Prime, good or bad?

If you want the 5 cent bonus you have to take a lightweight truck..YES OR NO?. thats all I was saying .. calm down killer. Prime was my second choice. I only chose the company Im with because I get a 5 cent bonus for obtaining mileage bonus's not cramming myself into a small sleeper. To make the same per mile I make with Millis I would have to take a small truck. Also liked that there is no lease program with the company I hired on with so no chance of ever having to worry about that pressure .. also all dispatch comes from one pool regardless because everyone is a company driver. I never said Prime was bad or bashed them.

 

no you just talk like you know what goes on at Prime. And you don't.

as a company driver, yes you have to take the truck they give you. Typically it's a lightweight. Yes it's an extra 5 cents per mile. That's .41 a mile starting pay.

hurray for you! You get .05 bonus for mpg. Guess what, we do too. So that still puts us ahead in the pay department.

Where you get this idea of pressure to lease? It's all rumor and false stories. Not one person has ever come on this site and claimed they were forced to lease. Even the morons who failed miserably as Lease Ops have never made this claim.

Guess what? All our freight comes from 3 pools. Ouch! Seeing how im not trained to pull tanker or flatbed loads, I don't have to worry about competition from the other two pools. We reefer guys pull from one pool.

So let me boil down your valid points... Errr point... You didn't want a smaller truck and didn't mind being compensated less to get a larger truck.

 

I never mentioned a MPG bonus... I said a Mileage bonus. Pay rates are comparable at both companies bonus's are just for different things. Prime is for the lightweight truck with your fridge in the passenger seat and running in the North East. Ours are for running good mileage and on time safe deliveries. I was scheduled to start with prime and they would still be my second option. I was just letting the OP know my experience when I was looking for a company and telling him about a Smaller one that isnt advertised as much as Prime. U guys are really defensive about your "mini" trucks. Im also not saying that prime will pressure you into a lease. I was saying with the company I mentioned. Leasing is not a option so it will never be pressured on you. Also you can take a Lightweight truck at Millis as well. But you will be regional and home every weekend.


As for getting compensated less... I would be more then willing to compare pay. I did research for months and Prime and Millis are neck and neck for starting out and getting your CDL. There really is no difference. I made my choice for Millis because better hometime (1.5 per week vs 1) better equipment ( fullsize trucks since your OTR and will be living in it mostly) and smaller company that only runs dry van and tons of drop n hook. Not to mention my truck runs 66-67 mph and prime runs 58 or 62 company right?

Sure prime has its high points as well but #### if no one can give an opinion on a forum without everyone getting hostile whats the point of a forum?

 

People get agitated when others throw out BS or twist things to reflect negatively when it is not true. If that was not your intention, then bygones..........

 

Wasnt trying to throw out anything false... Good luck to the original OP. Prime is still on the good list in my book and one of the top paying starting carrier's. Only reason I brought up the company I ended up going with is because I know the op is in their hiring area ( same state as me) and I know they dont advertise like some of the larger carriers... To the OP... whoever you choose.. please make sure your making .35 + starting out... this job requires to much sacrifices to take less then 30 cents a mile like alot of the training companies offer.

 

I am a trainer with Prime and like you (well your gonna be anyway), prior military. NO prime does not make you purchase or lease a truck, they are more than happy to put you into a company truck, in fact if you chat with most of the Prime drivers on here we will encourage you to go company and not lease. Prime has done everyhing that they have said they would for me. I get home every 3-4 weeks, I get decent pay, currently its .36 cpm plus training pay. If I was driving a company light weight truck then my pay would be over .41 cpm. I am not forced to run illegal or even forced dispatch. They take excellent care of my truck, even I see or notice anything wrong then it goes into the shop, period. I average between 2500-3000 miles per week.
Hope this helps you.

 

I live around the Roanoke Va. area and back in the early part of 2000 I was looking to lease thru Prime and I ended up not doing it for the fact that I was asked to stay out for up to 6 weeks at a time and I had just been married a little over a year and I had to pass. I have read the good and bad about Prime and I think it just boils down to the fact that most of the negativity on here is because some people are mad cause they didn't get their way or it is someone that doesn't work for Prime.

As far as the small trucks as I do not understand what you mean but I have never seen a small Prime truck. Most are Cascadia or 387 or something to that effect and all have condo sleepers.

And by the way THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SERVED.

Terry

 

The small trucks are normally freightliners from what I have seen with a smaller bunk. We run the same trucks on regional. Pretty sure they offer the bonus because you can scale heavier loads with those trucks and MPG is a little improved. Its not a bad deal if you dont mind the smaller living space. Im sure alot of companies will adapt the same strategy in the future.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/truckexposure/8231706486/

I agree lots of the prime bashing is because ill informed people get into lease's and cant make it profitable and inturn blame the company.