Prime, never been insulted by employer before.

Same contract... just the beneficiary of some decent reefer fuel surcharge bucks! Ilm pretty sure that ice cream load this week will be changing that a bit...

That would be... ASAP!

 

My reefer fuel surcharge on my next load...... 9 cents!!!

Seriously, why even bother.

 

Ah ha......and you think that you are collecting that interest ? And my $1.50 / mile to move the power unit is the hub cost of all things considered including bookkeeping and driver wages aka the top line. It is the number you must cash to successfully operate the power unit doing everything by the book.

One can lower these costs by say cutting the prescribed deposit the the maint. fund, cutting driver wages, fluffing and cutting payroll numbers and so on. Also cut by doing your own maint., etc.

On the fuel costs, one cannot use a moving target like difference of opinion to calculate to fuel mileage. One must have a known constant below an achievable real world number and excess is diverted to profit. That number is 5 mpg and the avg. mph is 48. $3.00 fuel ( current credit price southeast U.S. ) 0r 1 gallon will move you 5 miles, that's .60 cents per mile fuel costs alone.....

I recently saw a sign outside a Speedy lube shop........ $209.00 for an oil change plus fees and taxes. Oil was $16.99 a gallon at the T/A for all flavors. Uh huh.....

Heres a simple formula you can use...... get 4 coffee cans, take your weekly check and divide it by 4, put 25% in each can, one can is fuel, one is maint, one is wages 4 u and the last is for the truck note and plates and taxes. You cannot steal from one can and replenish another. You'll be out of fuel and broke in two weeks ( checks ) if you don't steal from the maint. or note can ....... using the numbers you gave me.

Wallet still full is it??

 

Ahhh... but your forget Prime claims their trucks can get 7s and 8s in the MPG game. And its true, they can. If you go 52-55mph. Now I'm sorry, but going that slow on any highway where the posted speed is 65+mph is unsafe and unnecessary. Prime COULD set their trucks to get the same fuel milage but going 65 by changing the gearing and tranny configs, but because they, not the lease ops, but THEY as the company, get a better insurance deal, they choose to force their drivers to do that.

I have been blessed with this little international that has this little Cummins ISM engine that can pull 46k lbs @62 and get low 8s. Now as a company driver thats fantastic because ill get a fuel bonus. EXCEPT Prime refuses to put any type of APU on these "light weight" trucks, so when I go to idle at night to keep from frying to death in this winter heat, i wake disappeared 8mpg to 6mpg. And Prime has refused to remove our idle fuel usage in our MPG bonus, effectively ending its fuel bonuses for the majority of its company drivers.

 

And???

Considering we're getting paid a percentage... lowering the bottom line will increase your take...

That is the most stupid pile of baloney I've read on this forum in quite awhile....

Been plagerizing W, have ya??

Actually yes.

 

Wallet, no. Bank and Brokerage accounts, you betcha!

 

Okay, earlier in this thread, I said I had turned in my truck and would let y'all know what the final outcome of charges would be. I have my final statement. Now, I've heard of some people turning in trucks to Prime and ending up owing thousands of dollars for repairs and cleaning.

After charging me for some very minor stuff, changing the batteries, claiming the bunk curtain was ripped (it wasn't...but I'll call them about it again tomorrow) and bringing the tire fund up to their match for wear, the final outcome is I supposedly owe them a grand total of $155 and change. My guess is after I talk to them tomorrow, we will call it even and each go our separate ways, with no "breach of contract" or credit problems as a result of having worked with Prime.

But again, if you revisit what I said earlier, I turned in a truck that was in near perfect condition after driving it for almost two years and 250,000 miles. It is possible to get out of these contracts without owing your left arm, right leg and first born to them.

 

I stand corrected. The settlement I looked at was not my final settlement. There were a few loose ends to clean up regarding fuel tax and other stuff. It turns out, I will be getting a check for about $118. Therefore, I have proven it is possible to turn in a lease truck before the lease is finished and not owe any money.

Cheers!

 

My husband turned his truck in Feb of this year. He was on his 3rd lease, just not getting the miles. Haven't heard a word from Prime until last week when we got a bill in the mail for $4100. Apparently all new tires were put on the truck. When he spoke to Prime they suggested that if he came back, the charges would take care of themselves. The person he spoke to also said that the total amount would probably go down if he disputed any of the charges. Obviously, he is going to dispute the charges. So Injun - any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

I followed the process of turn-in very closely. I was present for the inspection, got copies of every piece of paper they wrote on and took pictures of everything. I watched my settlements like a hawk and each time something came up on one of the settlements, I was on the phone instantly to find out why. I have been on top of this from the beginning...meaning from the day I gave them the keys back. I even know when the truck was placed back active in the fleet. It was barely more than one week after I gave it back. Therefore, any claims on their part of major repairs went out the window.

Why you are getting a bill this many months out is completely beyond me. I turned the truck in on July 2, my final settlement was August 18. They have 45 days from turn-in to finalize your account and only 45 days. Period, paragraph. Check your settlements from the day of turn-in until the final (should be end of March or early April if you turned it in Feb) and see whether there is a balance due on your final settlement. If there is no balance due, you will have a leg to stand on to fight it. If there is, in fact, a balance due on that final settlement, I'm not sure where you could take it from there.

I turned in a truck that had 240K miles on it after having been in it for almost two years...in near perfect condition. There was absolutely no....zero....exterior body damage. I had been keeping up on the brightwork...tanks and wheels were meticulously cut and polished. I had one full axle of drive tires replaced two weeks before they got the truck back. My maintenance records were completely up-to-date and all necessary repairs had been done in as timely a manner as possible rather than letting it go. I kept seat covers on both seats at all times. Inside, there was a scuff mark where I rested my foot on the corner of the dash. It was not written up. A light was out on the bottom of the door. A heater vent in the bunk area had to be replaced because my dog dug the louvers out of it. After I dropped the truck and had the paperwork, they tried to charge me for a complete set of batteries and a bunk curtain they say was ripped. I disputed it immediately over the phone. The batteries stuck, but the bunk curtain was dropped. I had proof the inspector had gone inside the truck to evaluate it. I had his signed paper.

Any time you have to get out of a lease or sign into a loaner truck or anything of the sort that requires you to take responsibility for anything at all, you need to document, document, document everything. Keep copies of everything, do not delete those pictures you took of the truck proving you gave it back in good condition...and if you don't have a bill or balance due on your final statement, I do not believe you owe them anything and you may be able to get it cleared up with a phone call and a copy of that final settlement. If that doesn't work, threaten them with a lawyer. But these methods only work if you had no balance due on your final.

Does it seem like I'm repeating myself? I hope so. You have to have paperwork to back up what you say. In the two years I was with Prime, they found out in short order I am extremely particular about paperwork and documentation. Therefore, I think that reputation had an impact at turn-in time.

Also, I was not an jerk about it. I was all about business. My business wasn't fitting well with theirs, so nothing personal, I have to do business with someone else. However, since it's my business name (Taiowa) and company reputation at stake I am going to follow through on every detail. Again, it's business...nothing personal. But it's possible to be all business and be pleasant at the same time.

I hope I've given you some useful information. I also sincerely hope there are other lessees looking at this and paying attention to it. All of this applies even if you complete your lease. You will still have to pay for anything they deem is wrong with the truck either mechanically or cosmetically. As far as Prime is concerned, there is no such thing as "normal wear and tear" and will not give any consideration for it. Take the best care of your equipment as you can, do everything you can to keep it from smelling like an ashtray and don't trade paint with anyone or anything else. I think that about covers it.