"My" Prime thread and reason for leaving

I was trying to write an objective thread for people who may be coming in to be aware that it isnt always 100% positive with this company. None of what happened to me was because I was lazy, didnt want to work, quite the contrary. Its always said that if you dont get miles, its because you are lazy. I worked on two of my instructors trucks, he wanted to keep me on, maybe get another truck for me to run or get rid of a driver he had run on an older truck for the last 6 years..when he knew I was going to go tanker, he was trying to find a way to keep me..

Driving the truck was the easiest job I ever had, even factoring in weather, early morning appointments, sleeping while being thrown all over, driving through annoying construction..every time I told a truck driver they gave me a dirty look. There is one difficult aspect to this job, being away from your small kids and beautiful wife.

What is aggravating is not one PRIME driver acted surprised that this happened, not even, "man, that sucks" or "thats not right"..whatever, just so I dont come off as the total ##### whiner I will bore you new here in case you didnt read my scenario coming into this job..

I worked 31 years for one company, I worked for the father, the older brother and finally the youngest brother..we used to have 5 people between Shipping and Maintenance. Maintenance used to be 2 people but when my boss retired in 1982 I was the entire department. Down to 4, 3 in shipping and Me, I always helped shipping, always..they were always behind. Shipping ended up with 2 people and the delivery counter guy had a heart attack and they moved me to full time deliveries and counter help also. I was now working shipping about 75% of the time and scrambling to keep up with Maintenance. I started cleaning the toilets about 15 years ago when they got rid of the janitors, a plant with 7 bathrooms, 3 of them very large for the factory workers. I had help for about 3 years until everyone else just stopped. I ended up continuing on, the lowly toilet jocky was now added to my list.

So on a Friday, Febuary 26, 2010 imagine my surprise when the head and only guy in shipping called me over to tell me he had been "laid off"...24 years of service to the company. I felt like a scumbag as they had been asking me for ways to improve and streamline shipping. I had no idea this was coming.

My role now included Maintenance: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, repairs..grounds (large lawns), plowing and my beloved bathrooms, Shipping: receiving, all inventory which included SEVERAL companies whose product we stocked and shipped, packing at least 50% of the product before shipping and deliveries which could take 2-6 hours a day. I went in on the following Monday to the Newer boss, the youngest son. I always enjoyed an open and truthful relationship with him, straight up. I told him that doing this with two had been nearly impossible and had been a strain, one person was ridiculous.

This started approx a 17 months of a near nervous breakdown which included 80+ hour work weeks and me CONSTANTLY struggling to meet deadlines and keep up. It was a constant rotation of one or two aspects of my job being caught up while all the others lagged. I BEGGED and FOUGHT for 17 months, every time I would get temp help we would both work a ton of overtime. I finally got an employee hired as a part time, shipping and floater..both a ton of overtime. I fought my way down to about 50-60 hours a week and I was so afraid of losing my job I started a paper route in upstate NY in the hilltowns, near the Catskill Mountains, I got up no later than 0300 hours every day, I drove 30 miles to pick up my papers and about another 70 to finish the
route. I did this for 8 months Aug, 2010 till May 2011. I was up at 0300, worked till 0700-0730 rushed 25 miles to work, started at 0800 and worked till anywhere from 1800-2100 and drove home. My kids usually put me to bed. I hated laying there some nights if I got home early enough, hearing my kids and wife while I forced myself to sleep. Back country roads, snow etc..and if It snowed a decent amount, NERVOUS BREAKDOWN as I was the one who plowed the factory in Albany 25 miles..insanity.

So, on a Friday in early June my pay and benefits got cut the equivalent of $5.25 an hour, my bosses never even knew I did the paper route. I couldn't survive on the cut. I wanted to die, I had never worked harder in my life. I left on July 11, 2011...31 years and 1 day after I was hired, 7/10/1980..

We dont have credit cards and my wife is amazing and gorgeous, no jewelry, make-up, clothes issues, anything spending money related.We rolled all our reserves a few years earlier into remodeling the exterior and some interior of our home as we have a large blended family. When I came to PRIME I have a large mortgage, nothing else other than living in upstate NY..and thats expensive.

This job was easy, thats not an insult. My 28 year old overweight trainer one day sighed, "I am getting too old for this", while he climbed up on the catwalk to untangle the airlines, I laughed at him. I am 50, could run circles around him with my crappy discs in my back and arthritic neck, I drove with a severe sciatic problem for the whole time, swallowing advil like candy. I hated when I couldnt use cruise control...HATED those days..

I could handle it, cake...freakin cake, I missed the wife and kids a lot, that was difficult but like I said, for whatever reason, we didnt get great miles, it wasnt my truck. I was a dirtbag laborer and always lifeted too much and did stupid crap so my body is beat up, still played hoop with the boys and managed to get around =)

I am thankful for getting my license with a great company, best facilities imaginable, best food, cheapest prices, great equipment, great people, I made SOOO many friends. I got along with almost everyone. even those who I had arguements with, we shook hands and moved on...

I felt terrible leaving, I wish it worked but if you are trying to portray me as some whining slacker, you are wrong

tankfully, (ha ha) I have a job starting on wednesday, training and if the numbers are right even with a low hourly training rate I "should" on my first week make close to or more than I ever made with PRIME. $13.60 an hour x 60 plus hours. I am scheduled to make high 40's first year and low 50's second year, with benefits and paid holidays etc. I couldnt have done it without PRIMES training, and I owe them money, I know this. I was lucky that my 31 years and good background allowed them to waive the 1 year tanker experience required. I will eventually be driving Macks permitted for 107K lbs, gasoline and petroleum products, 95% within NYS..

Sorry, I hope I didnt come across as a whiner, and i DID get jerked around. Just trying to warn the little guy, it can happen

 

Thank You

and Thank You..

I didn't want to beat the dead horse like I did, I was struggling thinking I must have said something wrong..parting thought

Many Drivers here "may" have started back when the economy was great and booming, Truckers dream scenario (I assume)...but If things are slow I would only imagine that while FM's are doing the best they can to get everyone loads, the ones who will get the least is the newer guys. While I wholeheartedly agree that there are whiners and people who talk all day at truck stops, I will certainly disagree that this is the only reason...its not

My tanker trainer told me for the tanker side they took on a Bungee account and had to shift a lot of the tanks to that account alone, they are tied up there..they are short on tanks, they have too many drivers, he told me a few years ago he was killing himself trying to keep up, he said it has slowed down tremendously and it is nothing like a few years ago...

I dont think the reefer side is anything like that (as slow) but I know some good guys who came in, the same time as me, who folded..no miles, no freight, in the hole...they are brand new, freight is slow right now, supposed to pick up..maybe it started as my reefer trainer just told me he had a great week, best week since he met me back in September..so if you can afford fluctuations and all that then you may not have an issue in the world...these guys begged for miles and didnt whine

If you are like me and you have a large debt load due to a big family, and you have to burn your savings or retirement to survive...you cant afford any setbacks, my wife who is about the strongest person I know is so cynical with the trucking industry, things we were told...time vs. miles..you can drive for this guy, no you cant..that stuff very personally affected her opinion..She hates me even trying to make a point on this forum..she said it's a waste of time..she knows forums, we met on a political forum discussing politics..lol

the old fella I played hoop with, upper managment..he was great. I was soo upset and i told him, this isnt personal, I love this company...he stopped me and said, its personal when you are going to lose your home if things dont change, and he apologized for their short comings..I told him my mind was made up and i couldnt afford to stay...he asked me if he could help in any way..GREAT guy

I got my goal a half a year early, I aint whining, ...I owe them money, I get it

trying to say ask detailed questions and do your homework...ask questions, demand answers and hold people accountable, if I had time and money to burn i would be a pain in their arse because I like the company..

 

she is gorgeous, isnt she ?

You are the radio guy...awesome. I hope everything works well for you too...Got my HAZMAT and got hired within a week..small world but then, I talk to everybody...lol

 

Thanks, and we do drag a LOT of petroleum around. We are permitted and we carry up to 107,000 lbs and dispatch will load you overweight if you dont keep them at bay. We have 12,200 gallon tankers with 5 compartments..3350,1500,2500,1500 and 3350. If they load you with 4 full compartments of gas and 1 full compartment of diesel you are over. You can only haul about 10,500 of diesel only.

The one thing I have learned about the trucking industry is that people will promise you the world to get you in the door, and once you are in the door, promises change, rules change, requrements change, stories ?...oh my good Lord the BS you hear is classic, everyone is the best, knows the most and has done it faster than the next guy and has made twice as much...LOL

I am about to be signed off and sadly the company I work for has an adversarial relationship between management and the drivers and the communication is terrible.
Example, I am supposed to do one gravity drop of gas and one pump off using our truck. I went out with a guy for two days to be signed off and he said I am good to go, we just needed to do a pump off. The next day he never shows up. I sit at the terminal from 0300 ..dispatch shows up at 0500...doesnt know what happened. So the driver shows up at 0630 barking that they gave him and ethanol load which is pumped off using the customers pump and that doesnt count for sign off etc etc. I ask if they could send me with another driver just to get some training hours in..I do and at the end of the day, dispatch tells me that they offered to change his load and that the driver said, nah..he would take me anyway...At this point I dont know who to believe anymore..

Guess what happens this morning...I go in at 0300 after triple checking and he doesnt show up again, I went home at about 0530 and get 4 hours training pay. This time I called the terminal manager and told him of my concerns and other concerns overall. I am going out tomorrow and Monday with another driver to get signed off.

There IS potential for very decent money here, gas IS slow because of prices but that is supposed to pick up. Everyone has told me there is a ton of BS but the money is good. I dont have to deal with other trucks at truck stops, at distribution centers, I dont have to deal with receivers, I have to wait a little bit at loading racks sometimes but when I get to the customer I unload and am on my way. We haul HEAVY loads but dont deal with rodeos at receivers with other trucks...

...and MOST IMPORTANTLY I am home EVERY night sleeping next to my gorgeous wife and I am with my children and am involved in their lives everyday. I get two days off a week and will be making a very decent salary..Training has been rough, they promised many hours and things are slow, drivers have circumstances that dont allow them to work a full day etc...but i am two days away from being on my own. I have learned a lot and I am ready