My journey is coming together (and some questions about Prime Inc.)

Glad to hear you have the opportunity and taking the steps to finally see what that nagging 'since high school' ambition is all about.
Best of luck to ya, SR77 and this is a great place to start doing research and get answers before making final decisions.
I can tell you're approaching this carefully and the correct way, as the more research you do beforehand, will really pay off from day 1 on.

Your few questions are "Prime policy" specific, and I can't answer those with 100% certainty (tho the lease purchase is commonly 'pushed' to many).
You may want to ask those in the Prime forum (under Trucking Company Forums) on this site.
Good luck!

 

Your posting was very, very long. I did not read it all, only about the first paragraph.

You can do better than Prime. They will almost force you into a lease deal, Like Cr England will.

 

Explore all your options before setting in on one company. Recruiters will come in to the school. There are some good companies out there....no reason to pidgin hole yourself before you even start school.
Chinatown will be along to make a bunch of suggestions. I don't know if your in Magnums hiring area, but check them out too

 

Lease: No. On my first day of orientation at Prime, the pretty lady said "Drivers who will be company drivers or drivers who are unsure, stay here. Drivers who want to lease head to room so and so." You'll never be forced into that. I've never even been asked about it again. People like G.Anthony who make that post with 26 years experience, 834 posts and 701 thanks, I have no idea where that post comes from.

About TNT, if you come in with your CDL, you will skip PSD and go right into TNT. I went through PSD, so I can't really comment on how it differentiates if you just jump right into TNT, but I can tell you in TNT it's you and another man figuring out the best way to meet a common objective, so surely every situation will be different. Interview TNT trainers and find one you can mesh with to hit your miles.

Whatever you do, they'll reimburse you the cost of a Greyhound ticket. I flew in from Detroit into the Springfield airport and they covered like 60% of it. I wouldn't drive my own car in, it's a pain in the ###. I'd just take a short flight or rent a car. Prime shuttle will pick you up at the Springfield airport and a rental car or plane will both take you there.

No knowledge of the sleep study questions, sorry man.

 

Prime is ok except the trucks are too slow. Many happy drivers there, but you have to stay in the granny lane.
Don't make a decision too quickly; do some comparison shopping:

Cargo Transporters - lots of positive comments on this commpany.
Abiline Motor Express - can't find any negative on this company.
Freymiller - has some good accounts that run from the Carolinas to Pacific Northwest.
Decker Truck Line-refrigerated division runs 48 states. Flatbed is more regional.
Magnum Ltd.
Pride Transport
Tyson Foods

Being as heavy as you are; can you pass a heart rate test? If so, then tankers pay the best. Several tanker companies hire new CDL grads from your area such as CTL Transportation and several others.

One of the best deals out there is A&R Logistics. They waive the "one yr. experience" requirement for military veterans. Pay runs from $62K - $72K on average; some make more.

 

I spent 3 years on the company side, and never heard a word about the lease program, except when it was mentioned during orientation. That was basically that they had such a program.

If you come in through PSD and stay with your instructor through TnT, that isn't an issue. If you change trainers or come in with a CDL, most trainers will want to ride right seat until they're satisfied that they can trust your driving. My TnT trainer did that, and then rode right seat as different conditions occurred. In the final analysis, its up to each trainer as to how much time he'll spend in the right seat.

Prime will reimburse you the price of the bus ticket to take a different mode of transport to orientation. You'll need to let your recruiter know about this. If you drive a car down, you'll have to decide how to get it back home.

You should bring a copy of your medical records for the doctor to review.

If its a recent study, that should be good enough. Just so you know, Prime has each applicant screened by their doctor, and he orders a sleep study based on that examination. Prime has contracted with a third-party sleep clinic to do the studies, so there isn't any financial connection between the clinic and Prime or the doctor. This is about liability insurance coverage, and who is acceptable to them.

You'll get a wider range of responses from current Prime drivers in the Prime forum.

Let's get something straight. Its pretty obvious you have something against Prime.

Company trucks are set for 62 on cruise and 58 on the pedal. Slow or fast, its about the bottom line at Prime. Company drivers have the choice of how fast they want to drive as long as they meet the minimum fuel economy requirement. If they choose to drive slower, they are compensated with a variable fuel bonus of up to 6-cpm paid weekly against all dispatched miles.

 

What makes you think I have something against Prime? I recommend them regularly. I just think this particular guy can do better. He's attending a private CDL school so no reason to graduate from there, then hire on with a training company, unless that's just what he wants to do. Some CDL students don't realize how much is out there to choose from; they only hear about a very few companies the school pushes. I don't think some of the schools even know there's dozens of companies to choose from.

 

My experience starting out at A&R Transport

Good thread to read. Don't need tanker/hazmat endorsements with this company