ask your questions about prime inc here

You get reimbursed for what you turn back in. Think of it as a security deposit.

 

You get reimbursed for what you turn back in. Really ,i can't grasp that concept,what i responded to is some one said they had to buy chains,they didn't say the company was going to reimburse them, the last two companies i worked for gave me a credit card to use in emergencies or if something was need on the truck,one company gave me a card the other one gave me $300 cash,when the cash got low i turned in the receipts and got more cash,my son drove for a guy who owned a sweeper truck, he talked my son into paying a fuel bill with a Credit card, he never got paid back for the fuel,I would never have done that for any company,if you own a company and can't pay for chains or fuel, you don't need to be in business.

 

You have to pay for your comdata card also, now that stinks. Add TWIC card, passport, want a new mattress for your bunk, loadlocks, padlocks, the list goes on............

 

when I leased with prime I had chains on the truck, I wasn't charged out right for them and when I turned the truck into springmo they simply marked off that the chains were returned. I never used them and they were still in the bags. All in all prime is a pretty straight deal, I didn't make much money while I was there but if you are patient(which I am not) then you can see things start to get profitable on the lease side, they have good equipment and good facilities and with the mood of the industry today its better to have newer well maintained stuff than be up a creek with bum trucks and trailers and cell phone dispatch and paper logs. I have been driving 16 years now and found Prime to be a nice place, I would go back if I had to choose a decent OTR company. Ironpony is a solid reference for Prime, he has good knowledge of things if you are looking for positive feedback on the company.....I still owe IP a coffee sometime for his help he gave me while I was there.

 

Its hard to receive those recruitment bonuses, with negative feedback. Save that positive feedback for the Newbies, I like mine straight up.... And Separate those emotional responses, stick to the technical points.

 

Personally, I don't have a problem with any of this. A little aside... quite some time ago I was an enlisted member of the military. Every time I was transferred to a different base I turned in my government issued tool box. They inventoried it, and anything that was missing or broken came out of my paycheck. Most of the senior staff at Prime is ex-military.

The only real difference in what follows is that the military owns you...

It comes down to financial responsibility for company-issued equipment. You have to have this stuff to do your job, so when Joe Driver (who is a dirtbag) sells his stuff, and then whines to management about "How come I don't got this stuff." The replace it. It happens enough, and management comes up with a plan to deal with it.

In this case, you pay for your load locks, etc., up front. When you're done with it, you turn it back in for credit. This policy does work, and Joe Driver tends to keep his stuff instead of hocking it the first chance he gets.

The guy you were responding to didn't give you the whole story either. He'll get his money back. As many discarded load locks as I've turned in over the years, I not only got my money back but I've made some money off it as well.

If we need something you can either pay for it up front, and then turn in the receipt on a PO, and it shows up on your next settlement. Or... talk to your Fleet Manager, and get him to put some cash on your ComData card. You can use a comcheck, or get a cash advance when you fuel to make your purchase. Same deal, get a PO number, turn in the receipt with your next trip and it will be on your next settlement.

I wouldn't do that either, and no one expects you to here either.

It isn't a matter of "can't pay for equipment," rather it's making the employee more responsible for the care and custody of that equipment. Like I mentioned at the top of this... the military has you, but you're responsible for issued government equipment. Here, you own the equipment if you desire to take it with you, hock it or destroy it... it's yours. When you leave, this stuff can be turned in for credit, and the price will be refunded to you at that time.

I've seen a comdata charge on a number of folks settlements at different carriers. The TWIC card and passport are your personal property, and while some businesses pay for that, others don't. The equipment can be turned in for credit. As for the mattress, you get a new one when you take the truck out. At most, that's for three years. Now if you're a bed wetter (are you?) that's your problem if you don't get it taken care of. Most folks don't go buying new mattresses for their beds at home every year, and most drivers shouldn't need to do that either.

 

Someone has learned the three R"s, Rationalize, Regress, Repress ????

 

This question may have been asked and answered before, but I couldn't find it on here. Does Prime require you to have a TWIC card prior to training? And do I have to pay for it on my own, or does Prime pay for it? I am leaving in about a month for Springmo, and am going to the flatbed division.