ask your questions about prime inc here

I have been looking at Prime and Central and decided on Prime....been reading all the threads about both. Could have drove back and fourth to Central for training...only bout 45 mi. away in Atl....but they don't pay as much training or when you get hired on. Supposed to start orientation Jan.4

 

Those two statements are contradictory.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, yes, you will be able to go home during the 60,000 miles.

 

They will hire you as long as you have not be out of school for more than 30 days. At least that is what I was told.

 

A friend of mine completed his training through Prime and was paired with a trainer who lived in the same state. (They were dispatched from Pittston.) He was able to get home twice during his training.

As for the four day maximum -- would you please double-check that, ironpony? I'm under the impression that it's five days. The driver I know is solo... has chosen to run five to six weeks out... and then takes five days at home. Despite sometimes running the sixth week out, he told me that he's still restricted to only five days hometime.

 

When I was in training, I went home once during the 4 month period. Probably could have gone home twice, but I just wanted to get my training done. My trip home ended up lasting a full week due to my trainer having trouble getting routed back to my area.

As for hometime once going solo, Ironpony is right. Company drivers get a max of 4 days home. You get 3 days for 3 weeks, 4 days for 4 weeks or longer. Example:

Thursday: Arrive home at 9pm
Friday: Off
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Be in the truck by 10am ready for dispatch.

You can also "bank" days. So let's say you stayed out for 5 weeks. Technically, you earned 5 days off. You can take a max of 4 days off, and that 5th day is "banked" if you want to use it later. So say you only stay out for 3 weeks next round out, you can still take 4 days off (the 3 you earned, plus the day you have in the bank). From what I understand, there is no limit to how many days you can bank, and they stay in the bank forever. Ironpony, correct me on that if I'm wrong.

In any case, I don't recommend going out for 3 weeks and coming home for 4 days anyway. That's a wallet killer.

 

Officially its four days home days max... actually iits whatever you can arrange with your FM. The day you check back in is a toss up... you may or may not end up with a load depending on what freight is available.

The five days you were told about may be the 5-paid vacation days you accrue every 125,000 miles after being A-seat qualified. Those you can take off all in one batch.

 

Thanks for the confirmation, Mike and IP. Since he doesn't have his first 125,000 miles with Prime yet (rookie driver), he's ineligible for any vacation and has twice taken the five days hometime. Secondarily, he once told me he cannot "bank" days. Hence, as ironpony mentioned, I think he may have made a different arrangement with his FM.

Is it typical of a trucking company to make their drivers pay for load locks? He's in the reefer division and often has to drop his sealed trailer and pick up an empty. A few weeks ago, the empty had no load locks in it. I'm not sure who he talked to at Prime (probably his FM), but he was told he had to buy his own... and he did so -- picked up two, used, at $20.00 each.

Second question -- if he encounters this again with a drop and hook, can he request that the receiver break the seal, retrieve his load locks, and then re-seal the trailer? No one wants to be a pain in the butt with shippers and receivers, but on the other hand, load locks can get expensive!

 

Hi all, I may be starting with Prime the 3 week of Jan. I have studied everything that has been posted on this sight for almost a year. I do not have a CDL yet so I will have to go through their training program. However I did drive big trucks from 1987-1990, so I do know what I'm getting myself into. I just have a couple of questions. Can anyone give me a precentage of fingerprint loads, drop and hook loads? How much luggage can or should I bring? Are there lockers in Springfield? Will Springfield receive mail for me? This is a second career for me, I recently retired from another big company, I tried another career with a degree in electronic engineering, its just a tough field to get into in todays economy plus at age 51 competition is tough and there isn't really any money in it. I know what a tough life it is being a driver but it is in my blood it never left me and I look forward to the challenge. Thx

 

Not to be a jerk, but if you read all the posts about Prime, you would have found all the information you are requesting.

-Pickups tend to be more drop and hooks, deliveries tend to be more live unloads.
-Bare minnimum for luggage... there is an ideal packing list around here
-No lockers
-You can rent a mailbox at the mail room.

 

As for the discrepency on Company hometime... I have met quite a few Pittston dispatched drivers who we absorbed when Prime bought TRL... they got to keep whatever arrangement they had with TRL.

One guy gets home for 3 days every other week...

Ironpony, you might get a kick out of this... Met a guy yesterday on his first trip to Easton, ME... He was a TRL Driver and has been with Prime since the merger... runs the northeast and has never made a french fry run. Im currently on my 5th or 6th.