Going to Prime

I ran for the company side in reefer division for three years - not once did anyone approach me about leasing. The nonsense about pushing leases on company drivers at Prime is just that - a load of bovine excrement. The company side is a good place to start - figure out how the place works, if you like it, if it agrees with you. No financial commitment to a lease. Once you've been with the company a bit, had a chance to see how the numbers work, get a copy of the lease from leasing and make sure you understand it - take it to an attorney if you need to.

Then... its real easy to switch from the company side to the lease side. Its difficult to go the other way - and can be a problem for you financially if you decide that leasing isn't going to work, you would rather be somewhere else, etc. Just tell your FM you'd like to lease a truck, and they'll schedule you to come in.

 

ok thanks, i was also told that i would be going straight to pittston. i thought that all the orientation was in mo. do they also do orientation in pittston and with the experiance that i have will i have to go through training.

 

Yup... they do orientation for experienced drivers and new CDL holders in Pittston, Sprinfield MO and Salt Lake City. All student drivers go to Sprinfield. Most experienced drivers go out with a trainer for a short period, just to get used to the way they do things.

 

thanks for your help and honesty iron pony. recruiter called today and i am good to go. going to pittston on monday to get in the truck and go. he said with my experiance that i will probably not even have to go with a trainer which is ok with me. i am going to go in as a company driver as you suggested they actually offered me a pretty high milage rate which shocked me. If all goes wel i think that i will just stay a company driver. thanks for your help in making this tough decision.

 

So If I have a CDL with no experience will I still have to go to Sprinfield MO, Or can I go to salt lake

 

Depends on if they have a group starting in SLC when you sign on. Best thing to do is do an online app, ask a recruiter.

 

It will depend on how you got your CDL. If you just completed a CDL school then you are golden.

If you have had your CDL for a long time, but have no verifiable experience then Prime will tell you to "surrender your CDL, get a regular drivers license then we will consider you for our school".

 

Or what they had me do was to take a 120 hr refresher course ($1500)and then go out 60k miles with a trainer.

 

I can see the 60k miles with a trainer since you had no verifiable experience but the "refresher" course for $1500 is bs! No way in hell I'd have been okay with that. What a crock of dooky.

 

It's the same everywhere with the large carriers. You might find something different in a small shop.