orientation pay at prime

Don't worry about it... looks like notarps is becoming a part-time recruiter!

We do pretty well at Prime, and don't have to tarp our dead cows in a snowstorm either!

 

To each their own. I'm excited about my future with Prime.

 

Oh yeah, taken from the reply play back book at primecheerleadingdotcom. How can I recruit for a company I don't work for or am not on the payroll of? Here is a thought. I have been to both orientations at prime and maverick. Now tell me about your experience at mavericks orientation...... OOPS; forgot you never been there.... carry on, as you were,

 

The whole point of that post is that is not the first time I have seen posters "always newbies or newer drivers who cut teeth at prime lean towards statements that make it sound like that is the industry standard across the boards." I have seen IP in the past post how it is common practice for a driver to pay for equipment, (loadlocks) My whole point is just because prime tells you guys this is common practice doesn't mean it is true. There are companies who do not charge the driver for company equipment.

There are companies that pay a driver for orientation. There are companies that don't loan you money for a month or so while you learn and start taking it back from you. I just about cracked up when IP was defending them about making the driver pay for something and them him telling it makes you more responsible and you will take better care of it. How in the heck do they pull that off? I was sitting in primes orientation when they said that a company driver has to supply the equipment= tarps, chains, binders, straps and such to drive as a company driver? I can see a lease OP or O/O, but a company driver?

My whole point is just because prime says it or does it does not mean other companies are doing it. What I don't get is how some of you get that starry look in your eyes and say great I get to buy that and don't get paid for doing this....

 

Wow, how evil Prime is! I'm so glad you opened my eyes.

What really matters isn't the little details you love to bring up over and over again. I'm sure buying all the items for flatbedding is very expensive, and there I admit you have a point. But purchasing my load locks and padlocks wasn't all that expensive. I had to purchase them when I went solo (taken out of my paycheck, I think $20/week). Haven't had to buy anything since then. Unless buying my own Truckers Atlas and Flashlight is a ridiculous notion too.

Nobody here claims Prime is a perfect company. I'm sure there are little things at Maverick I could pick apart and try to make them look evil as well. Does Maverick do everything because it's "common practice" or do they do some things differently? In fact, Prime never tried to tell me purchasing locks was common practice. Rather, they took the time to explain why they are different in that respect. Maybe you slept through that part of orientation?

Quite frankly, if being forced to purchase load locks and padlocks is the best argument you can come up with, you make Prime seem like a pretty darn good company.

Instead of picking apart little details, you need to look at the overall results. In the end, I make more than average for the industry, I feel my hometime is fair (within industry average), my benefits are decent, I am treated with respect, I drive some of the newest and best maintained equipment on the road, I am never asked to run illegally, I feel respected, we have a fantastic terminal, I have only had one issue with payroll which ended up being my fault, and I can keep going.

If more people would focus on the important things and let the little things go, we'd have far less job hoppers searching for the elusive greener pastures.

I know you had a uniquely poor experience with Prime. Even the best of companies aren't able to please everyone. Sucks it worked out so poorly for you, but my experience with Prime has been nothing short of fantastic. From reading these boards as well as speaking with my fellow drivers face to face, it's quite obvious I'm not alone.

 

Why does this company need so many defenders ?????

 

I am not worried about the little things. My hometime was good with maverick. Most weekends home. Take home was 800-1200 before freight fell out, but now if you think my beef with prime was buying stuff lets talk about having a wore out, butt ugly, powder blue freight shaker to choose from. Or possibly the wore out puke yellow one that was available? Lets see 20 some drivers and just a couple trucks to choose from. How about the sending us to Altus OK to pick up the passmore trucks? Plan was to go pick up a truck there and pull back stacked trailers to the yard. Problem was them trucks was junk too. Plus; there was no stacked trailers to haul back. Bobtail back? Oh no, go get a preloaded drywall load. Tarp and secure it then have the idiots tell you that you can't haul it.

Your not a company driver and have not leased yet. Not covered. Doesn't surprise me at all. Everything in orientation was jacked up and dis-organized. Why would something as simple as go get a truck and stack trailers and haul them back go without a hitch? How about being lied to by a recruiter before you came in? How about finally getting the go ahead to pull the drywall to the yard only to have to go back to the yard to get the truck fixed? How about driving about an hour and truck acts up again? How about getting into the main yard and having the truck go in the shop. Problem was they did not fix it that time either. Not to mention when the mechanic parked it he tore both mud flaps off and tried to squirm out of that?

How about leaving out and a few minutes later to get a load to have the truck do it again? How about calling it in and have them put me on hold and the guy comes back on and says they say your truck is a freightshaker. Plus; he tells me this is a pete. The parts they show was for a freightshaker. He then says are the shop guys smoking crack? Lets talk about the load that I took. Was going into a holiday and they promised if I took this they could get me back to get the things I needed to run with. What happened to my preload? HMMM vanished after I kicked off.

They got me another one. Directions said call shipper. I call load won't be ready for about 5 days. I qual commed and called. Was put on hold. Finally they said just got off the phone. Load is ready. They will only load you to a certain time. I beat feet over there. Barely make pick up time. They said we told you the load won't be ready. Has to be painted and will be ready in 5 days. Called in. Well we will pay you 100 bucks or so for no truck used on load. Great; so I am stuck down here for 5 days, no clothes, fridge or anything else that I needed to get home for to stock the truck. Got mad and bounced from the bottoms of GA to KY.

That was some of my better experiences at prime. If you want I have more "little things as you put it" to go on about. They are the most Jacked up fuster cluck I have ever seen for a OTR co.

 

What I wrote monkeyman, was that "many industries" ask their employees to provide their own equipment:

The plumber shows up with his own tools...
The electrician shows up with his own tools...
The carpenter shows up with his own tools...

So lets get it right after THREE YEARS. That's right monkeyman, you've been knawing on this bone for THREE YEARS. Sheez!

I've made more money turning in excess load locks than I ever paid out for every dang thing I've ever needed to do this job - including a GPS. So you're not just a little off-base.

So whine on. Prime does real well by their people.

 

and the company truck driver should not have too,,,, unless the company is jacked up....

 

You really don't comprehend what you read, do you?

I have more than made back any money I put out on 1 lock set (purchased at better than 70% discount than what one can get at the best price on the internet) and two load locks. I've made back MUCH more. Your argument is bogus notarps.