be killing you lease guys" lol. I tell them no not really as long as I can gross x dollars a week versus my costs then Im doin great. My lease cost are cheaper on the fixed side here but I think with a lower maintenance cost and lower fuel cost that it will about make up the difference for Primes higher fixed cost.

 

Yeah... the warranty is 3 years or 350,000 miles on the "powertrain" which Freightliner/Detroit and Prime define as anything that makes the baby go. So outside of consumables - tires, alignments, wiper blades, batteries (shortest warranty term item), PMs and the APU it's pretty much covered. Other places take all repairs out of your hide. I'll have 350,000 on mine sometime after the first of the year, so with some good luck, my maintenance costs have been very reasonable. I lost a turbo a couple of years ago... dealer downtime pay covered the fixed costs, and some of my personal costs for a hotel - but of course you loose the revenue. The warranty covered all of the parts, labor, and a tow for both the tractor and the loaded trailer. I had about $130 in shop costs charged to me for all of that. Fuel... well, that's why everyone complains about us - we're paying the bill. Keep your foot out of the throttle, buy your fuel as cheaply as possible, and you do pretty well.

I can't say how this goes on the flatbed side, but generally if I keep my fuel cost under control, $2500 will pay the bills - more if I have to push the schedule because of fuel. So just by watching my gross revenue (I keep a "scoreboard" that I update with each load for the week - a couple of minutes while I'm trip planning) I can generally guestimate how I'm doing for the week. $3500 will keep me above company-guy wages, in the $4000's is a nice settlement. This week I'm above $5000 in gross revenue, but I had to push it all the way from Maine to Texas, and back up to Ohio. My fuel economy is in the dumpers (6.8 mpg sucks in this truck,) but I did a pretty reasonable job buying fuel. The settlement isn't anything spectacular, but it's still pretty darned good.

I keep track of my numbers weekly... got to get to that next... and generate a P/L report from a spreadsheet that gives me monthly and quarterly reports with just about 15 minutes of effort each week. Keep track of your operations as a business, and you'll do all right. Put it on autopilot for a "CPA" to figure out around tax time next year - and you don't have a clue about what's happening until it's all over. The real trick is just operating more efficiently than the company guys, that's where our profit comes from.

 

Maverick or Prime, just got my CDL and was thinking if I went to Maverick I would lose anything I learned about shifting.

 

Well since I drive for Maverick most would probably think Id say Maverick is where you should go however knowing about the differences in the training program I think as a student Primes program is better. Its more thorough imho because of the miles they require you to have before going solo. I think this ensures a better preparedness to be on your own. However Maverick is a great company and you wont miss that stick.

 

At Prime is the school only one week and then go out with a instructor or trainer? 1 week is short heard that there is 4 days of orientation. What will I get a chance to learn in class for a week? Also a recruiter at Prime told me if I dont pass all 3 CDL tests for the permit I will get sent home. In 4 days orientation and also only one week, how they expect me to study and have enough time to get all 3 at once? Or is it possible that you can be held back a week for another class

 

If you are coming in as a student, with or without a CDL PERMIT, you will do the orientation, then go out with an instructor for a MINIMUM of 75 hours of behind the wheel training then get routed back to SpringMO to take your CDL exam. You can start studying for the permit tests now. There are many resources out there, some directly linked from here.

After you obtain your CDL, you will go out with a trainer for a MINIMUM of 30k miles to complete the training portion.

 

You have to be more positive about this. Nearly 800 people have succesfully passed their learners this year in this program