(New) Prime Inc. Springfield Mo.

Real well=annual gross ???

 

Once I have an "annual gross" I'll let ya know! So far I have no complaints...

 

I believe that "annual gross" is what the 20 something females that work at the customers that IP only gets to once a year refer to him as.


(I kid I kid)

 

Can someone comment on the Tanker side of Prime? Thinking of signing on to this division..

Thanks..

 

Thanks for spotting that. Different. Maybe someone got the login & posted for the person????????? Have Fun and God Speed.

 

I can not send PM yet but can receive PM but a post would work well. What did you like abut that training program please which is OJT I believe? Would appreciate your feedback please. Thank you very much.

 

Wow, there is a lot of good information here. I thank all of you! I was also bieng told to be a compnay driver first to "learn the ropes" but after reading this post..... company drivers are "puppets" you dont get the involvment you do as a leasee. I didnt fully understand that. Now I do.

I do have one question though, does the lease allow you to train your spouse and team? And do they allow pets in the leased trucks? Thank you!

 

Thanks to all posters

 

I got my CDL through a third-party school. Advantages were I was home for that time, and there was more classroom instruction vs. going to Prime for a CDL. OTOH, I feel I wasn't as prepared to drive with a trainer if I had done my CDL through Prime's instructional program. The information I got through the school would have to have been provided by a Prime instructor or trainer - and that might not have been done as effectively.

Prime puts you with a trainer for 60k to 80k miles (depending on what options you choose at the end) - and that's a lot more experience than many of the noobs get in other companies. A lot of outfits just throw you in the deep end, and either you survive or get totally screwed. This is a dangerous business, and considering the folks I've run across in my time who were totally struggling, I think that more time with a trainer will make a much better driver in the long run. Plus there's a lot more to this business than just hopping in the cab, grinding some gears and hitting the road.

CDL school (say about 160 hours of wheel time) and 10-days of orientation (or a week-or-two of trainer time) does not make a driver. It makes a dangerous, over-confident wheel-holder. IMO, go for all the training you can get.

I feel that driving on the company side for a year or two has a lot of value - you may not agree, but there are advantages. First and formost - you put two different drivers in the same truck, and their fuel economy performance can differ by as much as 30% (this is a quote I've heard in the media.) I started getting around 6.3 mpg in my company Century and finished up around 7.5 mpg. Fuel is your number one controllable cost as a lease operator, and it can kill your profit if you can't manage it. This one is about technique, and you don't learn it in a couple of months. Driving a class A truck is nothing like driving a car... two totally different animals.

Second - routing. That's something else that's thrown at you right away. Lets take heading from the midwest to the Atlantic seaboard. There's a number of ways to get there - pick the wrong one, and again fuel is going to kill you - as will tolls. And Mr. GPS isn't going to help here. This is something you're going to learn by doing it.

Third - freight lanes. You aren't going to learn where a company goes without actually running some of it.

Fourth - Fleet Managers. I had long enough to figure out who to ask for after I had worked the company side. There are really good managers, and some not-so-good ones. On the lease side, this guy is your business partner. You are just going to have to with the luck of the draw if you go from training straight into running a business.

Do yourselves a favor, and learn the basics before you have to operate a profitable business as well. Yeah, you can luck out, and make a bundle. But there are so many guys who jump into the deep end, without having a clue about how to swim in this biz. Finally, what if you do jump right into leasing, and decide that you hate trucking? Now you're financially stuck - where a company driver can resign with two-weeks' notice.

Yes and yes. We do have some shippers and receivers that will not allow you to pick up with passengers and/or pets. If your spouse is a co-driver, she isn't a passenger.

Good luck gentlemen!

 

I appreciate your fairness! I'm considering signing on with Prime. I've been on the road longer than most and I've heard comments both negative and positive. I'm alone and in what sounds like a similar position as you. I'm curious what the realities are as far as expected income. I intend to lease a truck and purchase health insurance. I will be looking closely at picking up the lease on a truck turned in. I am also thinking about the Tanker division. I would like to hear any input !
Thanks in advance to all replies..