Can anyone share experiences with Prime Inc student driver training?

Ok here is the math
$600.00 (minimum a week with trainer after CDL test) divided by $7.25 (minimum wage) = 82.76 (hours)
Since you can't work a full 40 hr week at McDonald's (so they don't have to provide you with benefits) it will take over 2 weeks to make the same as one week with Prime (and you do get benefits)
Now let us take the 6500 miles a week. Let us take average of the governed speeds 58. That would mean between the student and trainer you would only drive about 112 hours. If you split that each person would drive approximately 56 hours each. Then if you were to drive 6500 miles that week, the students paycheck would be $780.00 (not including fuel bonuses for better mileage). Divide that by 56 hours you would be almost $14.00 an hour.

 

Man, I need to start cheerleading. Could use a gazillion mile week. Last two only totaled 5821 miles. Of course I did that legally, driving 55 MPH average. Stupid Prime set this truck to 62, at which speed I would never have averaged 8.45 MPG and secured a 4 cpm fuel bonus. This coming week the miles are going to suck. I need to get home, so they deadheaded me 370 miles to pick up a meat load head to Chicago. And, yes, I'm company and get paid the same rate for running empty while logging 9.7MPG. But Prime screwed up and Cargill cancelled the load. So what does my FM do? Gets me another load home picking up today and offers me $125 for the down time. I almost called him to give him a piece of my mind before I realized with this load, the extra pay for sitting, and the $150 our Road Assist team put up to have me get a down trailer running legal, I'm sitting kinda pretty for a very short week in which I'll spend four days at the house.

 

Well since you will be on that truck 168 hours a week. $600.00 a week pay.
If you had a home,family or life you'd understand what I am saying.

So 70 hours driving the truck then 70 hours sleeping in the truck. 28 hours to eat,shower,bathroom,get loaded,get unloaded,fuel,pre trip,lot lizard,post on this forum. $600.00 a week

Regular job 70 hours a week at work. 98 hours to live a normal life. or even can use to find ways to make even more money..
Plus at a regular job anything over 40 is paid time and half.
So $616.25 a week flipping burgers.

140 hours in a week means next week you are taking a 34 hour reset.

As they should be, if they are on the truck they should be compensated.
So that explains why you said that.

 

There is no fast food restaurant on this planet that has their burger flippers working 40 hours/week. Nevermind overtime. And even McDonald's has to take taxes out of your check. It's not just Prime that has their guys out there on the road in the truck every hour of every day. Ever other OTR company is the same. Prime just gives you more out of the gate to do so.

You like math? My husband was a mechanic. His take home was in the neighborhood of $550 - $600/week. To get that he was at the job M-F from 7:30 to 6:00 PM. And Saturday from 8a - 2pm. Paid on commission (or salary, depending on how far back you want to go.) 10.5 hours/day for 5 days, and another 6 hours on Saturday. Plenty of down time in that job, too. Didn't get to go home just because no one needed any repairs. Had to sit there. NOT EARNING ANYTHING (at the commission job, which was the last 2 years of wrenching.) So, he worked 58.5 hours/week for $550. Sometimes less. Occasionally, more. Nothing like being at work for almost 60 hours and clearing less than $400. But here's the kicker: we live an hour away from town. So, now we add in the 2 hours/day commute. Which obviously isn't paid. So, now he is out of the house for 70.5 hours/week for work, and still only made $550. Plus put the gas in the car to get there. Never knew if he was going in for $0 that day or $$.

If you insist on using 168 hours/week to determine a trucker's hourly wage, even though they are not working during that time, the trucker will ALWAYS seem to get the raw end of the stick.

ONLY if those hours are worked absolutely back to back. We all know THAT doesn't happen. You wait for dispatch, loading, unloading. You'd only get a reset if 24 of those hours were consecutive AND you had a 10 hour break on one side or the other of the 24 hour downtime. Doesn't happen often with teams.

 

Wartog,,,, Makes me wonder...? You know what it takes to be a truck driver and you know you will spend hours in a truck with little or no family time. You know how the pay works and what is expected. If you took the job knowing this, then why in the heck are you crying about the working and pay conditions of being a trucker. Prime is not the only trucking company that pays it's drivers' this way. It is like taking a job working at a Garbadge Refuse station and then complaining that it smells like trash when you are working. Or getting a job working at a fish processing plant and then complaining that everyday you go home smelling like fish. I mean... are you serious...? You know what the job is all about and YOU chose to work in this industry.

As far as your math and your McDonalds comparison, ABSOLUTELY REDICULOUS! You have some fuzzy math and you are not being honest with yourself and adding all the numbers up correctly. Prime offers benifits and McDonalds does not. If you really think working at McDonalds is better pay and you have better career opportunities there, then why are you not working there? If home time is important to you why did you ever choose to work in the trucking industry as a OTR trucker? If you think you will get more home time and better pay and benifits, submit your application to McDonalds. I am sure McDonalds does not gaurantee you a $600 dollar paycheck every week. On top of the gaurantee at Prime you will still get benifits!!!! McDonalds does not offer a 401K that matches .40 cents for every dollar contribution up to $5,000 dollars. That is another $2,000 dollars of tax free money that gets poured into your 401k on top of your tax free $5,000 you contribute. I doubt McDonalds is going to give you a 401k and match $2,000 in contributions for every $5,000 you save. Also you should also know, this money is pre-taxed income. Being uncle sam does not get any of this money and you only get taxed on the income you take on your actual pay check.

A little more about your fuzzy math.... If you had to go out and pay for your own benifits because you thought McDonalds was a better place to work, it would cost you at least $400.00 a month out of your own pocket and even more if you added your family on to your benifits. So lets say you got 35 hours a week working at McDonalds at $10.00 an hour. (Which would never happen. They pay at the most $8.00 an hour and never give you 40 hours so they do not have to pay over time or benifits.) This would be $350 a week at $10 an hour. This is your gross pay... so you are clearing $1,400 a month. Take out $400 dollars a month for your benifits that you pay for out of your own pocket. This does not incude benifits for your wife or kids if you have any. $1,000 a month from McDonalds. So remember this is a high estimate... I do not know where McDonalds pays $10.00 an hour, but never the less we will asume you have mad burger flipping skills. lol

Okay... now that you are only working 35 hours a week, now you will have all that extra time to make extra money working part time somewhere else and spend that time with your family with what is left over after your 55 hour work week. So lets say you do get a part time job working 20 more hours a week somewhere else. Most part time jobs only pay minimum wage but lets say you get a job working at a liquor strore or a grocery store makeing $8.00 an hour. So now you are working 55 hours a week grossing an additional grand total $160 a week from your part time job. That is $510 a week. This is still less then Prime who guarantees $600 a week. So now you are grossing a grand total of $1,640 a month with medical benifits. Remember I subtracted $400 for your benifits. But wait.. Now that you are driving to work in your own car to both of your low paying jobs go no where jobs. You will have to put fuel in your car that will cut into your take home pay from McDonalds and your part time job. Don't forget maintenance on your vehicle. It costs about .32 cents a mile to operate a vehicle not including gas at nearly $4.00 a gallon. While you are sitting in your truck, you will not be commuting or spending money on gas and maintenance on your own vehicle. Did not think about that one did you Wartog?? LOL....

McVomit does not have a 401k that matches contributions. At least you will have social security when you retire from McDonalds when you are 67 lol.. With Prime you are guaranteed $600 a month with benifits. Gross $2,400 a month. Now if you are lucky... you will get weekends off working for McDonalds and your part time job, but I doubt it. Usually part time jobs require you to work irregular hours and weekends.... but good luck getting a solid weekend off. A postitive note.. you will have more home time after you work your 55 hour work week between McDonalds and your part time job. lol

So now you are working 55 hours a week and only bringing home $1,640. Way to go pal and you do not have a retirement savings plan. Prime also offers $15,000 natural death benifit and $30,000 accidental death benifits. I am sure McVomit does not offier this benifits. I am sure your wife can pay for your funural if you pass away with all the money you are making at McDonalds. Prime offers bonuses for fuel milage. I am sure McDonalds does not offer a burger flipping bonus. lol Also.. your pay scale over time will increase at Prime as with McDonalds you will be paid very little. Prime pays $500 for one week of vacation after one year. Do you think your McDonalds job is going to pay you $500 dollars to take a week off work... I think not.

Also, you are not taking into consideration about your tax benifits. You can write off cell phone bills, showers, lap top computer, long distance calls, or any other expenses you have on the road. The IRS is not going to let you write off your cell phone bill working at McVomit. lol

So as far as your fuzzy math and your McDonalds analogy, I would have to say you made yourself sound like a complete uneducated moron. Not even realalistic!!! You seem to be a very negative person not happy with the trucking industry. Just my opinion. Also the fact that you complain about the work conditions and pay of the trucking industry in general when you alread knew that going into it or you should have know before taking the job. That is like being a Dentist and complaining you have to work on people with bad breath.. Or working at McDonalds and complaining you smell like Big Macs and fries at the end of the day.... LOL...

So Wartog... thank you very much for the laugh.... I think you should trying working at McDonalds. Let me know how that goes for you.... lol... too funny.... How embarassing that you would even compare working at McDonalds to the trucking industry.... shame on you.... lol

 

You ARE correct.

Rediculous !!!!!

 

A man Commander !

 

Actually its $600 a week during training....

 

No one compared McDonalds to the trucking Industry, It was compared to CDL MILLS.
Companies like PRIME,SWIFT,ENGLAND prey on ignorant people who don't any better, people who have very little or nothing at all in life.
Those companies do not make up the TRUCKING Industry.

Im flattered that you put so much thought into you reply tho lol thanks for the book