Jim Palmer. Interested driver wants the inside scoop!

Recruiter I have been speaking with said that Palmer will work you mainly Denver west, with a few loads east of that. And Wil Trans will work you Denver east, with a few loads west. He said that during training you will work all 48 to get the miles and experience. Conversations on this forum have confirmed that Jim Palmer trainers will run coast to coast. Once you go solo, it will be more of one or the other, based on what company you are with. I know me, I will take any loads they have. Waiting on another interview with them here in a bit. So far they are every bit as legit as people are saying they are. The recruiter has been forthcoming about many of the pros and cons of the business and even his company in particular(Wil Trans)...

 

Good to hear it has up and downs so be prepared for that I know some guys over here at Jim Palmer get 2400 to 3200 miles a week and the. May have low week do to deliver time and if it meat loaf that tend to have wait time on them do to the meat being killed and prepared but long ask questions and be vigilant in your reaserch you make the right decision on to ho with them
Or not

 

I tried talking to a recruiter and they are pretty strict on who they will hire. They train newbie drivers but someone like me who is a student..they won't hire and told me to get experience.

 

Driving as Wil-Trans, and you living in KY, would mean better hometime, and driving the Midwest,South, East. If you really prefer going West Coast to Midwest and back you can be hired in Jim Palmer. Working as Jim Palmer and living in KY might reduce frequency of hometime. JP has drivers all over, including at least 1 in South Florida. I live in Middle TN

Yeah as a student, but not a student in their school, you are kind of in a no-man's-land. They can hire non-CDL and get them into their school. They can hire current OTR drivers. They can hire working local drivers with past OTR experience. But if you have no OTR or no CDL experience it's tough for them to hire you. They like 2 years OTR experience or no CDL it seems.

 

Here is the only thing I consider a downside to Jim Palmer / Wil-Trans. Their insurance is more expensive and less generous than my current insurance with a big carrier in The Southeast. I pay $15/wk for comprehensive medical/dental/vision compared to $86/wk for an HSA with $5k deductible at JP/WT. My employer has to be picking up 75% of the cost of my insurance, maybe more. Eventually most companies will be covering very little and having employees pay for what they do get.
Jim Palmer/Wil-Trans Health Insurance
90 Day Waiting Period
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield HSA (ACA/ObamaCare Compliant)
$5000 deductible
Cost per week
Single $86
Employee & Spouse $184.13
Employee & Child 159.59
Family $257.72

 

I almost went there but after the recruiter sent me the prices of the medical insurance, I had to politely decline.

 

Thanks for sharing the details. That is pretty high. So high insurance along with a year contract where if I quit or was terminated with or without cause..I'd owe a grand or two? I had to pass as well.

 

May I ask which big carrier? do they accept student drivers?
I'll private message ya.

 

The year contract is only for students that go through their school, if I recall. A 1 year contract is not unreasonable, they are spending money to give you the license. I paid $3500 for my 3 week CDL school in the mid-90s. I think it's $5k and up now. I wouldn't want to give someone $5k worth of training, better training than many CDL schools I bet, and not be sure of getting my money's worth from the new-hire. Also, I would not consider working at any company unless I was determined to stay for 1 year. Some say staying 6 months is acceptable, maybe. 1 year is more acceptable. It's very common for new drivers to only stay at their first company 1 year. You really have to do this job to fully realize what aspects are important to you and which are not as important.

 

Their insurance costs/coverage was a big issue for me as well also leaving a dedicated job and living in the truck again. I haven't decided NOT to go there but I'm going to wait and think about it over the Winter. In order for me to give my employer sufficient notice, and get my riding with a trainer completed I'd be out over the holidays AND starting with bad weather and slowing freight. Freight has been slow this year. I'm not sure what a Winter slowdown in a slow year looks like. In the meantime I sleep at home every night and have guaranteed holidays off, for much less money than at JP.