Leasing at Prime

Box was 454.46 brackets 75.35 labor 207.00

 

Ok, so after hours of reading this long thread and making notes about things like fuel price guides and such... all good tips BTW. My question is should i try and be picky about which truck i lease. Im employed and going to prime orientation on my vacation time. Im wondering if taking a used one is good or should i just not sign untill they have a new one available. My other question is should i go refeer, tanker or flatbed. I have 20 months experience as a trainer with another company. (not mentioning for obvious reasons) .. great company and i made around 70k last year but im ready to take the first step to 0/0. i figured 1-2 years leasing to get my expenses under control and learn the buisness side and then buy a truck out right. Ill be coming to prime as a trainer so i can run super solo- team with a student for a few extra dollars in the bank.

 

I personally would go reefer. Prime is a reefer company so I believe the freight network is larger for reefer. AS far as the truck you lease, you cant demand a new truck on your first lease. When you go in you will get a pre-leased truck. Now they may have new trucks that people ordered but didn't pick up. Now the pre-leased are fairly new anyways. I personally got a pre-leased that had been in the fleet for 3 month and had only 35,000 miles on it.

 

I would try and be somewhat picky on the truck. The first thing to ask yourself is do you plan on making it the full 3 years of a lease or are you more interested in trying it out to see if it's something you can be successful at. If you decide to go with a used truck read the maintenance report very very carefully, inspect that truck top to bottom, nose to rear and everything in between. Review what is left in the tire find for the truck and it's maintenance account.

The selection process for what trucks are available is usually alphabetically by last name of the drivers in that weeks leasing orientation class.

Other factors is to determine how much per week you want spend on your lease payment. For a new truck, freightliners will be your least expensive truck in lease price with you kenworths being the most. For used trucks it'll depend on how much time is remaining on the lease.

You can always go to the leasing website and see what the inventory is. It won't be what you'll have available when you get there but it will give you a good idea what is trending and if there are some used ones that have been sitting for a few weeks, that should be an indication there might be something wrong with it.

Good luck,
Redoctober

 

If I am leasing the truck, I would be as picky on the truck I lease as I wanted to. I don't know why you would feel like you had to take just whatever they had left over for your lease. I am paying for it, I am going to choose it, not them.

 

How do I change my dispatch? I have suffered this person as long as I can, it's been 8 months. its not that I'm not making money I am but i have had it with the attitude they are going to make me act in manner that's not professional, also thinking of just turning in my lease, I don't need the head ache.

 

Hire a Hitman I mean get a bill pass through congress.......I mean go interview one that you think you want to switch to and ask, beg and pay that dispatcher millions of pennies, LOL.

I think you basically find one that has room on his board and ask him if he would take you on his board. You might need to have a good case as to why you want to switch, probably have something documented as to your issues with your current dispatcher. All else fails, ask to speak to your current dispatchers boss.

In all honesty, I think you just go find one you would rather be with and ask if they'll take you.

Good luck,

Redoctober

 

Whats the deal with the sleep study and almost mandatory sleep machine i keep reading about on some forums? I personally plan to tell them to pound sand if they want me to take a sleep study. I did one once and a total waste of time and money. Anyone know what the pay structure is for a trainer and is it better to take pre cdl students or post cdl students?

 

No clue about the sleep study stuff.

As for the training side of things, if you take a pre cdl student you get $300/week up to 4 weeks you have that student on your truck plus the bonus between $500-875 when they pass there cdl test, $500 when they upgrade to an "A"seat if you didn't keep them after they got there cdl or $1,000 when you they upgrade. After they get their cdl, you get paid for all the miles the truck drives.

You planning on being a lease operator and training? If so, you make more training them after they get there cdl. Plus as a lease operator you are responsible for paying the student's wages, currently $700/week. That also includes all the payroll taxes as well come out of your settlement to the truck.

Good luck,

Redoctober

 

Let us know how that works out for you.

Good Luck