Not sure if this is a safe route could use advice

Mje compared to CR England this place is heaven. No one bugs you, dm's help as needed, and his dm is great and tries to make sure he is making money. The loads usually have enough time to get done on the timeframe, but there maybe sometimes those problem loads that cause you to be stretched thin; he has used the 8/2 split a few times to make it in, I call them "Hail Mary loads". Rollover hours/recap is the norm for him.

The trucks are lightweight so they can carry more weight, are a lot smaller inside, they are governed and drop speed fast, esp in the mountains. If you keep your mpg on fuel there is a fuel bonus.

They do drive by the route solution and fuel stop given, but so far have not been nitpicky about it like some companies are, but they do love the smaller old routes in some areas where you are off the tollroad. There are occasions for one reason or another that you might be out of route or the fuel stop is somewhere different than the whole route provided. They so far do not stand over his shoulder about it.

With a reefer you do have to sometimes chase washout places afterwards, but so far that hasn't been really bad. He spent more time at US Xpress chasing non existent trailers around. Wait times may be long sometimes at some of the meat places like Tyson loads, but I think they have gotten a little better the last few months and do seem to have some preloaded trailers to pu. And of course the reefer can haul dry loads also. They have very few repower loads. They have some charge accounts for washouts and truck wash like at Blue Beacon, if not they reimburse you for it. The pay the scale tickets and even if you have to pay for parking.

The pay is a lot more per mile than a lot of other companies and sometimes with extra drop pay, and detention added he has made up to around .538 per mile for the week average on payday. (This is not every week though). The low ballpark amount would be around .435. He was making around .90 as a l/o at CR England and this was before they took out fuel, variable pay, insurance and truck payment. He so far has not made a negative check (something that happened a lot at CRE).

He is not interested in training right now and has considered leasing, but for now he is a lot happier as company. I think it would be a great company as a starter company for anyone, and even for longevity for those who want to work there till they retire. The only downside is the trucks not having oomph to pull hills at a decent speed. They do have Anthem Blue Cross, dental, vision, and life ins. Not sure how the new healthcare is going to affect this in the longrun. After a year of service the plan is reduced (I believe Prime pays more on it then). He is paying around $52.00 per week now with a higher deductible, if I would have signed on it would have been the same price. He has never had a problem in getting home for hometime when requested and they get you back on the road quickly when you call back in to let them know you're ready to go.

I do feel sometimes that the loads are a little strung out perhaps, but I think the economy is still not up to speed totally and some areas are worse than others. So far he is making pretty good money, at least enough to keep us out of the poor house.

 

If you're proactive, do your research and find a good school that you apply to while in school, you'll be able to start within 2 to 3 weeks of passing your road test. You'll have to wait the 1 to 2 weeks for your license to come, and it's relatively easy to get scheduled for an orientation for the following Monday, you can have it scheduled as soon as you pass the test. These companies are used to working with students and getting you into an orientation ASAP, in general.

Oh, and don't put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to the companies that look good to you, as well as a few that you're not so crazy about, and then be willing to sign up for Swift or Werner or the like when they don't get back to you by the time your course is over.

 

Prime does not quilt anyone into leasing at least I have not had anyone even ask if I wanted to do a lease and I have been with them since March. now some drivers may try to talk you into it, but from I have seen first hand some drivers will say go lease while others will say wait until your 1st year is up.

 

Have you thought about going thru a company training program, sure most will require you stay any where from 6mo to a 1 year and if you do so then you owe nothing for the school.

 

Oh, an accident, I missed that before if you mentioned it... Was it your fault and what kind of incident was it? Because of insurance, many places require a certain amount of years after incidents like that, I believe 3 years for an accident, at most places. Not saying impossible to be hired, but much harder, you're an insurance risk/bump.

 

As a trainer for a big starter company I asked my dispatcher why they don't screen people better before putting them on a trainers truck and his reply was that they have so many people that apply and then don't show up its not cost affective. This is very frustrating for both trainer and student so every one has to be upfront about their history, ie medical, 've, work history. I've had students who had their license suspended in a different state, need glasses or medication.

 

They should provide you a bus ticket, or reimburse you the amount of that ticket for gas or a plane ticket if you choose to take that route. That's how it is to get to their orientation at least.