orientation pay at prime

Florida is usually the last place in the US the big companies hire drivers from. Too much freight going in, not enough going out, and when it does it's really cheap. Not impossible to get hired from FL, just a bit tougher. The driver hiring market must be getting better. Just a few months ago guys were telling how they were either moving or setting up addresses with friends in GA to get hired.

 

Congrates on getting to go to Prime they are an awesome company, I'm going in the next week or two!. I'm not sure as my wife is expecting a baby any day and I'm waiting for that. Keep in touch tell us how it goes. Thanks. TD

 

There was one in Miami that I saw on the web,tried all their phone numbers and not in service,there are some truck schools up the coast, Tampa,Orlando,Jacksonville,Sanford but they mostly want the tuition upfront even though you might get reimbursed if you are pre-hired,their are no company sponsored training that I know of in the state. I would have liked to stay in the state and close to family. How to get to Cedar Springs?Don't know haven't looked, going to Little Rock,AR. by bus, then Ok, City,OK.

 

Yes I talked to a recruiter from Roadmaster and he said the same thing. That companies werent touching nobody from Fl. till recently,they took some people on but mostly from the Northern part of the state. For me I'll just relocate to where I'm close to the job,uprooting is nothing new to me though it can get old.

 

I'm in Prime's student driver program right now. No pay for orientation, but they do pay for you to get to your orientation, they put you up in a motel, and they feed you while you're there.

Orientation lasts 4 days. From there you go out on the road and get a $200 advance for 4-5 weeks until you come back to get your CDL. Once you get your CDL they start taking that money back at $25 a week until it's paid. Interest free.

You have that CDL you make a guaranteed $600 a week right out of the gate. It's come up since a year ago. You get .12 a mile for every mile the truck runs for 60,000 miles with that $600 bare minimum guarantee. If you go over that, they pay it.

After 60k miles you can get your own truck and make .30 a mile. OR, you can continue for another 20k at .12 a mile $600 a week guaranteed and once that's through you make .34 a mile.

So while you may balk at the "unpaid" orientation, remember that you don't usually get paid to go to school. Also remember that from everything I've found online, that .34 a mile for brand new drivers is considerably higher than what you're going to get anywhere else. I think it takes 3 years to get that out of Swift. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not positive.

In any case, I did my homework, and read plenty on this website. Prime far and away has the best student driver program, and from everything I've seen this week, treats their drivers as more than just a number. I'm not trying to say everything will be perfect, nothing ever is. I'm just confident that I've picked the best company, and driving program available out there. I've heard nothing this week to make me question that by even 1 oz.

Good luck, and be safe all.

 

Dont forget the up to .04/mile fuel bonus for company drivers.

Im consistantly abpve .025 or more each week since July in fuel bonus... sometimes as high as .035/mile.... All said and done Im usually closer to .40/mile than my base rate which is .365... Just a hair more than 2 years solo.

 

OK so lets compare that. How about.

• Starting pay $.40-$.42 per mile depending on division
• $.01/mile raise at 1 year & 2 years
• $500 Orientation Pay
• Earn up to $.065 per mile Fuel Bonus
• $500 Sign-On Bonus
• $500 Driver Referral Bonus
• Tarp pay
• Detention pay
• Weekend Guarantee Pay
• Paid PrePass and Tolls
• Per diem Pay Option
• Paid flatbed training available
• Paid Vacation
• Long haul & regional runs available
• Newest & safest equipment on the road
• Passenger Authorization program
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Health/Dental Insurance & Rx card
• Paid Life Insurance Policy

For students

• $450 per week salary during finishing school
• Depending on division, you will start out earning between $.31 - $.40/mile
• $.03/mile raise at 3 months
• Additional $.05/mile raise at 6 months
• Newest, safest, best maintained trucks on the road
• No other student program in the industry comes close to this pay package!

Maverick does not take back money per week to cover your advances because they pay you. They don't loan you money.

 

hmmm... and I hear they got a reefer division now...

Where do I sign up

I'll keep this post in mind if things ever sour here.

 

Yeah, I've heard the reefer side at Maverick is top notch (*insert sarcasm here*). Some companies bite off a little more than they can chew. Did Tyson fire you guys yet, or is that next week?

Here is what I earned per mile in the last 4 weeks...

41.5cpm
42.5
37
38
-------

Running 4 week average: 39.75cpm

I am a solo company driver with just under 2 years experience and in the last month, I've averaged 39.75cpm. I make more than what Prime advertises on their recruiting site for my experience level. What does that say about the company?

The load I'm on now is a meat load and doesn't pick up until tomorrow afternoon. Every reefer driver deals with this kind of situation from time to time. And while I'd rather be running, I'm getting paid $75 today to sit on my butt and write on a message board while I wait for my load to get ready. I didn't see that advertised on the Prime recruiting site. It's nice to work for a company that goes above and beyond what they say they will do.

I'll stay right here...thanks.

 

Honestly, I don't know enough about other companies, and the industry in whole to even properly respond to this post. I am however, glad you're happy in your position. I'm very comfortable with the decision I made, and am happy to be a part of Prime.

I did my homework, and my orientation this week strengthened my resolve, it didn't hurt it. I'm confident this is a great company, and one I hope to be with for a long time to come.