Prime Inc driver thread

How do I get to his thread?

 

Well... you could try the search function - upper right hand corner of the page. (Thought everybody in computer age had that part down??) Or, you could follow the handy link below...

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/prime/175935-u2s-trainer-thread.html

 

I have no problem working my way around a computer or the web, but Im new to this whole blogging thing. I didnt know you could search for individual handles via the search function. Thank you

 

Downpaymen
t for what?

 

You mentioned "lease-purchase." If you wish to end up owning a tractor there is a downpayment of $10,000 to get into an ACE-II lease. OTOH, if you are going to get into a pure lease deal where you turn-in the tractor at the end of the term, there is no downpayment.

Next, you understand that you will be starting a small business, yes? Leasing is not employment on steroids, so I sincerely hope you have some business education behind you. Understanding how to manage costs, analyze your financial results, etc is crucial. Its also important to have your personal and business finances completely separate - as in different bank accounts - and paying yourself a wage. Undercapitalization is one of the most common reasons a business fails so you need some money in the bank to soften the ups and downs of your settlement. I recommend at least $2000 to $3000 to start.

Its not like you're going to be an owner-operator, and there are certain financial advantages built into the contract that make this different than owning your own hardware to start. For example, the warranty covers repairs on anything that is considered "drive-train," there is break-down pay to cover your fixed costs. I had a turbo go on me at 6 months into the lease, it took out the DPF as well - cost me a total of $130 plus I paid for a motel room.

My advice to anyone thinking of doing something like this is to work as a company driver until you get a feel for the company, and especially until you have the capital to make it work. It also helps to build-up a reputation as a reliable operator too... they do rate us. While you're doing that, run a shadow business using the numbers from your company-side loads to see if its going to work for you. As in any business venture, one should do the proper due diligence to ensure that the venture will work. You can switch from company driver to lease operator just by asking for it. It isn't easy going back the other way without impressing a company dispatcher enough to want you back. It really is best to look before you leap into the deep end on something like this.

 

We have saved $20k... We were going to buy a truck directly From Peterbuilt, so we have been saving for The down payment And just looking for a good company to lease on With. We met a lease op With Prime And figured even tho The pmts were higher then direct, we keep our $20k. Better to have cash In The bank then just The truck was our thinking... Also lots of people had told us now is not The time to become an oo or lo, but we r making peanuts With The company we currently drive for And figured if we dont meet our goals, Prime has a walk away clause. We used to own our own company... Built custom Furniture, but The market caused everyone to tighten belts, so we returned to truck driving. We know basics of operating a small biz, but always open to advice. We were told prime would teach us a lot, hope so.
We are doing The lease op choice this time... We figure after running a truck for three yrs, if we get The miles we want, we will prob want a new truck amyway.
How long have u been With prime And r u a team And do u do wl?? We r husband/wife team And hope to average about $3000 a week after expenses (weekly truck pmt And all fixed costs). Are we out of The ballpark?

 

i dont know how prime has changed since 03 but they were a good comp then and i have heard it has actually gotten better. if you are ever in the terminal and want to meet the owner of the company just venture down to the gym around 11am-noon and you will find him playin basketball with drivers and dispatchers that are there on their days off...

 

Hi,

I am a newbie at prime. I have three questions:

1. I am having a hard time getting the fuel bonus. The first week I got about 7 mpg and then 6.7 the next. I try to shift at the lowest rpm possible and stay under sixty mph. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

2. How do I view my pay stubs online. I set up getting them by e-mail. I am trying to see past checks (only had three so far lol). The site asks for a DP Date and UNit. What's that?

3. I don't quite understand the start right program. I think I get paid 115.00 a day but what about pay for the trips. Do I get the greater of the two?

THX

 

My thoughts on this are that it is bad business to contractually limit yourself to hauling freight for one company only without some sort of revenue guarantee. While Prime does have a revenue guarantee, it does not even cover operating costs, IMO. They get their lease money regardless of whether or not they send you any loads. And if I'm not mistaken, you don't even get to see what loads are available and choose the ones that will generate the best revenue. Bottom line: Avoid leasing from the company that controls your freight.

It's obvious that Prime has a decent program, because there are drivers that are doing well with it.

My opinion, FWIW.

 

Speaking from your vast experience in the industry, no doubt.